Last Updated: Dec 12, 2024

Fukuoka Prefecture’s Akizuki

Samurai Warriors Without War

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

“While this article was originally written during the pandemic, all of the locations and information featured are still valid…”

— Donny Kimball

Dear cherished readers, if I asked you to conjure up a mental image of a Japanese samurai, what would you envision with your mind’s eye? Would it be a fearsome warlord like the courageous Takeda Shingen or a cunning warrior like the crafty Oda Nobunaga? Are they fully armored and garbed in the protective trappings of the battlefield? Whatever similitude you summon, it’s likely that the scene is devoid of cultural traditions like the tea ceremony, flower arranging, and other such arts. Wait, what? Weren’t we talking about Japan’s warrior class here? What gives? Oh boy. This could take a while but here we go!

Unbeknownst to many foreign visitors to Japan who are accustomed to overseas depictions of samurai, these esteemed warriors were actually closer to civil servants during the final chapter of their reign as the top dogs. Once Japan entered the Edo period (1603–1868), the country escaped a trail of bloody civil wars until its final years. After power had been…