Musuis Story - 1634 Words

Musui’s Story: A Transition From Isolation to Interaction The varying social interactions between status groups in Katsu Kokichi’s autobiography, Musui’s Story, convey a shift from the hierarchically strict Heian/Kamakura epochs to the more socially open late Tokugawa period. Throughout the work, Katsu illustrates his various dealings and communications with peasants, merchants, artisans and fellow samurai. While in theory a social hierarchy still presided, Musui’s Story dismisses the notion that social groups remained isolated from each other, as in previous Japanese eras, and instead reveals that people of Japan in the late-Tokugawa-era mingled with one another during their lives, regardless of their social status. Considering the†¦show more content†¦Katsu begins to dabble in selling swords, as well as learning how to do shadow lotteries, deeds clearly at odds with samurai ideals, yet they represent the stark reality of Katsu’s monetary situation (Katsu 74, 84). Katsu evolves into a unique figure beca use, while he does not always follow samurai ideals, he does realize the weight his status holds, and he does not shy away from using it to acquire privileges that he would not receive otherwise. Because of his social standing and his benevolent nature, even Katsu’s friends come to his aid with money, as they create a savings association and place Katsu as the head without even having to put in an initial payment (Katsu 95). Another example would include an incident near the end of the autobiography, where Katsu goes out of his way to bail out his landlord by tricking the villagers that he would use his samurai status to shame them in the eyes of the Osaka magistrate (Katsu 129-142). Essentially, Katsu gains a mastery of using his samurai ideals to help his maligned reality, and through it he can call in favors, rely on his friends for monetary support, and use his status to awe members of society. While ongoing change became the status quo in late-Tokugawa era Japan the ideals of the samurai—and the respect they receive—endured. And, because samurai could still fall back on the prestige their class represented, members of society stillShow MoreRelatedMusuis Story1289 Words   |  6 PagesMusuis Story The time after the fifteen hundreds marked a time of great change in Asian countries. Places like China saw a new dynasty take control of the country. And almost every Asian civilization from India to Indonesia came in contact with people from western nations which changed the way people did business and the way Asians viewed the world. Japan, however, seemed to keep separate from the rest of Asia in the way that they were hesitant to deal with westerners. Despite their separatenessRead MoreMusuis Story1612 Words   |  7 PagesNewsletter for October 6-10 Musui s Story is a samurai s autobiography that portrays the Tokugawa society as it was lived during Katsu Kokichi s life (1802 - 1850). Katsu Kokichi (or Musui) was a man born into a family with hereditary privilege of audience with the shogun, yet he lived a life unworthy of a samurai s way, running protection racket, cheating, stealing, and lying. Before we discuss how Musui s lifestyle was against the codes that regulated the behavior of the samurai, it isRead MoreKatsu Kokichi’S Autobiography, â€Å"Musui’S Story,† Documents1324 Words   |  6 PagesKatsu Kokichi’s autobiography, â€Å"Musui’s Story,† documents the life of a samurai in Japan’s late Tokugawa period who adopted the name Musui in his retirement. Katsu is something of a black sheep within his family, being largely uneducated and deemed unfit for the bureaucratic office s samurai of his standing were expected to hold. As such, he typifies in many ways the lower ronin, or masterless samurai, many of whom famously led roaming, directionless lives and wreaked havoc among the urban poorRead MoreIn Today’S World, Japan Is Up There As One Of The Most1324 Words   |  6 Pageslegendary Miyamoto Musashi and his predecessor, Itto Ittosai, who both boast undefeated records in combat throughout the entire course of their life. Those two samurai are what fit into Most people’s ideas of what a samurai is meant to be. However, Musui’s story provides us with an autobiography of a samurai, Katsu Kokichi, who does not at all fit in with all these generalizations associated with samurai. Our storyteller in fact ascends from quite a high ranked clan evident of their one hundred koku ofRead More Japans Post War Economic Journey Essay1856 Words   |  8 PagesNew York, NY: About Japan: A Teachers Resource. Retrieved from http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/postwar_japan_1952-1989 Johnson, R. (2005). Six men who built the modern auto industry. Motorbooks. Katsu, K., Craig, T. (1991). Musuis story, the autobiography of a tokugawa samurai. Univ of Arizona Pr. Nakata, Y., Mosk, C. The demand for college education in post war japan. University of Alabama. Retrieved from http://www.cba.ua.edu/assets/docs/efl/WP_114.pdf Murata, S., Stern