Book Exploration of State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth Century Japan by Thomas Donald Conlan

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Book Exploration State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth Century Japan by Thomas Donald Conlan tracks the events in Japan between 1336 and 1392. Conlan provides his wisdom on how state and society operated in the Nanbokucho period through various source documents portraying the warriors not by their romanticized “knights of the round table” ideal, but rather showing that while there were alliances of connivence, they could be broken just as easily as they were made, revealing that pragmatism was paramount above all else. State of War is comprised of eight chapters. It begins with a characterization of a common warrior, Nomoto Tomoyuki, who pledged allegiance to Ashikaga Takauji. Extracting from a detailed petition for reward (gunchujo), Conlan recounts Tomoyuki’s conduct in battle and his death. Conlan explains: “Among the thousands of petitions that survive, one submitted on behalf of Nomoto Tomoyuki is uniquely suited for reconstructing the experience of the fourteenth-century war for several reasons. This first is its length...the second is its reliability...the third reason stems from its comprehensiveness...the fourth is Tomoyuki’s anonymity. This petition represents a plea for rewards that largely went unheeded,” (Conlan 13-14). After six hundred and sixty plus years Conlan believes that Tomoyuki wouldn’t be displeased by how he is remembered, no matter how small. Next Conlan addresses the question of battle tactics and unit organization. Plodding through what had to be no doubt a great many gunchujo to see with what regularity and what ways warriors endured injury. He demonstrates that the fighting around the fall of Kamakura shogunate was far and away the most extreme of the fourteenth century and that the prepo... ... middle of paper ... ...st tozama implicitly believed that the onus of responsibility rested not on themselves, but on the competing regimes to secure support by granting rewards. Instead of land grants guaranteeing obligation, service (chusetsu) demanded adequate compensation,” (Conlan 150). The slogan “then was then; now is now; reward is lord!” (Conlan 150) perhaps sums up best these largely pragmatic warriors minus Chilafusa and his ilk. Being a relative neophyte to medieval Japanese history I found Conlan’s State of War to be an enlightening series of chapters about the changes that developed out of the Nanbokucho experience. With the requirement for compensation, rewards being imperative for service, and the often times capricious nature of loyalty; Conlan demystifies the Japanese warrior, revealing them to be no gods or buddhas, rather by and large merely pragmatists.

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