Samurai Champloo - Just The Remix History Needed

 

Samurai Champloo

An Anime Review - Bonus Content

Studio: Manglobe |  Released: 2004 |  Duration: 26 Episodes | Streaming on: Funimation

Hi Everyone!

Whenever we think of Summer there’s always one anime that comes straight to mind, which is Samurai Champloo. Must be the smiling giant yellow sunflowers, and we know, we know, it’s already Fall, almost Winter actually, but can’t we give Summer just one final hurray before we bid it farewell until next year? We’ll take your silence as tacit compliance. 

So where were we? Oh yes, Samurai Champloo. If you haven’t seen our video review of the series yet we recommend checking that out first if you want to learn more about the plot and creative process. If you’ve already watched it though and are here for the bonus content, don’t let us stop you, and just keep on scrolling.    

Now if you guys have been following our blog and videos you’ll know that not only do we like anime, but we also really like history, and one of the best parts of doing research for our reviews is coming across cool historical facts about Japan. Luckily for all of us, Samurai Champloo is rife with historical events and people. Of course, it’s also a heavily anachronistic series targeted at the internet generation, but it was also clearly made by people who really do have an appreciation of History. So if you’re new to Japanese history it’s great at giving you points of interest for further reading, at least that was true in our case. 

So enough jibber-jabbering, let’s get to the Bonus Content!  

Just where is Mugen from exactly? 

It’s mentioned that Mugen comes from the Ryukyu islands, which is a group of islands stretching from the southern tip of Japan all the way to Taiwan. It’s interesting to note that prior to the Edo period the Ryukyu islands weren’t yet a part of Japan, and were actually considered their own Kingdom. This kingdom was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, and it played a major role in maritime trade. At the time China basically ruled the seas around Asia and as a result any trading that took place in them. If you also wanted to be able to trade with other countries around that region you had to not only receive special permission from imperial China to do so but you also had to pay them an annual tribute. Luckily the Ryukyu Kingdom was granted this permission, and they became quite wealthy because of it. Something that the Japanese took note of. In 1609, forces from the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma invaded the Ryukyu kingdom and ultimately made it a vassal state. For the most part, the Ryukyu Kingdom was able to retain most of its culture and customs, which differed quite a bit from those of the Japanese. This might be why people in the series are constantly commentating on how Mugen and his clothes look foreign because in a way they really are. 

Another thing that ties Mugen to Ryukyu culture is his visions, specifically those he experiences while on the verge of death. In these visions, he is surrounded by these masked figures that look identical to the Paantu, which are deities of the Miyako religion that are said to cleanse evil. 

It’s also thought that Mugen might have been born in a penal colony, which would help explain Mugen’s comment about everyone on the island being a criminal. During the Edo period, one such penal colony could be found on Tarama island. The island of Tarama can be found in a set of Ryukyu islands to the south known as the greater Miyako Islands, which is closer to Taiwan. After the Ryukyu kingdom became a vassal state, they entered into a trade agreement with both China and Japan. This meant that there were a lot more boats travelling through the Ryukyu islands with trading goods. A tempting opportunity for pirates. Especially around the Miyako islands which happened to be right smack dab in the middle of this trading route. Cargo ships were highjacked left and right in a similar fashion to something we see Mugen do during his previous life as a pirate. An occupation that could help shine some light on his various tattoos and how he got them. We looked into it and it turns out that during the Edo Period there was a practice known as Irezumi Kei or the Tattoo penalty. Depending on the region, specific tattoos would be given as an indicator of a specific crime, and the number of tattoos could also signify the number of times they’ve committed a crime. We know that Mugen escaped execution once before, prior to meeting Fuu and Jin, and that his crime was piracy. So we think that this might be the time when he received his tattoos. Meaning that Mugen is actually a prison fugitive. 

