Blu-blood Comes To Animeigo: Shogun Assassin

While we at the SA prefer our chanbara subbed, not dubbed, there's no denying the influence 'Shogun Assassin' has had on Western audiences. This film (cobbled together from parts of the first two 'Lone Wolf And Cub/Kozure Okami' films and given an English language dub) introduced the ultra violent samurai epics of the 70's to a audience that had previously had only Kurosawa fare to watch for a jidaigeki fix. Interestingly enough, the film has also had a big crossover impact in the horror/splatter film genre, being celebrated in many works devoted to Splatter Cinema. It even made it into the #6 position on the late Goremeister Extraordinaire Chas Balun's 'Dirty Dozen' list! The latter group would surely approve of the tag line Animeigo has given to its new Blu-ray release of this seminal offering-"The film that brought new life to BLOOD-DRENCHED DEATH!" From Samuel L. Jackson to Quentin Tarantino (who paid homage to the film in 'Kill Bill 2'), the film has made its presence felt. You might say that 'Shogun Assassin' is now the Blu-blood of Animeigo's classic film lineup!

This 1980 release saw the film take twelve minutes of footage from the first Baby Cart film, Sword Of Vengeance, and lift the remainder of the footage from Baby Cart At The River Styx (both of which are also available from Animeigo). The original film provides the background to the series-how Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto was stripped of his title, marked for death by the Shogun, and along with his infant son Daigoro became a ronin and began to roam the countryside as an assassin-for-hire. The footage from part two is highlighted by the conflict between Itto and the 'Masters Of Death', three killers who each specialize in an exotic weapon-a tiger claw, spiked club, and spiked knuckles.

If you've only watched the original Lone Wolf And Cub films, noting the different ways in which Shogun Assassin strays from them makes for interesting viewing. The most notable difference is that the Yagyu clan has been stricken from the books, with clan leader Retsudo now being installed as the Shogun. While Daigoro says next to nothing in the Japanese versions, he becomes the chronicler/narrator of Shogun Assassin. Most of the subplots involving the motivations of the Masters Of Death and the Yagyu are eliminated. The American producers did leave in the one thing that mattered-the buckets of blood, flying limbs, and intense sword fighting. From krazed kunoichi karving up a rival shinobi to make a point, to the baby cart tricked out with as many gadgets and weapons as the Batmobile, to the all out assault and showdown between Ogami and the Masters of Death, not a drop of blood has been omitted. One of the more amusing anecdotes given about the film in the commentary (discussed at length in the next paragraph) is how 'The Masters Of Death', while not being up to defeating Ogami Itto, did manage to defeat the evil censors on the MPAA ratings board. The biggest difference is actually in the trailer for the film, which attempts to promote Shogun Assassin as a 'Conan The Barbarian' sword-and-sorcery film. Hearing about how Itto massacres hundreds of enemies 'with one sweep of his mystic blade', the description of himself and Daigoro as the 'greatest team in the history of mass slaughter', and seeing the Shogun described as a wizard-well, to anyone who grew up watching misleading film trailers it's a real treat.

There are not one but two commentary tracks on the disc. The first is a carryover from the boxed set of Shogun Assassin films (it didn't appear on the individual initial release) and is done by 'Film Scholar' Ric Meyers and 'Martial Arts Expert' Steve Watson. Myers dispenses with the self-referential praise and poor grasp of Japanese culture and history that tainted his commentary for Animeigo's 'Shinobi No Mono 2', turning in an excellent examination of the film's history, stars, voice actors, and production staff. Watson doesn't chime in often and generally seems to be there to correct Meyers's poor Japanese pronunciation. The second commentary is by far the most interesting-it's done by 'Shogun Assassin' Producer David Weisman, Graphic Designer Jim Evans (who designed the memorable 'two sword' English language poster), and Gibran Evans (the English language voice actor for Daigoro). This is definitely Weisman's show, and the insight he brings to the acquisition/localization of foreign films for distribution in the US is a treasure trove for Japanese film enthusiasts. If you've wanted to know why they spliced together two films to make one, why these particular films were chosen, had Daigoro narrate the story, why the story was changed to exclude the Yagyu clan, or why it was dubbed in English rather than subtitled-Weisman has an answer for you. From a business standpoint, it's obvious he was dead on-the film was a box office smash despite the fact that an earlier subtitled version of another of the 'Baby Cart' films flopped badly. The dubbing process is examined in depth (including Sandra Bernhard's fabled cacklings) and the level of dedication and pride taken in the process will come as a surprise to many. Weisman also has an interesting theory that the 'Baby Cart' films revolve around the love of father and son and their bonding. While this aspect of the series is seen in the excellent TV version of the series (featuring Nakamura Kinnosuke's superior portrayal of Ogami Itto), we've always found it absent in Wakayama Tomisaburo's Ogami-quite the opposite. His cold and calculating manner seems to relegate his son to the status of nothing more than a convenient tool. Still, Weisman provides enough food for thought to back up his viewpoint.

