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The Blade Of The Courtesans
''The Blade of the Courtesans'' is a historical fiction novel by Japanese author Keiichiro Ryu originally published in 1986.The Blade of the Courtesans By Keiichiro Ryu at Vertical. It was published in by in 2008. Ryu's debut novel, it was nominated for a and "instantly made him a doyen of historical fiction." Plot summary "The grueling, century-long ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keiichiro Ryu
Ryu, Keiichiro. The Blade of the Courtesans. back cover. was a Japanese editor, acclaimed screenplay writer, and historical fiction writer. List of novels # '' The Blade of the Courtesans'' (, 2008, Vertical Inc Vertical is a Japanese novel and manga imprint of Kodansha USA Publishing. Founded in 2001 by Hiroki Sakai, in February 2011, the company was bought by Kodansha (46.7%) and Dai Nippon Printing (46.0%). The company was consolidated into Kodansha ...) References Japanese historical novelists Writers of historical mysteries 1923 births 1989 deaths 20th-century novelists {{Japan-writer-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenkai
was a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He achieved the rank of ''Daisōjō'', the highest rank of the priesthood. His Buddhist name was first , which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known as , he died on 13 November 1643, and was granted the posthumous title of in 1648. Tenkai was at Kita-in (then written 北院) in Kawagoe in 1588, and became abbot in 1599. He was on the advisor of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and served as a liaison between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Imperial Court in Kyoto. One of his projects was the rebuilding of Enryaku-ji, which had been devastated by Oda Nobunaga. He also revitalized Kita-in, and changed the characters of its name to 喜多院. Nearing death in 1616, Ieyasu entrusted Tenkai with his last will regarding matters of his funeral and his posthumous name. Tenkai selected ''gongen'' rather than ''myōjin,'' and after death Ieyasu became known as Tōshō Daigongen. Tenkai continued to serve as a consul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow Oda subordinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The son of a minor daimyo, Ieyasu once lived as a hostage under daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto on behalf of his father. He later succeeded as daimyo after his father's death, serving as a vassal and general of the Oda clan, and building up his strength under Oda Nobunaga. After Oda Nobunaga's death, Ieyasu was briefly a rival of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, before declaring his allegiance and fighting on his behalf. Under Toyotomi, Ieyasu was relocated to the Kanto plains in eastern Japan, away from the Toyotomi power base in Osaka. He built his castle in the fishing village of Edo (now Tokyo). He became the most powerful daimyo and the most senior officer under the Toyotomi regime. Ieyasu preserved his strength i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takao II
, also known as Sendai Takao or Manji Takao, was a (highest-ranking courtesan) of the Yoshiwara red light district of Edo, and one of the most famous courtesans of Japan's Edo period (1603–1867). She debuted in 1655 as the leading courtesan of the Great Miura, the most prestigious Yoshiwara brothel of the day, and rapidly became the leading courtesan of the entirety of Yoshiwara. Takao II would be one of between six and eleven courtesans to hold the (inherited name) of 'Takao'. She is particularly famous for her affair with Date Tsunamune; some time after her death, her story would be featured in kabuki (in the play ), in song and literature, though much of it would be fabricated and fictionalized. Portrayal in literature According to the tale, Date Tsunamune, the young of Mutsu, visited Yoshiwara Red Light District as the result of a dispute involving family politics. His uncle sought to undermine his reputation in order to replace Tsunamune with his own son, and indirec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi
was one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era. Life Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi (born "Shichirō") grew up in his family's ancestral lands, Yagyū no Sato, now in Nara. He was the son of Yagyū Tajima no Kami Munenori, master swordsman of the Tokugawa ''shōguns'', especially Ieyasu and Tokugawa Iemitsu, who prized Munenori as one of his top Counselors . Munenori fought for the first Tokugawa shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, at the Battle of Sekigahara, expanding the shōgun's territory. For his efforts, Munenori was made the shōgun's sword instructor and a minor ''daimyō'' (provincial ruler), by extending his family hereditary domain up to 10,000 koku. Despite not being the heir of his father as the headmaster of the Yagyū style (and thus far from being an unrivaled swordsman under the Heaven), he received the post for its importance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yagyū Munefuyu
was a ''daimyō'' and a teacher of kenjutsu and military strategy in Japan during the Edo period. His highest-ranking pupil was Tokugawa Ietsuna, fourth Tokugawa ''shōgun''. Munefuyu, who also went by the name Matajūrō, was the third son of Yagyū Munenori. One of his elder brothers was Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi. His younger brother was Retsudō Gisen, the real person who is fictionalized as Yagyū Retsudō, leader of the ''Ura-Yagyū'' (Shadow Yagyū), in ''Lone Wolf and Cub''. In 1650, Munefuyu became the head of the Yagyū clan. In 1657 he received the title '' Hida no kami''. In 1668 he rose to the rank of daimyo of the Yagyū Domain when he received an additional grant of land, bringing his holdings above the 10,000 '' koku'' minimum. Initially weaker than his brothers and father, a kōan tells how he managed to become an expert after training his ''zanshin'' (vigilance) for several years in a temple. Despite his success and fame, he was defeated in a single stroke by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yagyū Clan
The were a family of ''daimyōs'' (feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara, who became the heads of one of Japan's greatest schools of swordsmanship, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. The Yagyū were also Kenjutsu teachers to the Tokugawa shōguns and descendant of the famous Taira clan, hailing from prestigious Imperial Lineage with the Kabane rank of ''Ason''. Yagyū Muneyoshi (1527-1606), the first famous Yagyū swordsman, fought for a number of different lords before meeting Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shōgun. In 1563, he was defeated by the great swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, praised as one of the very few ''Kensei'' throughout Japan. Humbled by his defeat, Muneyoshi became Nobutsuna's disciple, and was later named his successor, founding the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of swordsmanship. In 1594, Muneyoshi was invited to Tokugawa Ieyasu's mansion in Kyoto, where he provided such an incredible display of sword skills that the warlord asked that the Yagyū become sword inst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
