The Shimabara Rebellion (Part 1) | The Edo Period Episode 3

The Tokugawa Shogunate faces its toughest challenge since the Siege of Osaka, as a great rebellion in Kyushu erupts to into a storm of chaos and death.
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Sources Used:
"The Logistics of Power: Tokugawa Response to the Shimabara Rebellion and Power Projection in Seventeenth-Century Japan" by Matthew E. Keith
"A History of Japan" by RHP Mason and JG Caiger
"A History of the Samurai" by Jonathan López-Vera
"The Samurai Encyclopedia" by Constantine Nomikos Vaporis
Additional information found through the Japanese Wiki Corpus
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Music from:
"In the West" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Music from World of Warcraft
Music from Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic 2
Artwork:
Classical art, which in most cases can be considered public domain.
Art from Osprey Publications.
Art from the Nobunaga's Ambition Series
Other modern artist renditions and photos as well as photos from Wikipedia, if you see your work in this video please contact me so that I can give you proper credit!
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Social Media:
Facebook: / theshogunateyoutube
Twitter: / shogunatethe
Support the channel on Patreon! www.patreon.co...
#Samurai​​ #History​​ #Japan​

[@just_radical]

Ah yes the Shimabara Rebellion, the controversial final DLC package to Sengoku Jidai. Reception to this add-on was so mixed that the kami at Takamagahara Studios decided to switch genres entirely out of action games and into the lifestyle simulator Edo series for 200 years. It was a weird decision at the time for a studio so well known for not just the Sengoku Jidai series but other hits like Genpei Kassen, Nanbokucho, and Hogen no Ran, but not entirely out of character since they had other hits like Genji Monogatari and Rise of the Fujiwara in their library. Eventually tho the break would prove to be exactly what the studio needed when they suprised everyone with Meiji Ishin, a love letter to the thrilling Samurai Combat genre.

[@VivalaG]

Your comment shot my sides to freakin' outer space lol

[@UnicornGamingRX03]

Shogun II missed that and the siege of Osaka (summer war), I only learnt about it when I visited Osaka castle irl.

[@LoganParam-03]

😂😂 this comment is top tier

[@anbu94]

I'm quite sick and took longer than it should have to realize this was a clever joke. I was excited about an Edo period simulator 🤣 I want an Edo period kingdom come deliverance now!

[@KansaiCool]

Dude. You should do this to every historical era.

[@Chris_MarMar]

Definitely appreciate the KOTOR 2 soundtrack you used in this.

[@410cultivar]

Lol yes! Im searching the comments for others who noticed

[@FullMetalXV]

To this day I have not finished KOTOR 2. I replay KOTOR every year but KOTOR 2, even with the restoration mod is just not the same.

[@richardmartin8998]

KOTOR and KOTOR 2 are the 2 greatest Star Wars games.

[@mojotheaverage]

The shimabara rebellion is one of those historical events like the death of Minamoto No Yoshitsune where you know the outcome, but as you read it you can't help but hope the outcome will be different

[@Dfathurr]

Or Kusunoki Masashige's last stand

[@tenshi2520]

I visited Shimabara Castle during my summer vacation this year. I was surprised how rural and empty of tourists Shimabara city was considering it’s history. Although the castle has been rebuilt in a modern style, it still looks very impressive from a distance. The museum inside also includes information in English about the rebellion and history of the persecution of Christians in the area.

[@localmilfchaser6938]

@@Azuchi2670agreed

[@TheMercian13]

I’ll make sure to visit on my next trip to Japan!

[@jeffreysams3348]

The story that I heard was the Masakura lands were assessed as 40,000 koku but the daimyo taxed it as if it was 100,000 koku. And the shogunate had warned him not to spend so much on the castle...

[@maximus0928]

I’m glad the history of the shimbara rebellion was remembered. Reminds me of the yellow turban rebellion of china’s 3 kingdoms. Those 3 kingdoms are definitely glorified much like the samurai but the peasantry was oppressed much like these ppl were and were pushed to the point of no return. Great video as always!

[@CB-py1xh]

Yes, as fun and interesting it may be to engage with the exploits of the lords and generals of feudal societies, we should never forget that the Yellow Turbans and Ikko-Ikki etc. of their respective ages were the only ones fighting for historic social progress and a semblance of human dignity for 90% of the population. An important aspect that made it possible for Europe to overtake the traditional centers of cultural and scientific development like East Asia and the Middle East in these regards from the 1600s onwards, was that unlike in the rest of the world in Europe popular democratic revolutions were more often successful. The Edo Bakufu on the other hand was so powerful and effective that it could freeze Japan in the 1600s for over 250 years.