There's also an original interview done with Samuel L. Jackson on Shogun Assassin and the influence it's had on his film career, including his voice work on 'Afro Samurai'. It's also obvious Jackson is a huge chanbara fan, with hundreds of films in his collection. Other extras include cast and crew bios for the principles, a still gallery, and the film's ungodly misleading trailer. Aniemigo's always excellent program notes are on display as well, giving historical background and cultural explanations for the action in the film. There's also a very cool section that allows you to compare scenes from the bootleg, DVD, and Blu-ray versions of Shogun Assasssin and how the quality of the transfers has improved over the years. Even on our old-school 1992 TV, you can see a big difference in quality from the Animeigo DVD to Blu-ray. It would be even more pronounced on a modern big-screen HD TV! The next step will no doubt be a 3-D version where the blood comes right into your living room-when that happens, it'll be time for us to upgrade our antique TV.

New TV or old, the excellent transfer along with the new commentaries make this a welcome addition to any chanbara film's collection. If you've put off watching the 'American version' of Lone Wolf, now would be the time to indulge yourself. You'll come away with a better understanding of the difficulties involved in marketing foreign films in the US and be treated to one of the iconic splatter/sword releases of the eighties to boot. At $13, how can you go wrong? Just don't sit too close to the screen-regular blood's hard enough to get out, but Blu-blood is a real bitch. The Blu-ray release of Shogun Assassin is available directly from Animeigo or through Amazon at the Samurai Archives Store.

Pepsi Baobab - Japan's African Taste Adventure

After my run in with the bottle of Japanese Pepsi Shiso last year, I've been keeping an eye out for more Japanese Frankenpepsi, and after sadly missing Pepsi Azuki (and not for lack of trying, I can assure you), I've been able to get my hands on Pepsi Baobab. It has a far more attractive label than Pepsi Shiso, in fact, the label is pretty cool. It depicts an African savanna during sunset with three giraffes meandering about beneath the Baobab trees - and two of them look like they are about to try and make a fourth.

Once I was mentally prepared, I popped the cap and smelled the liquid. Repulsive at first sniff, after a few thoughtful whiffs, it sort of smelled like a mixture of cola and foliage - a sort of semi-spicy leafy fragrance, with the smallest hint of urine and petroleum byproduct. Really hard to describe, but maybe that's what the African savanna smells like - foliage, piss, and oil. But the drink itself is even harder to describe. It is a perfect urine gold color - so much so, it would make a convincing looking sample if you left it in one of the little plastic urine specimen cups, and it comes across as a mix of cola, unsweetened cream soda, tonic water, forest greenery, cinnamon, and sugar. And, oddly enough, it tastes more like Coca-Cola than Pepsi. Much stranger than Pepsi Shiso, but with a lot less impact.

If Pepsi Shiso is any indication, I probably now have a pretty good idea what Baobab juice tastes like. It's not really something I'm going to go out of my way to ever find again. For now, the Pepsi Baobab bottle has gone up next to the Pepsi Shiso bottle, and I'm sure it will eventually be joined by whatever strange concoction Pepsi Japan comes up with next year, (and I wonder why these are only released in Japan). In the meantime, the blog can go back to its regularly scheduled programming until the next Pepsi Japan creation darkens my doorstep.

WARNING-Tea Can Be Hazardous To Your Health: The Death of Sen-no-Rikyu

Last night I checked out two excellent articles-“Tea and Counsel-The Political Role of Sen No Rikyu” in Monumenta Nipponica from Beatrice Bodart-Bailey, one of my favorite historians, and also “Tea Politics, Christianity, Diplomacy and the Economics of the Korean Wars” by Maria Petrucci. “Tea Politics” had little to say about Rikyu but did have some interesting observations. One of them is another aspect of the tea culture daimyo could use to their advantage-they could reward trusted vassals with ‘rare and valuable’ tea utensils rather than having to give up more in the way of a stipend or land. There were also some amusing early examples of the ‘ugly Westerner’, where the Jesuits and western traders called these same tea utensils ‘fit only for using in a birdcage’ and ‘not even worth two pennies’. Bodart-Bailey’s article was fascinating and shows Rikyu to have been quite the political schemer, not the ‘simple man of tea’ that he is usually portrayed as in novels, movies, and the popular imagination. She presents a convincing argument that his death was the result of the end of the warring states, a conflict within the ranks of Hideyoshi’s retainers over how to deal with the Date, the death of Hideyoshi’s son, and Rikyu’s non-samurai status.

