Samurai
press central arrow to play
summer grasses
all that remains of great soldiers'
imperial dreams
— Matsuo Basho
The Edo period in Japan was a flowering of culture as a result of unified national authority after centuries of internecine war over land ownership. The samurai knights, who were the backbone of conquest and territorial control, now had not...hing to do other than develop cultural surrogates for their marshal arts. Matsuo Basho, the father of haiku, was of samurai stock and lived during this astonishingly innovative era. The documentary is a wonderful introduction to the history of the samurai, which, essentially, is the history of Japan . . .
cumulus clouds
kings and their armies sweep over
the cornfield
— jp
05-03-11