[@alexanderjohnson6178]

No matter how bad my day is when I see a new episode in this series my mood instantly improves tenfold

[@stevenkies802]

Agreed.

[@Tatterdash71]

Yes, I discovered the Shogunate in 2020 while in lockdown. Pretty sure my next D&D character will be me doing an impression of this narrator. Such a distinct and most informative voice.

[@hanchiman]

I recall the Englishman William Adams told Ieyasu that Portugese and Spanish introduction of Christianity is one of their way to cause "Uprising" in a foreign country just so that the Spanish or Portuguese can take advantage during the turbulent and create a Colony.

[@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts]

The Catholic Church has a long history of playing politics. Many Protestant denominations do likewise, and as the current war in Ukraine shows, so does the Orthodox church. See "Imprisoned for their faith - Russia."

[@MrGksarathy]

I mean, he was correct about that.

[@keithwhitlock726]

​@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts Jesuits were intimately involved in the Maden Rebellion in Ukraine and even our American Civil War. They are pure evil. There is a reason they have been thrown out of over 80 countries because of all the trouble they cause.

[@birgbirg111]

@@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts so tell us about your favorite church

[@TheMercian13]

Based Compatriot of mine. He was correct.

[@stinsaaan4146]

I hope part 2 will include how the rebels taunted their enemies, as that was one of my favourite parts when reading of the rebellion

[@1207rorupar]

Loved the KOTOR 2 music in the background

[@richardmartin8998]

It's a great soundtrack

[@LukeItsz]

I love how at the beginning Star Wars Kotar 2 music is playing best Star Wars game ever😅

[@hetzer842]

I never thought KOTOR2 music is that good for a japanese history video.

[@nont18411]

Hong Xiuquan: “Can I copy your homework?” Amakusa Shiro: “Fine, but don’t make it too obvious.” Hong Xiuquan: Started a Christian rebellion in China by claiming himself as a brother of Jesus 200 years later.

[@hadoukenfighter]

i like the KOTOR2 music used, it's really fitting.

[@davidhouston4810]

Though it had its own Japanese historical aspects, the sadness of this period was repeated throughout the entire world, during the transition between Medieval aristocracy and Modern representative governing. A long and often Brutal time of suffering.

[@JonasBL3]

I love how the stories you bring me from reality are better than 99% of the shit I find on Netflix. U da real MVP!

[@410cultivar]

The KOTOR soundtrack is a nice touch

[@ShuajoX]

I have been eagerly awaiting this topic's introduction! Glad to see you finally covering it!

[@colemanwhittenburg9191]

This man really used the music from knights of the old republic two as background music for this video 😂😂😂 but overall good info!

[@xogunatobrasil456]

The three biggest conflicts of the Edo period: - Siege of Osaka (1614 - 1615) - Shimabara Rebellion (1637 - 1638) - Shakushain's Revolt (1669 - 1672)

[@alexspalding6377]

Amazing . Their faith was incredible

[@yukimurasanada5209]

its strange, humanity knows inherently through basic history lessons, high taxes and low food is the 1st step of the end, yet rulers are too lazy to bother with the common man so think of plans how to not prevent rebellions but to violently put them down with mass murder as quickly as possible

[@sukitron5415]

Noticed the KOTOR 2 music, have you plwyed it and if you have what did you think?

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

We think of the Samurai, as a group, as noble, loyal, and self sacrificing. And some of them no doubt were. But not to the average Japanese Peasant. To that down-trodden class, they must have been hated oppressors. I have a certain sympathy with that view.

[@timokohler6631]

The reality is very different from popular perception, Samurais were neither noble nor loyal. In fact the Samurai would constantly betray each other and mistrust each other, it wasn't even considered bad to betray your lord as long as you succeeded, there is a reason why the Shogun held thousands of hostages in Edo. It's pretty ridiculous that people consider loyalty to be a typical virtue of Samurai.

[@novrinkov0053]

lol Gaijin Samurai are not oppressors. Samurai have no such rights. Whether it is oppressive or not depends on the ruling daimyo and has nothing to do with the samurai. Samurai only follow orders from their daimyo. Samurai usually enjoyed local festivals and watching kabuki with farmers and merchants. they even took a bath together. Samurai are just humans like us. There are good samurai and bad samurai, and most of them are good people like us

[@novrinkov0053]

If a samurai behaves arrogantly towards a farmer, His boss orders him to commit seppuku. The daimyo always orders the samurai not to quarrel with the peasants. There are even records of them. A samurai cannot act as he pleases unless ordered by his superior. It is recorded that some farmers even provoked the samurai to test their courage.