Bodart-Bailey deconstructs and pretty much lays to rest all of the other theories that are given to explain Rikyu’s death sentence, showing the most popular ones (the ‘statue on the gate’ and his alleged corruption in dealing/evaluating tea utensils) to be little more than formal excuses used to order his death (much like Tokugawa Ieyasu used ‘Hideyori’s bell’ as the excuse for the Osaka campaign). An interesting note is that Rikyu was originally ordered to be crucified, but he was instead allowed to commit seppuku and the STATUE was crucified! She also shows that there is little evidence that Rikyu used his tea utensil dealings to enrich himself, and that what he did was very much in line with what other well regarded tea masters did. He also left very little wealth behind for his family, another factor that points to him not having exploited the tea utensil angle. As for ‘he came into conflict with Hideyoshi over Korea’, this seems to be utter BS lifted from novels-none of his letters or other evidence exist to support it, and Rikyu was certainly not averse to taking part in waging and planning war, something his letters are full of. There was also the theory Rikyu was killed because he converted to Christianity (no evidence that he did). As for the theory concerning Rikyu’s daughter, the ‘widowed daughter’ that Hideyoshi supposedly coveted as a concubine was not a widow at the time of Rikyu’s seppuku. There was also the theory that Hideyoshi’s extravagant style of tea clashed with Rikyu’s simpler ascetic, but this is also shown to have not been the case.

It looks rather that Rikyu was just outmaneuvered and destroyed by opposing factions within the Toyotomi camp, led by the younger retainers in general and Ishida Mitsunari in particular. Rikyu didn’t help his cause with Hideyoshi by thumbing his nose at him over the years. For example, when the Buddhist cleric Kokei Shuchin was ordered exiled by Hideyoshi, Rikyu gave him a ‘going-away tea ceremony’-in the tea room located in Hideyoshi’s Jurakudai pleasure palace!

Bodart-Bailey’s argument is that Rikyu came to power acting as a messenger and facilitator for Hideyoshi. His position as a tea master meant that he had access to many important merchants and daimyo, had a master-disciple relation with many of them that demanded their respect (which the ‘upstart Hideyoshi’ used to his advantage, since many of these same men wouldn’t even think about bothering to reply to him directly), and had the time and opportunity to act as a messenger when Hideyoshi’s generals were usually busy with campaigning.

However, as Hideyoshi slowly gained more power, the wars died down and his samurai returned to being administrators and the offices of power began to get more formalized. At this time Rikyu had a tremendous amount of influence with Hideyoshi, since the Taiko could no longer micromanage things like he used to and had to rely on his closest advisors on many matters. This made Rikyu a perceived threat and a target for many of Hideyoshi’s ambitious vassals, and lacking a real power base with troops and territory, he didn’t prove hard to disgrace and discredit. After all, he was a merchant’s son in a high position, an anomaly in the Toyotomi power structure. His situation worsened when Hidenaga (his primary supporter/protector and Hideyoshi’s brother) died. This was also about the time Hideyoshi’s first son died, and Hideyoshi was filled with rage brought on by grief-a situation that usually ends up with someone else being the brunt of that misplaced rage.

The factional struggle between the Toyotomi ‘centralists’ (led by Ishida Mitsunari) and the ‘decentralists’ (led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Rikyu) over how to deal with the Date (who, after ostensibly paying homage to Hideyoshi at Odawara, appeared to be rebelling afterwards) seemed to be the incident that sealed Rikyu’s fate. The centralists advocated a military solution-the decentralists, negotiating. While the decentralists won, this caused the centralists to make an issue out of all of Rikyu’s scheming and differences of opinion with Hideyoshi over the years. Ishida is accused in particular of having a grudge against Rikyu-there are contemporary accounts of him torturing Rikyu’s widow and daughter after Rikyu’s suicide. While there’s no evidence to back these accounts up, it does indicate that there was a good level of animosity between the two. Rikyu had slowly fallen out of favor with Hideyoshi over the years, and it looks like the Taiko threw him as a bone to Mitsunari in order to mollify him for the Date incident.

Rikyu compared himself to Sugawara Michizane in his death poem-both men that fell victim to the scheming of political opponents, so it seems that Bodart-Bailey’s thesis seems to be the correct one.

There’s other great information in these articles as well. For example, it appears Oda Nobunaga suddenly became interested in tea when he wanted to gain the favor and enlist the aid of Imai Sokyu-a tea master/merchant/arms dealer who was instrumental in getting the city of Sakai to accept Oda suzerainty.

