Moderator: Ewa Machotka, Docent/Associate Professor at the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Stockholm University.

Lecture Abstract

More than a century and a half after their “discovery” by Western observers, the samurai remain as iconic figures in Japanese history. Indeed, they are among the most popular warrior figures in world history, as indicated by their frequent representations in films, popular media and above all video games. In part, this can be explained by their long history, having been present in various forms for close to a millennium, but more than anything, it is connected to positive connotations of bravery, self-sacrifice, loyalty, and sword skills. But how accurate are those attributes? Historical records paint a very different picture of warriors who disregarded authority, who switched sides numerous times, and who looked only to their own best interests. But somewhere and somehow, they managed to become the true rulers of Japan, rewrite their own history and transform themselves into the very epitome of selflessness and loyalty. It is this transformative process and its consequences for contemporary society that will be the topic of this lecture.

Mikael S. Adolphson is Professor of Japanese Studies at University of Cambridge. Professor Adolphson is a broadly trained historian with a strong interest in medieval societies. Having studied thirteenth century religions in southern France at the University of Lund before switching to medieval Japan, he took with him an interest in Annales history to the Japan field. Accordingly, he focuses on a wide variety of topics, ranging from social structures, ideologies, mentalité, religious institutions, legal history, historical documents and international trade. He has held academic positions at the University of Oklahoma, Harvard University, and the University of Alberta before arriving at Cambridge, where he has focused on strengthening and developing Japanese Studies. His main publications are The Gates of Power: Monks, Courtiers, and Warriors Premodern Japan (2000) and The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha: Sōhei and Monastic Warriors in Japanese History (2007). In addition, he has co-edited Heian Japan: Centres and Peripheries (2007) and Lovable Losers: The Heike in Action and Memory (2015).