[@novrinkov0053]

First of all, it wasn't that they always oppressed peasants, but that they viewed "Christianity" as dangerous. At that time, Christianity sent missionaries to various countries and made them colonies. Remember what you guys were doing to the Philippines, Africa, and South America? In fact, at that time, Christians destroyed Japanese shrines and temples and engaged in many problematic behaviors. portuguese missionary sold Japanese people overseas as slaves. Hideyoshi was furious and bought back the Japanese slave. There are many reasons why Christianity was considered dangerous. Japan would not exist today if Christianity had not been banned at that time. You Gaijin justify yourself and Christianity and don't consider the circumstances of other countries. It can be said that banning Christianity was the best decision at the time.

[@novrinkov0053]

Remember what Christianity was doing to Asia and the world at that time? There is probably no country that does not view invaders as dangerous. Would Islam have been allowed to spread to Europe at that time? At least in Japan, missionary work was allowed until the portuguese missionaries started doing something problematic.

[@theuniverse5173]

Deus vult! Or Kami no ishi

[@AncestorEmpire1]

Nice use of Kotor 2 music in the background.

[@bobafett7865]

That KOTOR 2 track was a surprise to be sure but, a welcomed one!

[@sendapez]

They should make a movie about Shiro.

[@mikeehrmantraut1899]

I can't wait for the Bakumatsu Period and Can't wait for him to talk about Shimazu Nariakira, he was descendant of Date Masamune, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga.

[@bkjeong4302]

That’s one hell of an ancestry…That’s four of the big-name clans combined into one.

[@innsmouthresident6802]

Compelling, thank you very much.

[@xogunatobrasil456]

Few know it but it was significant for northern Japan, more specifically Hokkaido dominated by the Matsumae clan, a video talking about this conflict would be interesting too.

[@MrGksarathy]

Yeah, Shakushein's rebellion is pretty based, and I think a discussion of the Ainu's relationship with Japan during the Sengoku and prior would be great.

[@Hilversumborn]

Finally a good in depth look at the Shimabara Rebellion

[@nont18411]

I wonder if you would continue Japanese history videos until the end of world war 2, or just the Meiji restoration.

[@Srrrgp]

I highly recommend a book called "christ's samurai: The true story of the shimabara rebellion". what a read indeed.

[@sukitron5415]

Always excited for the latest episode, i don't know much about the edo period post ieyasu so it'll be interesting to see how it goes

[@Lowdawgful]

The Kotor 2 music was a nice touch.

[@MCorpReview]

Onward Christian soldiers….from the songbooks

[@sevenproxies4255]

This must be what inspired the Ninja Resurrection anime

[@michaelay4900]

Waiting for mention of Tachibana Muneshige and Miyamoto Musashi in the next epi

[@Spartacus-kg4zr]

Hey bro love your channel,just wanted to say thank you for your time in making these videos for us to watch and I wanted to request a few videos while giving you some video ideas. 1. A video on takeda shingen like explaining in detail his life or at least what is known about his life. 2. A imagawa clan video 3. A video on righteous samurai leaders who genuinely wanted peace for their province because I’ve never heard of even one righteous samurai leader. 4. A top ten impressive moments in battles( like for example takeda shingens 2nd battle when he defeated 12,000 men with only ,3 or 4,000 himself by attacking during a foggy morning. If you don’t think you could make these videos could you please just reply to my comment and just tell me a list of names of righteous or mostly righteous samurai warriors leaders or shogun from any time period,thank you for all your content keep up the good work bro!

[@saymyname2417]

Point 3: Yeah, neither have I, sadly 😢.

[@LoneSilver94]

Yes a new video!! Its like a treat 😁!!

[@cbrusharmy]

I'm dying to see the new Shogun remake next year. This is helping me wait patiently.

[@PropagandalfderWeiße]

What? Shogun 3? Finally! Although I hope they dont do such a bs with the colours in three kingdoms. Shogun II is by far the best Total War, not only because of the setting but also the playstyle. I wish they integrated most of the master of strategy mod and make better castles. Sieges in Shogun 2 vanilla are just boring and unrealistic

[@cbrusharmy]

@@PropagandalfderWeiße Not a game, the TV mini-series done in the '80s based of the book "Shogun." It was very popular, and I'm hoping this remake is too. Hiroyuki Sanada will be playing Lord Toranaga (substitute for Tokugawa Ieyasu), so that alone has me excited!