The Mind Is Deadlier Than The Sword-Animeigo’s ‘The Blind Menace’

The image is familiar to any fan of the Zatoichi series-Katsu Shintaro, in his role as a blind masseur, cheerfully massages the back and shoulders of a daimyo’s wife, all the while spouting empty words of flattery. But the familiar image soon goes wrong-the blind masseur begins to deviate from the standard massage into something a bit more…personal. It isn’t long before it escalates into a full fledged sexual assault that leaves the woman a sobbing, humiliated wreck-and for her, the worst is yet to come. Meet Suginoichi, the masseur from Animeigo’s new “The Blind Menace” DVD (Japanese title “Shiranui Kengyo”). As kind and compassionate as Katsu’s Zatoichi character was, that’s how rotten Suginoichi is. And yet, this was the role that was to become the direct inspiration for the Zatoichi film series. Not only is the film interesting for examining the early gestation of Katsu’s portrayal of the blind masseur, but a fascinating film on its own. Suginoichi is startlingly devoid of human compassion. He’s a cold and calculating man who yet is able to function perfectly in society and endear himself to virtually everyone he meets-the perfect sociopathic personality. His victims are completely unaware of what’s in store for them until it’s far too late. Suginoichi is so terrible that even his own murdering lackies think he’s a rotten bastard who needs to die. Most intriguingly, counter to most Edo period jidaigeki, Suginoichi doesn’t need a sword to get what he wants.

The government of the Edo period (like any large bureaucracy) certainly saw more than its share of corruption with offices and titles being bought and sold, bribes dictating the course of policy, and official power being used to line one’s pockets. Abuse by Temple and Shrine officials was made even easier by the fact that they were overseen by a different government ministry than townspeople and samurai and were not under the jurisdiction of the regular police force. There were many instances of temples dabbling in illegal prostitution (as opposed to the legal prostitution of the Yoshiwara and other districts), selling opium and other drugs, and especially in loan sharking. This is the world where Suginoichi finds himself. He’s determined to use whatever means necessary to secure for himself the office of Shiranui Kengyo. The guild of blind masseurs was basically divided into four classes ranging from Kengyo at the top down through Bettou and Koutou to Zato at the bottom (thus making the Zatoichi character at the bottom rung status-wise). The title of Shiranui Kengyo will put Suginoichi at the very top of the guild of blind masseurs, giving him a position of influence and control over not only the lower ranked guild members but associated temples as well. Animeigo states that Shiranui is likely the name of Suginoichi’s master, but it probably would have been a place/temple name-there were several of these historically called Shiranui, and in fact the new bestselling novel ‘The Thousand Autumns Of Jacob DeZoet’ revolves around a Shiranui Shrine. The guild of blind men worked closely with temples and many times the higher ranks exercised a large degree of power over their operation, engineering the illegal activities outlined above.

The film opens with Shichinosuke (Suginoichi as a child) scamming local workmen at a festival, claiming he has ‘dropped a booger’ into a bucket of sake, making it undrinkable-and available for him to take home to his mother for free. We see early on that Suginoichi’s mother is the force that has propelled him down the wrong path, encouraging his behavior and planting in him the desire to become Shiranui Kengyo. His father, a decent and good sort, is virtually ignored by both mother and son. Shichinosuke moves on to bigger scams, using his blindness to gain sympathy and extort money from the wealthy by making it appear as if they are trying to take advantage of him. Years later, Suginoichi wakes from a dream of his childhood days, still accompanied by his feeble minded childhood friend/gopher Tome. Suginoichi hasn’t risen to high office yet-he’s still one of the lower ranked masseurs, but as can be seen by his behavior (arriving late for meetings and talking down to his peers), considers himself to be well above their station. While running an errand for the Shiranui Kengyo, Suginoichi runs across Kanji, a freak show owner doubled over in pain, who lets it slip that he’s carrying a large amount of cash (200 ryo). Suginoichi relieves him of his pain (permanently) and of his cash. Unfortunately for Suginoichi, there’s been a witness-Severed Head Kurakichi. Suginoichi, being a practical man, splits his take with Kurakichi-and also subtly manages to set him up to take the rap when the murder is discovered.

Using his ill gotten gains as seed money for bribes and financing criminal activity, Suginoichi manages to improve his status. However, his climb up the ladder looks like it might be put to a permanent end while visiting a local merchant. Suginoichi has the misfortune to be present when bandits raid the house looking for the merchant’s ready cash. Killing the merchant and his mistress, they advance upon Suginoichi-who recognizes his former partner in crime, Severed Head Kurakichi. He boldly claims that if they kill him they’ll never find the money-but for a large chunk of the take, he’ll tell them where it is hidden. Somewhat taken aback by his effrontery, the bandits agree and before long find themselves working for the evil masseur. Adding insult to injury, Suginoichi invites Okimi (from the household of the slain merchant) to stay with him as his guest. But nothing’s free. Suginoichi tricks Okimi into being alone with him and rapes her, leading to her suicide and his snorting in contempt that her death has nothing to do with him.

