Oct 30, 2020
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Oct 18, 2020
Hideyoshi acknowledged woman as head of samurai clan
TARAGI, Kumamoto Prefecture--The traditional notion that only men could be samurai has been turned on its head with the discovery of two letters written by feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi to acknowledge a woman as head of a samurai clan.
The historical documents were found in the home of a long-established family here.
Hideyoshi (1537-1598) sent the letters to Munakata Saikaku of the Munakata clan, famed for producing successive generations of “daiguji,” the highest-ranking priest of Munakata Taisha shrine.
Saikaku is believed to have been married to Ujisada, the last daiguji of the Shinto shrine, which is a part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The discovery of the letters, announced by the town’s board of education on Sept. 18, immediately attracted a flurry of attention nationwide.
The two rare letters, one a “hanmotsu” official document signed with Hideyoshi’s “kao” stylized signature, and a “shuinjo” letter with a red seal, were handed down through successive generations of the Munakata clan, which served the ruling Hosokawa clan of the Higo Domain, present-day Kumamoto Prefecture.
A descendant of the Munakata family who lives in the town approached local officials with an offer to donate the letters.
Okifumi Hanaoka, an academic researcher at Kyushu University’s Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, and other experts studied the documents for authenticity.
Ujisada died suddenly in 1586, the year before Hideyoshi conquered the Kyushu region. Hideyoshi praises the Munakata clan for stopping the Shimazu clan, which was based in southern Kyushu, from heading north. In gratitude, he issued the hanmotsu that same year guaranteeing that the clan can retain its territories.
In the shuinjo, the warlord instructs the Munakata clan to consult with his vassal, Asano Nagamasa, before sending troops to Kyoto.
Both letters were addressed to Saikaku, showing that Hideyoshi acknowledged Ujisada’s wife as head of the Munakata clan.
Although Saikaku is mentioned as the lord of the Munakata clan in letters passed down to other samurai families, little had been known about her.
“It became clear that Saikaku led the Munakata clan after Ujisada’s death and passed down its name,” Hanaoka said.
Oct 14, 2020
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Cobra Kai: the Karate Kid Saga Continues (for XBox One)
(from gamesxtreme.com)
Choose a side, master your moves, and embrace your destiny in an epic beat 'em up adventure inspired by the hit show. Take control of 8 playable characters with deep movesets, combos, progression, real-time character swaps, ultimate attacks, and much more! 34 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, the rivalry of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence continues. The fight is in your hands now! •Two-Fold Storyline - Featuring an all-new storyline filled with unique cutscenes and dialog-choose to take control of Daniel and his students at Miyagi-Do Karate through a storyline campaign. Or select their rivals, Johnny Lawrence and his disciples at Cobra Kai to play their side of the story. Completing both sides of the campaign unveils an ultimate ending. •RPG-Like Dojo Progression - Master 40 unique skills and upgrade your characters' stats as you karate your way through enemies. •Character Swap System - Choose your Dojo then seamlessly swap between your favorite characters within, including Miyagi Do's Daniel, Robby, Sam and Demetri; or Cobra Kai's Johnny, Miguel, Hawk and Tory. •Live the Cobra Kai Universe - Explore Los Angeles across 28 missions filled with characters and enemies from the show! •Authentic Cobra Kai Experience - Featuring the voices of William Zabka, Ralph Macchio and other top-tier cast, along with an exclusive soundtrack from the creators of the Cobra Kai show.
