{"id":396,"date":"2023-01-12T19:57:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T03:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovefortraveling.com\/?p=396"},"modified":"2023-04-25T00:11:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T08:11:43","slug":"what-did-the-samurai-do-when-they-were-not-fighting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovefortraveling.com\/what-did-the-samurai-do-when-they-were-not-fighting\/","title":{"rendered":"What did the Samurai do When They Were not Fighting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The Japanese samurai were famed for their skill with the sword, but what they did when they weren’t fighting has been little studied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of our knowledge about the lives and practices of samurai comes from written records which may not reflect reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We know that many samurai had secondary occupations such as farming or trade. Still, we don’t understand how this contributed to their overall lifestyle or why it was necessary for feudal Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article examines some of those questions by examining three occupations: hunting and fishing, brewing sake, and making rice cakes (mochi).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These are all activities traditionally associated with the lower classes in Japanese society. Yet, these same people became some of the wealthiest members of the medieval community through their involvement in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samurai were not always fighting. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Between 1600 and 1868, they were forced to learn new skills to support themselves. The traditional noble occupations of rice farming and trade did not offer samurai the prosperity these other ‘lower’ jobs could provide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This made them vulnerable at specific points as rival elements tried to undermine their position. But overall, They had other jobs to do, such as farming and teaching.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hunting in Japan had a long tradition dating back to at least the 7th century AD and continued as an essential occupation for samurai and townspeople until the end of feudal society. However, it declined in popularity from the 17th century onwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As with all things, samurai took hunting very seriously, but as the writer and thinker Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659\u20131719) recognized: “You can’t go on living forever fighting all out on the battlefield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So whatever other occupation you follow, never do it half-heartedly. Be completely committed to it! That way, you are sure to benefit your lord.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within samurai society, hunting became divided into a strict hierarchy based on skill, knowledge, and social status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hunting was an expensive activity involving purchasing equipment and trained animals such as falcons, hounds, and horses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also had to pay for the right to hunt on lands belonging to others, which could represent a significant expenditure if they continued it over a long period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both samurai and townspeople were hunters, but not all hunting was equal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This required specialized techniques in raising birds, training them in hunting and constructing, and maintaining elaborate mews. At the more humble end was market hunting, which required only knowledge of birds’ habits to be effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Samurai continued to pursue these activities until the end of feudal Japan because they had a strong interest in these practices and wanted to be skilled at them more than anything else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, hunting is not really about catching animals but about being in the wild. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This fits with the love of nature and appreciation for the beauty many samurai expressed. More importantly, the fact that sports like falconry were only pursued by a dedicated few meant that they had no negative impact on society if they lost interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of the most common occupations was hunting. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At the top end was falconry. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Some samurai worked in the government or served as diplomats. <\/h2>\n\n\n