Japan's Trading Agreement with the Dutch and the Shimabara Rebellion

To better understand the almost-exclusive trading agreement the Dutch had with Japan during the Edo period, we’ll first have to address the Shimabara Rebellion. Because you see before the rebellion Japan had very few maritime trading regulations with other countries, and they also didn’t have such strict policies against western foreigners. 

In fact, the very first time Japan ever encountered Europeans was in 1543, when a typhoon caused a Portuguese smuggling ship on the coast of China to be blown off course. The Portuguese boat drifted onto the shores of Tanegashima, where the local Daimyo, being impressed by their firearms, asked to be shown how they work and then to be given lessons on how to use them. You can watch the Oda Nobunaga special on Netflix to see how this went on to change Samurai warfare forever. 

Soon after this encounter with the Portuguese, a Jesuit missionary by the name of Francis Xavier travelled to Japan in 1549 to spread Christianity. Now if the name sounds familiar to you it’s probably because there’s a character in the Samurai Champloo series claiming to be Francis Xavier’s grandson, and goes by the name Francis Xavier III. Which is pure Samurai Champloo ridiculousness. Even if it hadn’t been revealed that he was actually Japanese and had simply been masquerading as a European, it would still have been unlikely that he was Francis Xavier’s grandson since all Jesuit priests took vows of chastity. Great reveal in the series though and extremely funny.

Now back to Christianity spreading throughout Japan. At first, Francis Xavier was welcomed into Japan as he and his party had been sent as representatives of the King of Portugal, John III. But it soon became apparent that the leaders of Japan did not look favourably on their subjects being converted to Christianity, and a mere year later in 1550, it was forbidden for anyone to be converted to the Christian faith under penalty of death. Why so harsh? Well, Japan had seen firsthand the aggressive colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish and witnessed the use of religion as a means to subdue and take over the population. Fearing Europe would soon set its eyes on Japan, they did everything they possibly could to discourage its people from being converted to this Western faith. 

Not to be deterred Xavier made his way south to the Ryukyu Kingdom where he had more luck; Christianity found itself slowly creeping its way back north to Japan. Soon the Japanese were exposed even further to Catholicism when in 1570 the Daimyo Ōmura Sumitada made a deal with Portugal to set up a trading port in Nagasaki. There they would use the port of Dejima; Dejima is a small fan-shaped artificial island that had previously been used when trading with China. This geographical feature was a convenient way to keep the Portuguese and their religion secluded and more moderate. Nonetheless, more and more people were drawn to the Christian faith, resulting in harsher and harsher punishments by the Daimyo for those found practicing the religion.    

One daimyo who was reported to be extremely hostile towards Christians was Matsukura Katsuie, the daimyo of Shimabara. He’s known to have issued some very violent policies prohibiting Christianity in his time. He and his father before him were also much more concerned with their family’s ambitions than with the welfare of their own people, constantly undertaking large building projects such as the Shimabara Castle, only to then outrageously raise the taxes on their people, even though they were already suffering from famine and other hardships. These conditions and the extreme policies against Christians were what ultimately led to the Shimabara Rebellion. People simply could no longer put up with their lord’s selfishness. The rebellion lasted from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638 and was led by local rōnin and mostly catholic peasants. 

To help put an end to the rebellion the Tokugawa Shogunate sent an overwhelming force to squash the rebels, however to their surprise the local ronin and Christian peasants put up quite a fight. They took refuge in Hara castle where they fought back against a never-ending stream of assaults. It was said that every single person taking refuge in the castle, men, women, and children, all defended the walls with everything they had. This old castle and its people withstood catapults, tunnelling, and even ninjas. Yep, you read that right - ninjas. 

The shogunate got so desperate that they even went so far as to ask a Dutch ship to bombard the castle with their canons. It was thought that many Portuguese merchants were helping the rebels and their cause due to their shared catholic faith, and so the shogunate made a deal with the Dutch. If they could help them subdue the rebellion they would expel all other westerners from Japan and deal exclusively with the Dutch. This was a pretty good deal for the Dutch, and one they were happy to make. So after a long hard siege and with help from the Dutch, the Shogunate forces finally broke through the castle walls. Unfortunately following the rebellion, Matsukura Katshie had 37,000 rebels and sympathizers executed by beheading. This was considered so brutal that he was later stripped of his status and property, and sent to Edo where he was beheaded himself. The fact that he wasn’t allowed to perform an honourable death by seppuku shows just how egregious his behaviour was. 

