I personally think that this question was answered on page 1. Yes, there are decendants, but there are no practicing Samurai. This is what I have got from reading this thread. Am I correct?
Also, I do not see why the Ninja and Maasaki Hatsumi have been brought into this. Ninja are nothing like Samurai. Also, Maasaki Hatsumi does not claim to be a ninja. He teaches a martial art. He has never said, "I am a ninja." He teaches an art form.
If I am wrong with any of this, I am sorry, but I do not see why this discussion continues.
So would everyone else.
Assuming all things are equal, the descendants would still occupy about the same percentage of the population NOW as their ancestors did THEN.
Tony
But try this. Population of, say 10 million. 8% are blue. Hundred years later, population is 150%. WHY would more than 8% be blue?
What variable do YOU know that would mean blue people breed more? Lacking such an unknown, Occam's Razor indicates that population growth would be evenly spread among the whole population. So while there are more blue people numerically now than then, in a PER CAPITA ratio of the population -- which IS what we're talking about -- they represent the same population.
Hello! I have a question. I've read through the threads but I didn't have my question answered. I worried if I've missed out that part. Anyway, my History lecturer told us that the Yakuzas are the decendents of Samurais. How true is that?
Yakuza and samurai were distinct classes in society. Samurai family became part of the elite class in Japanese society during the Meiji era while yakuza became more of the underworld.
Some young samurai caused antisocial behavior or troubles esp., in the early to mid 17th century after the shogunate gained more social stability and peace. They were called as "Hatamoto-Yakko", and some townspeople named Machi-Yakko countered them.
Gambling was strictly forbidden throughout the shogunate, but there had (or has) always been challengers who loved(s) it. At the last moment of the shogunate, some challengers were hired by them to fight against the anti-shogunate clans.
It could be possible to say Shinsen-gumi, the shogunate fundamentalist group, were also gamblers who had bet "the shogunate would win".
Most modern Yakuza were originally from an arranger of dock workers after the Meiji, and some Yakuzas allegedly have Korean background. Of course, no samurai in Korea, so I guess your lecturer used the sexy term, Yakuza, to describe the frustrated samurai in the early or the end of Edo.
Yakuza and samurai coexisted during the Tokugawa era as distinct social classes with very different moral codes, clothing and social behavior. Even their swords were different with samurai carrying long curved swords and yakuza having short straight swords. You could have a samurai sword only if you were samurai.
Ah! I see! Thank you pipokun and Dogen Z. There's so much information here. I don't even know that there's a difference in the swords they carried. I thought all Japanese swords are curved because I just went to Iyashi no Sato Nenba recently to look at the armors and swords of Samurai and all the swords on display were curved and long. -_-" Silly me. Where can I see Yakuza's weapons if there are? Nonetheless, I think I have so much to read just to catch up with the long history.
I've never seen or hear of a museum of yakuza weapons. Maybe they're not worth preserving. Find a reliable source on Japanese history--Encylopedia Brittanica or something like that. Watch out for misinformation on the Internet--there's lots of that for sensational topics like yakuza.
I agree. I started with samurai, someone mentioned ninjas, and now the yakusa has been brought up. By the way I saw on tv that some members of the early Yakuza were dececendents of samurai clans.
LOL, which was why I brought up the Yakuzas. Anyway, Think if Yakuzas and Samurais coexisted, naturally some of the Yakuzas are from the samurai clans. But back then, my history teacher was trying to say that when during the fall of the samurais, some bacame Yakuza(more like the role of merchants to me) but I don't know how true it is.