Post
by Takekaze » Feb 4th, '07, 13:03
Actually, the westernization wasn't really the problem. It was more the old issue between the Satsuma, Choshu and Tokugawa (the quarrel between them was OLD, going back a couple of centuries). The Tokugawa were extremely hesitant over what to do with the western arrivals, the Satsuma and Choshu weren't, "sonno joi" was quite popular among them (though, I still think that "sonno joi" was a rather useful tool for the Satsuma and Choshu leaders to rally as many anti-Tokugawa groups around them as possible, I'm pretty sure that they were smart enough to know that Japan, in order to not end like China and all the other Asian countries under western control, had to reach the same level as the western countries). Basically, it was about power and over who would control the country. Would Meiji have "invited" the Satsuma to make a new shogun, they surely would not have hesitated to do so. But the westernization was, at that point, impossible to stop. One way or the other, it had to happen. The fear of ending like China, the big significant other, torn apart by the western countries, was just too big.
Both sides employed foreign advisors and bought foreign weaponry, just that the Choshu and the Satasuma, thanks to their long ties with foreign traders -especially the Dutch- were ahead of that race and had managed to secretly acquire and train their soldiers with the new weaponry earlier than the Tokugawa (while the Tokugawa were arguing over what to do with the foreigners, the Satsuma and Choshu saw their chance and bought their weapons right away).
Keep in mind that Satsuma and Choshu members later rebelled against the emperor Meiji in what's known as Satsuma Rebellion BECAUSE of his westernized ideas and lack of will to follow their every advice (famous example: the so called "last samurai" Saigo Takamori was pushing for a war with Korea, emperor Meiji didn't agree, Saigo ran off and pouted and later joined the rebellion, which makes him nothing else but a traitor).
The irony of the Satsuma Rebellion is that members of the Shinsengumi, who had fought alongside the Aizu shogunate supporters, were fighting for the Imperial Army (Saito Hajime as the most famous example of them) and members of the Satsuma, who had been in the Imperial Army at Aizu, were fighting for the rebels (and even there it seems that there were still some old scores to be settled between Tokugawa and Satsuma supporters).
Here I am still hoping for a special on the Aizu Women's Brigade. They just don't get the place they'd deserve. It's great, though, to see in this special that the members of the Brigade shoot better than the samurai. But I still think they'd deserve their own TV special, these women have been extraordinarily, both in the field and in the besieged castle.
Just... they should have taught the actors how to really load a musket from the 1860s. You don't, ever, put the ignition cap on before loading the barrel. Basic gun safety (an issue that most movies and tv seriess sadly fail to consider). What if the cap misfires (not that likely, but it can happen), then it ignites the powder right into your face, at least into your arm and that, with a musket ball from the 1860s, is a rather uncomforable encounter (Minie ball, developed by French officer Claude Minie, a slow flying, soft lead projectile, the reason for all those amputations during the American Civil War, if the bone's hit by one of those, it's usually crushed beyond repair).
he was great in kurosagi. but why is it so short, only 2 parts? more like a tv-movie.
^___^
