A Samurai and his Sword
Oct. 23rd, 2008 10:46 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
karadin.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
gackt_armyFrom recent discussion on the com, sparking by Lt. Colonel Wongkk's recent Word and Image post with Gackt as Kenshin holding a long sword, I thought the com might like to check out a recent NOVA special: Secrets of The Samurai Sword.
Much of the media we see relating our General of the Army comes directly from the deep connection modern Japan keeps with it's historic past, not just Gackt's portrayal of the warlord Uesugi Kenshin in the drama Fuurin Kazan but with fantasy warrior figures, such as Lau Wong, Genesis Rhapsodos and Gide Bellacourt. Gackt's own creation, a vampire warrior depicted in Diabolos carries a sword. Even the gentle-seeming purple-tressed Kamui Gackupo carries a sword!
To the Japanese, the sword is more than a weapon, it is also a sublime work of art, to some, it houses the eternal spirit of the warrrior who carried it. The code of the Samurai, Bushido, to which Gackt ascribes, holds that it is important to keep the sword sheathed drawing it only in utmost need. Therefore, the ubiquitous nature of the sword in manga, film, games and anime is a symbol of tradition, family, loyalty, honor, discipline and even restraint, in the eyes of the Japanese.
This particular NOVA special (there is a transcription of the entire episode if you cannot view) give great insight into the sword and what it means in Japanese culture, and is, I think, a wonderful way in which to understand what Gackt feels and what he tries to express in his art. And I feel proud to see a katana as part of our official community logo.
link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/samurai/
Much of the media we see relating our General of the Army comes directly from the deep connection modern Japan keeps with it's historic past, not just Gackt's portrayal of the warlord Uesugi Kenshin in the drama Fuurin Kazan but with fantasy warrior figures, such as Lau Wong, Genesis Rhapsodos and Gide Bellacourt. Gackt's own creation, a vampire warrior depicted in Diabolos carries a sword. Even the gentle-seeming purple-tressed Kamui Gackupo carries a sword!
To the Japanese, the sword is more than a weapon, it is also a sublime work of art, to some, it houses the eternal spirit of the warrrior who carried it. The code of the Samurai, Bushido, to which Gackt ascribes, holds that it is important to keep the sword sheathed drawing it only in utmost need. Therefore, the ubiquitous nature of the sword in manga, film, games and anime is a symbol of tradition, family, loyalty, honor, discipline and even restraint, in the eyes of the Japanese.
This particular NOVA special (there is a transcription of the entire episode if you cannot view) give great insight into the sword and what it means in Japanese culture, and is, I think, a wonderful way in which to understand what Gackt feels and what he tries to express in his art. And I feel proud to see a katana as part of our official community logo.
link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/samurai/
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Date: 2008-10-24 10:23 pm (UTC)