With the aid of his new criminal friends, Suginoichi gains yet more power, money, and influence. He’s routinely approached by nobility and members of the samurai class for loans. And there’s nothing Suginoichi likes better than humiliating the higher-ups of society every chance he gets. When he’s approached by Lady Iwai (played by Katsu’s real-life wife Nakamura Tamao), it leads to the scenario outlined in our opening paragraph-and sets into motion a sequence of events that will see Suginoichi gain the coveted office of Shiranui Kengyo and access to the Shogun himself. Along the way there’s more murder, poisonings, and a bit of samurai justice. Suginoichi’s men find that there’s no escaping his control. Secrets from the past are rediscovered and work out just they way they were planned-but with disastrous unanticipated results. In the final sequence, the exalted Suginoichi is in a palanquin on his way to Edo Castle-he’s so powerful that other processions in the street have to make way for him. His wicked ways and masterful manipulation of every person and situation he’s come in contact with have left him at the very top-or so it would seem…

It’s definitely fun to watch Katsu begin to develop the body language and mannerisms that would come to be identified with his Zatoichi character. The subtle tilt of his head to facilitate hearing, the frenzied massage style, the ‘blind man’s duckwalk’, and Zatoichi’s ingratiating patter can all be seen starting out here. Animeigo’s liner notes explain that Katsu, whose career at Daiei Studios was going nowhere, had seen the play Shiranui Kengyo. He thought the Suginoichi part would be a perfect vehicle for him and pitched the idea to the studio. His enthusiasm for the project and immersion into the part convinced Daiei to produce the film, where his energy impressed both director Mori Kazuo and screenwriter Inuzura Minoru. The film proved to be just what Katsu’s career needed, being a big hit. For a follow up, it was decided another blind masseur role would be used-and Inuzura worked on adapting a series of stories featuring a blind masseur who was also a master swordsman-Zatoichi. Inuzura fleshed the character out and with Mori directing many of the early entries, it was to become Katsu’s signature role, resulting in 26 films and 100 episodes of a TV series.

At the same time, it’s just as fun to watch Katsu’s take on a character with no redeeming value-yet one that still manages to come across to his prey as charming and interesting. Unlike most western films, Japanese films have no problem with a lead character that has no sympathetic side whatsoever. This is a man so hard, resentful, and spiteful that he’ll poison his concubine Ohan and her lover-AFTER he hires the lover to construct a chest he intends to use as their coffin. A man who’s so calculatingly practical that he continues to employ his criminal underlings after they had attempted to kill him (an attempt he foresaw and forestalled). Even in one of the film’s few whimsical moments (a fantasy sequence when Suginoichi dreams of the famous concubine Ohan he plans to make his), it’s tempered by the knowledge that Suginoichi sees her as nothing more than property and a status symbol to make others envious-he has no love to spare for her. It seems that there’s no situation Suginoichi can’t smooth over, manipulate, or finesse his way out of, even if he has to ‘die’ to do it. He seems to always anticipate his opponent’s next move and be able to turn every situation to his advantage. Viewers will find themselves strangely looking forward to whatever outrage Suginoichi has planned next. Katsu is masterful, playing to the hilt both Suginoichi’s diabolical core and his smooth, civilized veneer. Katsu’s meltdown at the end when Suginoichi’s excesses begin to catch up with him is a perfect blend of outrage at having been caught, contempt for his captors, and a frenzied belief that there’s still a way out.

As is the norm, Animeigo’s translations are superb, giving listeners multiple options depending on their level of expertise in Japanese. The transfer is solid both from an audio and visual standpoint. Extras for the disc include the original trailer, a small image gallery of black and white stills, short bios of the stars, writer, composer, and director, and program notes. The notes deal mainly with cultural issues and give useful background on the office of kengyo. They also touch on how the film became the jumping-off point for the Zatoichi series. Perhaps the most interesting entry covers Katsu’s marriage to his on-screen co-star, Nakamura Tamao. Katsu was as much of a rogue in real life as on the screen and his long-suffering wife took his womanizing, gambling, drinking, and drug abuse with good humor, even going so far as to thank his mistresses for taking such good care of him (the notes sardonically observe that many men would consider her ‘the perfect wife’). One thing we noticed is that the interactive map that was such an enjoyable part of many recent Animeigo DVDs (Shinobi No Mono, Father of the Kamikaze, The Wolves, Tora-san, etc) hasn’t shown up on their last couple of DVD releases. While “The Blind Menace” doesn’t really require a map (taking place mainly in Edo), the Musashi boxed set would have benefited greatly from one. Hopefully these will be seen in future efforts. The DVD box also features one of the more badass looking covers I’ve seen in quite some time-it almost looks like a horror film.

While Animeigo’s recent boxed sets have been great, it’s good to get a standalone film like this once in a while (with more on the way, like Shintaro/Raizo’s Samurai Vendetta and Raizo’s Shinsengumi Chronicles). It’s interesting to see how two such different characters like Zatoichi and Suginoichi can share the same starting point-not to mention the same actor. There’s no cane sword or lightning chanbara action here-but Suginoichi proves that the most effective weapon is always the human mind. The mind is indeed deadlier than the sword. And when employed for evil, much harder to combat.

