
My true uncle samurai Kusunoki Masashige... (last name first)
A poem:
I could not return, I presume
So I will keep my name
Among those who are dead with bows.
This poem was written 12 years after Masashiges death, by his son.
After the Meiji Restoration,
when a new government was searching for a way to reconcile Japan's samurai past with her Imperial present, Kusunoki Masashige came to the fore. A samurai loyal to the emperor, even to his certain death, was a valuable symbol, and much exploited during the era of Japanese Imperialism.

No comments:
Post a Comment