Not wanting to risk another religious civil war, the government issued an Isolationist Policy known as Sakoku, literally meaning “Locked Country”, which lasted until 1854. Foreigners couldn’t come into Japan and citizens couldn’t leave. They also took a harder stance against Christianity, and several bans were enforced which led to more restrictions and bans being placed on trading, especially on catholic countries, such as Portugal and Spain. But like promised, the only Europeans not affected by these bans were the Dutch, though they were only allowed to dock and trade in Nagasaki. One would think that this would have hurt Japan economically, but actually, quite the opposite was true. Even though they entered an isolationist policy, it didn’t mean they were completely cut off from the world around them. They still did trade with China and other Asian countries such as Korea. And even though the Dutch didn’t bring in religious ideologies, they did bring in other western ideas. Introducing Japan to many scientific and medical, as well as technical innovations, such as Jin’s glasses. So they were still aware of what was happening outside of Japan.  

Wooden Block Ukiyo-e Paintings   

The term Ukiyo-e means to draw the present, in other words, to depict the world as it is right now. These artists’ embraced customs, society, and social life positively, depicting all aspects of it. 

The evolution of Ukiyo-e can be traced back to the 1670s where it originated as hand-painted silk scrolls. Soon the popularity of the hand-painted scrolls grew among the everyday townspeople and they had to come up with a more efficient way of producing these paintings. Since the 8th century, Japan had been using carved wooden blocks for printing Buddhist texts and images. Now they would implement the same technique, carving paintings in wooden blocks. Although this process included a team of craftsmen, it was much easier to mass-produce each work. Their techniques continued to evolve and improve, and layers of colours were even added. As these mass-produced pieces lost popularity they were simply used as scrap paper. Like we mentioned previously around this time Japan had entered into a trade agreement with the Dutch. They traded in many goods, some of which were lacquerware, pottery, porcelain, and other fragile items. To make sure they would survive the long voyage overseas they were often wrapped using old Ukiyo-e prints. When these shipments made their way to Europe and were unpacked people started noticing the intriguing art on the paper wrappings. People were so enamoured by it that the Dutch went back to specifically acquire more to sell back home. This is how Japanese art was introduced to Europe and how Japonisme grew in popularity all throughout Europe. 

In fact, you may even recognize this famous artist who was actually heavily inspired by Japonisme and Ukiyo-e prints; his name was Vincent Van Gogh. 

Which brings us to our next topic -  

Why is Japan so Obsessed with Vincent van Gogh and his Sunflowers? 

Well, interestingly it turns out the obsession might have been mutual. I mean by modern standards Vincent van Gogh could easily be considered an Otaku for how much he loved all things Japanese. He and his brother Theo, who was also a fan of Japanese art, would constantly write to one another about all the aspects of Japanese society for which they admired most. (Two siblings obsessed with Japan - can’t say we can relate ;P) 

Vincent began to see Japan everywhere he looked, from the snow-covered hillsides in Winter to the plum and cherry blossoms in Spring. He had such a profound love for Japan despite never having visited the country. Something we can’t fault him for.  