You can pick up a copy of ‘The Blind Menace’ directly from Animeigo or from Amazon through the SA Store, and Animeigo also has seven of the Zatoichi films available individually or as a boxed set.

Images courtesy and copyright 1960 Kadokawa Pictures Inc.

Strategical Buffoonery

Hi all...ltdomer98 here, long time poster, moderator, and purveyor of snark over on the Samurai Archives message board. Kitsuno asked me to throw something together for the blog in response to some recent discussion and questions that came up on the message board, so here I am. Maybe I'll make an occaisional appearance in the future...or maybe I'll stink it up and Dr. K won't be tempted to ask me back.


Anyways, the reason our esteemed leader asked me to generate some verbage was to cover a recurring question that comes up time and again: the misunderstanding of "strategy" vs. "tactics". Most people seem to think the words are interchangeable. This is fine if you're watching Bugs Bunny use some "strategery" to best Yosemite Sam. However, when you're discussing military history, it's important to use the correct terms. This is because they imply completely different things. I'll quote the US Army's definition, but it's recognized by most militaries around the world:

US Army in FM 1-02:

Strategic level of war– The level of war at which a nation, often as a member of a group of nations, determines national or multinational (alliance or coalition) strategic security objectives and guidance, and develops and uses national resources to accomplish these objectives. Activities at this level establish national and multinational military objectives; sequence initiatives; define limits and assess risks for the use of military and other instruments of national power; develop global plans or theater war plans to achieve these objectives; and provide military forces and other capabilities in accordance with strategic plans.

Explanation: This is the highest level of national action. In modern terms, a country would have a strategy. Strategy is how a nation accomplishes it's national goals. It would be what guides whether or not a nation goes to war--what is it trying to accomplish? If sea trade routes are vital to it's economy, then it could go to war to protect them. Bringing it into the Sengoku, if we consider each daimyo house as a separate "nation", it would be what they do in order to further their interests. The Oda-Tokugawa alliance would be a strategic move. The decision to march on Kyoto would be a strategic move, because it's the decision to move from the regional to national stage.

Operational level of war–The level of war at which campaigns and major operations are planned, conducted, and sustained to accomplish strategic objectives within theaters or operational areas. Activities at this level link tactics and strategy by establishing operational objectives needed to accomplish the strategic objectives, sequencing events to achieve the operational objectives, initiating actions, and applying resources to bring about and sustain these events. These activities imply a broader dimension of time or space than do tactics; they ensure the logistic and administrative support of tactical forces, and provide the means by which tactical successes are exploited to achieve strategic objectives.

Explanation: This is the intermediate level of warfare. In modern parlance, it commonly refers to the subnational military activities down to the Army/Corps level. The general on high maneuvering large contingents of men and material into positions to fight is looking at the operational level. Eisenhower, for instance, was directing the invasion of Europe--the strategic goal was defeat Germany; the operational effort to do so was Eisenhower's decisions to invade at Normandy, in Italy, etc. Again, in the Sengoku, it would be Nobunaga's various campaigns around the Kinai. The Strategic goal is control of Japan; the operational level was the subjugation of the Ikko-shuu, the campaigns against the Mori, Uesugi, Takeda, Rokkaku, etc.

Tactical level of war– The level of war at which battles and engagements are planned and executed to accomplish military objectives assigned to tactical units or task forces. Activities at this level focus on the ordered arrangement and maneuver of combat elements in relation to each other and to the enemy to achieve combat objectives.

Explanation: The lowest level of military activities. Generally everything Corps/Division level and below in modern usage. A battalion attacking a position is tactical. A squad laying an ambush is tactical. A special ops raid is tactical. It serves an operational or strategic purpose, but is more refined and specific. 1st Infantry Division capturing it's objectives on Omaha Beach is tactical. Tactical is the actual DOING that accomplishes the Operational Plans and the Strategic Goals. For the Sengoku, let's say that Hideyoshi's capture of Takayama-jo was tactical; the battle of Nagashino was tactical.


Okay, great, LT, you say--you've copied and pasted everything you've already written on the message board. What's the "so what"? What does it matter? Why do I have to be so precise when talking about this stuff?


