Neil Hawkins
13th December 2000, 23:57
Was there any special corps or groups that provided specific bodyguard duties to the Shogun or Daimyo?
I have been wondering if they were purely soldier/bodyguards as seen in Europe or wether they recieved some special training in bodyguarding. With the specialised assassination techniques used against the rulers, I would have thought it would require special skills, but have not come across any specific references.
The story of Yojimbo is a good one, but there is not much that distinguishes the character as anything more than a skilled samurai, more skilled than the low class samurai employed by the two gangster factions.
Now-a-days there is a strong association between the samurai and the bodyguard. Films like "The Bodyguard" and "Ghost Dog" have reinforced this, but is there any historical basis for such an association?
Regards
Neil
I have been wondering if they were purely soldier/bodyguards as seen in Europe or wether they recieved some special training in bodyguarding. With the specialised assassination techniques used against the rulers, I would have thought it would require special skills, but have not come across any specific references.
The story of Yojimbo is a good one, but there is not much that distinguishes the character as anything more than a skilled samurai, more skilled than the low class samurai employed by the two gangster factions.
Now-a-days there is a strong association between the samurai and the bodyguard. Films like "The Bodyguard" and "Ghost Dog" have reinforced this, but is there any historical basis for such an association?
Regards
Neil