His obsession with Japan initially started with two black and white Ukiyo-e prints. And after moving to Paris where his brother Theo resided, Vincent and his brother would often go in search of Ukiyo-e prints to trade and buy. You see Japanese art was all the rage in Europe at this time, especially in Paris where Japonisme had really taken off. These two brothers were so enamoured with Japan that they embarked on a mission to consume every detail about this mystical land that they could get their hands on. Eventually, Vincent’s Ukiyo-e collection had grown to over 600 prints. These pieces of art would inspire him to create his own interpretations of some of the Ukiyo-e prints he had come across. As time went on he would progress from simply copying the works, to incorporating a deeper influence within his own creations. His letters to his brother that spoke of his great love for Japan would eventually make their way to Japan even before any of Van Gogh’s paintings ever did. This is how Japan’s obsessions with Vincent van Gogh began. The Japanese really appreciated his love of their culture. And so in the 1920s when Japan was trying to acquire western art for their museums so that they could study the works by the great masters, they were very interested in getting pieces by Van Gogh.   

But wait what’s up with this obsession with sunflowers. Well, sunflowers are a flower that is native to North America, and much like what happened with the Ukiyo-e paintings, as soon as they were brought over to Europe their popularity quickly swept the continent. This eventually led to the Dutch bringing them over to Japan, which being the Land of the Rising Sun, is it really any surprise that the Japanese fell in love with these flowers? So can you imagine how thrilled Japan was when they saw Vincent van Gogh’s paintings of sunflowers? They were this perfect union of their two obsessions. One that led to a Japanese insurance company buying a Vincent van Gogh painting titled “Sunflowers” for a whopping 40 million dollars at an auction in 2010. 

If you think that’s crazy well I say blame it on the Dutch.  

The Fifth Era of Bushido no one talks about

Wait so there are actually 5? We mentioned in the video that there are 4 eras of Bushido: Ancient Bushido, Sengoku Bushido, Edo Bushido, and Meiji Bushido. And though that is the general consensus, there is actually a fifth era of Bushido which some experts acknowledge. This Era is known as Contemporary Bushido, which emerged in 1950 and continues to this day. The reason why many people include this era is that though they argue that the core Bushido spirit no longer exists in modern Japan, there are still some Bushido traits that are practiced today which have shaped Japan’s current society. A lot of this comes from the population romanticizing the past and the idea that their ancestors behaved with honour all in an effort to ignore some more recent world events that bring them shame (ex.WW2). And because of this, there’s been a sort of Bushido revival. Where things like politeness, responsibility, respect, and self-control are valued within society. On the surface, all these things are to be commended.  

Unfortunately in their bid to embrace the past, some of the virtues have become warped which has led to some pretty negative outcomes. Such as loyalty, which has become to mean one should have unswerving loyalty to one's boss and company. One proves this by working hard and staying at the office late. Sometimes to the point where it becomes detrimental to one's own health. Basically, you are encouraged to show loyalty by working yourself to death. Something you may have seen in recent Isekai animes. Move over Truck-kun.  

Then we have Suicide, which is still used in modern Japan to regain one's honour and reputation, sometimes even on behalf of your company example: if it’s gone bankrupt, or on behalf of a family member, in case of a scandal. And it’s just something that’s become generally accepted by society in Japan. Regrettably, this has had a negative effect on the youth, who feel like suicide is the easiest way to escape from something painful. 

Since it’s led to such negative results, we can understand why some are critical or even refuse to accept Contemporary Bushido. With some going so far as to consider it a perversion of the core spirit of Bushido. But what is Japan to do? Should they completely cut Bushido ideals out of their everyday lives? We’ll admit it would be hard for us to imagine modern Japan should it reject all of Bushido, since it has become such a foundation within their society and culture, and has also become a part of why we love Japan so much. Being polite and respectful and even loyal are all things that should be encouraged, and can only strengthen your standing as a country on the world stage (at least that’s how we feel, as a bunch of Canadians), but it would be good to note that it should never be done to the detriment of ones’ country or people. It’s not impossible for Japan to change their work culture or how they view suicide. So we can only hope that in the future Japan can perhaps find new and positive ways of interpreting Bushido that will only raise them higher in our esteem.     

    

On that note, we hope that you guys found this compelling and that you perhaps found new topics of interest to look into further. If you have any other theories on Samurai Champloo or points you’d like to discuss, feel free to leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you. 

Now stay safe out there, and as always

~ Stay Obsessed