Good question, skippy. Let's discuss. First off, if you don't care about using terms correctly, you probably should pack your bags and head down the road to Anime Mura. We here at the Samurai Citadel are a serious group, and attention to detail is important. Secondly, it makes a ton of difference in the meaning of what you say. For instance: "Yamamoto Kansuke was a brilliant strategist." You see this kind of comment all the time. But was he? Most of his referrenced accomplishments, such as devising the "woodpecker operation" at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima, aren't strategic at all-- they were tactical. A brilliant strategist would have developed a structured plan to put the Takeda family in position to rule all of Japan (for the sake of illustrating the point, we're assuming this is the goal). The Takeda wasted entire decades focusing on Uesugi Kenshin; by the time Shingen looked west towards the capital, he had just enough time to beat down Tokugawa Ieyasu at Mikatagahara before he kicked the bucket. Poor strategic focus; Yamamoto Kansuke is best described as a "brilliant tactician"--ultimately his plan at 4th Kawanakajima worked, just too late to save his skin.


The point of the above example isn't to debate the what-if's of Yamamoto Kansuke & the Takeda family--had he lived, he could very well have survived and been a great strategic advisor to Shingen. The point is that the words have very different and distinct meanings, and you cannot use them interchangably. They are most assuredly different. Case in point: Nazi Germany. The Wehrmacht was a collection of brilliant minds at the operational level and deadly efficient soldiers at the tactical level. Their failures weren't poor fighting by their soldiers (tactical) or poor decisions by their generals on what/how/where to advance (operational). Germany failed to capitalize on these assets because the strategic decision maker (Hitler) was a nut-job who hamstrung his superstar generals with idiotic strategic decision making.


WWII is a "modern" war and fits modern doctrinal definitions easily. But, we're not a WWII Wehrmacht blog (though Kitsuno does sometimes treat us like we're in a Stalag), so let's relate it to the relevant topic. I'll give three examples of strategy, operations, and tactics, each from a diffrerent era of Japanese history, cross-walking it to show how they differ. Rememer, these are to illustrate a point, so if I gloss over certain aspects of each scenario, don't go breaking out your Jeffrey Mass to correct me. Chances are I've got the same book.


Scenario 1: Gempei War

"Nation": Minamoto
Goals: Wrest control of the court & government from the Taira;
Establish Minamoto clan as the dominant power in Japan

Strategic Steps necessary to accomplish national goals:
1. Destroy Taira Army (main rival)
2. Control Kyoto (court & government location)

Okay, so obviously in order to be the new boss, you've got to replace the old boss. The Taira held power, so Yoritomo needed to destroy them to replace them as the new holder of power. Secondly, destroying the old guys doesn't matter if you don't have control of Kyoto, as without Kyoto you have no influence on the Court, nor do you have any influence (legitimacy) from the Court.


Now, let's take it to the Operational Level:


1. Destroy Taira Army (main rival)

• Find, Fix, & Destroy the Taira Army
• Eliminate Emperor Antoku (Taira Kiyomori's grandson, their link to Imperial legitimacy)

In order to destroy the Taira, Yoritomo must obviously defeat their army. Control of the capital, eliminating Taira influence there, is key. Yoshinaka is replaced with Yoshitsune as the operational commander, who then hunts down and destroys the Taira. He must also sever the link between them and the Imperial Court, the boy Emperor Antoku.

2. Control Kyoto (court & government location)

• Place significant military force in Kyoto
• Get Imperial sanction to legitimize actions
• Establish control over taxation/land apportionment system (maintains control vis-a-vis the nobility).

To control Kyoto, enough Minamoto forces must be present to intimidate the Court. Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa must have a sense of Yoritomo's power and influence, and be concerned enough to attempt to curry favor. This will in turn force Go-Shirakawa to name Yoritomo the Imperial champion, legitimizing the Minamoto cause legally. Yoritomo will then be recognized as most able to enforce taxation rights, can receive position of enough importance to justify granting taxation/land rights, and codify it into permanent system.

Now, breaking it down into the tactical level:

1. Destroy Taira Army (main rival)

• Find, Fix, & Destroy the Taira Army

1. Defeat Taira at Kurikara
2. Force retreat from Kyoto
3. Dislodge from Yashima
4. Corner at Dan-no-Ura & defeat decisively

Each of these would be tactical tasks that would have tactical sub-tasks. For example, for #1, one of the subtasks would be "conduct demonstration of force to occupy Taira attention in order to enable flank attack under cover of cattle".

• Eliminate Emperor Antoku (Taira Kiyomori's grandson, their link to Imperial legitimacy)

1. Find Antoku
2. Kill him

These are pretty simple but necessary parts to accomplishing the operational goal of eliminating Antoku.

2. Control Kyoto (court & government location)

• Place significant military force in Kyoto

1. Occupy Kyoto with Yoshinaka
2. When Yoshinaka acts in manner detrimental to Minamoto influence in Court, replace with Yoshitsune.

The objective could have been met with the first; however, Yoshinaka's actions were detrimental to relations with the Court; Yoritomo had to make the operational decision to eliminate him in order to maintain progress towards his strategic goal of controlling Kyoto.

