a popularized version of the battle standard used by the Sengoku period daimyo Takeda Shingen. The banner quoted four phrases from Sun Tzu's The Art of War: "as swift as wind, as silent as forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakeable as mountain."
The original version of the banner is mentioned in the Kōyō Gunkan,
a record of the military exploits of the Takeda clan. It is based on
four phrases from Sun Tzu, which in the original Chinese appear in two
consecutive passages:
Chapter 7, passage 17: “故其疾如風，其徐如林“ Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your silence that of the forest.
Chapter 7, passage 18: “侵掠如火，不動如山“ In raiding and plundering be like fire, be immovable like a mountain.
The complete verse (chapter 7 passages 17-19) is
"故其疾如風、其徐如林、侵掠如火、難知如陰、不動如山、動如雷霆", and as such it is notable that
fūrinkazan omits "難知如陰" Be as hard to know as the shadow and "動如雷霆" Move as fast as lightning.
The well-known four-character version appears to be a later invention.
Historian Masaya Suzuki, citing the work of an authority on the military
insignia of the time, notes that there is no evidence in the historical
record for the four-character phrase, and points out that it became
popular with the publication of a historical novel of the same name by Yasushi Inoue in 1953.
The Kōyō Gunkan (甲陽軍鑑?) is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kōsaka Danjō Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori. It provides some of the most detailed descriptions and statistics of warfare in the Sengoku period available today.
the Takeda's major battles, chronicling not only strategy and tactics
but the outcomes as well. It describes the Chinese matchlock arquebuses used at Uedahara
in 1548, making that the first field battle in Japan to see the use of
firearms. And the chronicle tells of the famous one-on-one skirmish
fought by Takeda Shingen against Uesugi Kenshin at the fourth battle of Kawanakajima
in 1561. Having broken through Takeda's forces, Uesugi Kenshin found
his way to Shingen's command tent, where he engaged Shingen directly,
slashing at him with his sword. Shingen deflected the attack with his
iron war fan, and reached for his own sword. A Takeda retainer then
speared Kenshin's horse, forcing him to retreat.
In one section, the chronicle gives a detailed breakdown of the entire Takeda army in 1573, counting everything from pages and banner bearers
to kitchen staff, horse doctors, and finance commissioners. According
to the document, the 33,736 members of the Takeda army included 9121
horsemen, 18,242 followers for the horsemen, 884 ashigaru (foot-soldiers) within the hatamoto shoyakunin
(personal attendants to the lord), and 5489 other ashigaru. The
detailed breakdown of the army also provides an interesting look into
the hierarchy of retainers or allies within such a force.
The Heihō Okigusho, contained within the chronicle, and attributed to general Yamamoto Kansuke,
is one of Japan's earliest treatises on martial arts, along with
tactics and strategy. It provides practical advice towards the wielding
of sword, spear, gun and bow for the individual warrior rather than for
the strategy of an entire troop. Sections by Kosaka Masanobu express his
views on the warrior code in relation to the connection between lord
and vassal. He compares Shingen to the ideal lord, and contrasts him to
his son Takeda Katsuyori, whose poor leadership quickly led to the downfall of the clan.
No comments:
Post a Comment