Kumamoto Castle 熊本城 & Kato Kiyomasa 加藤 清正 (1562-1611)
22 November 2010 (Monday) by Kari Gröhn karigrohncom
Kumamoto Castle’s history dates to 1467. Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611) greatly expanded the castle. The outer citadel have a circumference of 13km, and the inner walls 5km. The Honmaru Goten Palace was completed in 1610.
Kato Kiyomasa was a Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s right hand man. Because of his faithful service, Kiyomasa was awarded the whole prefecture.
The Kiyomasa reign ended after only two generations when his son was replaced by Hosokawa Tadatoshi in 1632. The Hosokawa reigned for 240 years until the Meiji Period.
Kiyomasa was a fierce warlord, and a warrior, nothing more, nothing less. He led the vanguard in invasion of Korea in 1592 and won the title Demon Shogun.
In his later years, he tried to work as a mediator for the increasingly complicated relationship between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori. In 1611 Kiyomasa died at the relatively young age of 50, possibly of poison at the instigation of Tokugawa.
In his guide for samurai, Kiyomasa wrote to his followers that poetry and dancing were shameful pastimes, and anyone who found himself engaged in the latter to commit suicide.
1. One should rise at four in the morning, practice sword technique, eat one’s meal, and train with the bow, the gun, and the horse. If one should want diversions, he should make them such outdoor pastimes such as falcning, deer hunting and wrestling.
2. A man who squanders money for clothing and brings his household finances into disorder is fit for punishment. Generally one should further himself with armour that is appropriate for his social position, and use his money for martial affairs.
3. One should limit the meeting to one guest and one host, and the meal should consist of plain brown rice. When practicing the martial arts, however, one may meet with many people.
4. The practice of Noh Drama is absolutely forbidden. A samurai who practices dancing, which is outside of the martial arts, should be ordered to commit seppuku.
5. One should read books concerning military matters, and direct his attention exclusively to the virtues of loyalty and filial piety.
6. One will surely become womanized if he gives his heart knowledge of such elegant and delicate refinements like Chinese poetry, linked verse, and waka.
7. If a man does not investigate into the matter of Bushido daily, it will be difficult for him to die a brave and manly death.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, Andante ma adagio, Paul Hongne (1919-1979), Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Theodor Guschlbauer
AloJapan.com