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seskoad
8th April 2003, 06:36
I have not purchased you book. But I am saving money for it because I think it is a good book. I read just a few pages in borders store. And I read that ryoma's father is a merchant and he got swordsmanship lesson due to his father's influence. I thought after hideyoshi as taiko, new regulation was to prohibit people other than samurai descendant to learn swordmanship or bring anyweapon. Well, how come ryoma can get that swordsmanship lesson? And eventhough I read about meiji restoration especially about blackship, but I still don't understand what significance about the blackship and meiji restoration. Once my friend told me that the reason Japan attack pearl harbour because US closed the sea route for doing business. Does that has something to do with the come of blackship?. I understand US sent the blackship after opium war where china lost hongkong then the westerner thought "well they are not that strong". I also analyze after reading james clavell's shogun, that after england found the route and gave them to their allied (netherland). As Indonesian, I realised that it was the first step of indonesian colonialization by dutch. Am I correct? obviously clear enough for me that there is kind of chain reaction in those event. Well, please assist me if I am wrong, since you know better than me. Perhaps you would share you knowledge. I am still in the process saving money to buy your book. I have not finished "taiko by eiji yoshikawa" and your book also one of my favorite.

R Hillsborough
8th April 2003, 13:29
Sakamoto Ryoma was a samurai. He was born into a "merchant-samurai" family, which, I believe, was quite uncommon, and perhaps unique to Ryoma's native Tosa domain.

Perry's ships, which appeared off the coast of the Japanese capital in 1853, and others that came after them, were black in color. The Japanese at that time called ships that came from the West "Black Ships." The final years of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1853 - 1868), called "bakumatsu" in Japanese, is said to have begun with the arrival of Perry's "Black Ships." The culmination of the bakumatsu was the Meiji Restoration in October 1867. (The Tokugawa regime did not actually fall until 1868, with the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle in March of that year.) This event is called the Meiji Restoration because the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, relinquished his family's rule and restored the emperor to his ancient seat of power. The historical period that began in 1868 was the Meiji Period. "Meiji" means "enlightened government."

I prefer not to address your questions about WWII or the beginning of the Tokugawa Period.

I hope this helps.

Romulus Hillsborough