• Get Imperial sanction to legitimize actions

1. Maintain good relations with Court, yet keep strong presence.
2. Receive title of sufficient rank to allow maximum control of warrior and economic system.

Yoritomo needed Imperial favor and sanction, but also had to maintain sufficient independence to pursue his own agenda. As you can see, his decision to take the title of "Sei-i-taishogun" fit nicely into this plan.

• Establish control over taxation/land apportionment system (maintains control vis-a-vis the nobility).

1. Once right title procured, twist it to maintain control of warrior class.
2. Manage to work taxation enforcement into the "policing" duties of the military title given.
3. Place key followers in posts of most importance: Shugo and Jito in lucrative areas.

All of these obviously feed into the operational goal. I think you're getting the point now.

The idea is that each set of tactical steps completes an operational goal; reaching operational goals completes the strategic goal it supports.

Scenario 2: Imagawa Yoshimoto
"Nation": Imagawa Yoshimoto
Goal: Control of Kyoto and the Ashikaga Shogunate
Strategic Level Step necessary to accomplish national goal:
1. Secure other fronts
2. Seize Kyoto
Operational Level actions:
1. Secure other fronts: N/A. The alliances with the Hojo and Takeda were strategic moves. Successful.
2. Seize Kyoto

• March on Kyoto
• Take Kyoto

Tactical Actions:

2. Seize Kyoto

• March on Kyoto

1. Take Kiyosu; eliminate Oda <------- POINT OF FAILURE
2. Defeat Saito, move through Mino
3. Defeat Rokakku & Asai, move through Omi
4. Arrive in Kyoto with army intact, able to defeat Miyoshi/Matsunaga

Imagawa Yoshimoto failed in his strategic goal of establishing himself in Kyoto because of a tactical mistake; everything else he had done correctly was nullified, and there's no way to know if he could have completed steps 2, 3, 4, or the operational goal of taking Kyoto from the Miyoshi.

Just for grins, let's try a third example, from one of the first commanders who could really be equated with a modern commander, Oda Nobunaga.

Scenario 3: Subjugation of the Mori

"Nation": Oda Nobunaga

Goal: National Hegemony

Breakdown:

1. Eliminate power holders who refuse to submit to Oda authority

• Defeat Mori house

1. Secure Harima as base of operations (Subtask: take Himeji-jo, Miki-jo)
2. Push into Bizen & Mimasaka (Subtask: secure castles to expand control)
3. Take Bitchu (Subtask: Take Takamatsu-jo)
4. Secure Bingo
5. Seize & hold Aki, home base of Mori family

Oda Nobunaga is really the first leader to assign operational tasks to subordinate leaders. We're going to use the subjugation of the Mori to walk through the process. Nobunaga, obviously, planned on national sovereignty; his "national" goal was complete control of Japan. One of the obvious strategic tasks (there would have been many, but we shall focus on one) was to eliminate potential obstacles; not just rivals for national power, but any regional power holders who would refuse to accept his national control. I chose the Mori because they were the latter; Mori Terumoto never expressed any desire to be a rival to Nobunaga for control of Kyoto, but he did refuse to accept Oda control and supported others who fought against Nobunaga. In 1577 Nobunaga gave the operational task of eliminating the Mori to his general Hashiba Hideyoshi. You could also phrase the task "Subjugate the Chuugoku region", but since the Mori controlled pretty much the entire Chuugoku region, the effect is one and the same. As the Operational commander, it was Hideyoshi's job to determine what was necessary in order to accomplish his task. Much like a corps commander today who's told to "eliminate the enemy", Hideyoshi would have to evaluate how best to do that. The tactical tasks above would be the obvious "gates" he'd have to hit in order to defeat the Mori. Hideyoshi would determine what tasks needed doing, then assign subordinate commanders the subtasks necessary to complete them. For instance, if the first step in taking Himeji-jo is to encircle it, he might give Takenaka Hanbei the task of sealing off the eastern portion, while Kuroda Kanbei gets the assignment of cutting off the western side. Kuroda would then look at his job, and assign his subordinates tasks (seal off the E-W road on the western side of the castle to prevent enemy messages from getting through, take up defensive positions on Yamayama Hill to prevent any relief force from breaking through, post scouts to warn of enemy movements, etc.) in turn.

As it stood, Hideyoshi took 5 years to get to step 3, but it was enough--the Mori sued for peace and accepted a settlement. He accomplished his lord's strategic goal of eliminating the Mori as an independent power. Of course, Nobunaga died right at this time, but for our purposes Hideyoshi accomplished his operational goal.

I hope this explanation clears up the issue of "strategic" vs "tactical" (not to mention operational!!) for the laymen out there. It really is important to know which one to use. Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't make a strategic mistake, he made a tactical one, but it upset his whole strategic plan.

Until next time, my young ashigaru!

Domer

Samurai Archives on Twitter

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