[@PropagandalfderWeiße]

@@cbrusharmy Ahh

[@zaximbud100]

Great channel awesome videos. You've earned a subscription 👏

[@kevinweirup9408]

I got kotor 2 Is vibes watching this 😆 I wonder why love it

[@keizerwoodworks]

This is amazingly well narrated!

[@ninjammer726]

Please do the taisho era japan next

[@risingdragonstudio7255]

Shimabara Rebellion vs Tokugawa shogunate This Revolts is keep up coming.

[@xogunatobrasil456]

This video was awesome! Do you plan to talk about the Shakushain's Revolt in the future as well?

[@-RONNIE]

Thank you for the video it was really good 👍🏻

[@Anonymous-qi2zh]

KOTOR 2 soundtrack absolutely fits the whole atmosphere of the post-Sengoku/early Edo period of Japanese history, with a striving for healing spotted with upheavals here and there

[@wildwaymartialarts]

Just realized KOTOR in the background 😂

[@samcarter565]

I recognize the background music from Star Wars: The Old Republic

[@LukeItsz]

Thank you for everything you do love your channel

[@harryjuices]

Just curious, whats your impression of Katsu Kokichi, a samurai, of the book Musui's Story? He is kinda goofy but seems to have some redeeming qualities.

[@a84c1]

After this rebellion japan isolated themselve from the outside world until the 1860s

[@luqmantarmizi9578]

I thought that Kyushu Island was fully under the control of Shimazu family since,didn't you say they're the only family that can go toe to toe with the Shogun.

[@davidfromkyushu6870]

They only controlled the southern part, what’s now Kagoshima Prefecture, at this time. In the past they had controlled more of Kyushu but not all.

[@luqmantarmizi9578]

@@davidfromkyushu6870 so the Shimazu family not the most powerful family in Kyushu?.

[@davidfromkyushu6870]

@@luqmantarmizi9578 they were the most powerful family on the island. The rest of it was ruled by lesser daimyo.

Very interesting stuff. It is a shame that the peopel of Japan didnt find peace after that long period of war

[@shinsenshogun900]

the consequences of the Ashikaga government disdaining the social order

[@michaelthepizzahuman]

Thank you for this amazing episode!

[@buinghiathuan4595]

By slapping the Christian faith in it, the rebels simultaneously save and doom the rebellions at the same time. It may gain support in near by region but the majority of Japan are Shinto. I don't like the odds

[@ThomasBarsegian-co3du]

Been waiting, it's worth the wait, GREAT JOB 👏👍🇯🇵🥰🇯🇵⛩️🏯🎎♥️

[@ashutoshmishra7923]

HW far you go.

[@cjthebeesknees]

Order cannot remain intact if the populace is disenfranchised.

[@patrickmodenesi2344]

Sorry, I got a doubt. You told us about how the Arima was replaced by a anti Christian lord in Shimabara. But you didn't mentioned anything about what happened in Amakusa. I mean, something similar happened there, did it not? Thank you!

[@elmerbalan8967]

Looking forward for Tokugawa Yoshimune Episode on the channel

[@lizamos1945]

Hey can I ask you a favour? Can you do some videos on shinsengumi, their members, history ect. Also if what happen in the Japan, and to them if they were won the war against imperial rule. (I know they lost the war)

[@TheGhost-7002]

Can you do a video about the Oei invasion? It would be pretty cool.

[@DionysianLovecraftian]

Hey Shogunate, I know it's unrelated to the video I think at some point it would be a good idea to make a video on seppuku/harakiri because you already did other videos where you talked about samurai traditions and stuff.

[@vaimast]

Armor and sword evolution on my list!!!!

[@clintwestwood1895]

cool video bro, thanks.

[@kingleech16]

For some reason, the background score makes me want to tell someone named Kreia to shut up…

[@ThomasBarsegian-co3du]

Never her of this rebellion..Thank You for the video.I learn alot from you 🙏🇯🇵⛩️♥️🏯🇯🇵💖

[@Krafanio]

15:20 Did Shiro really said that or that just part of the mythification of his figure? As far as I know, the common folk saw him more as a saint-Christian hero, but not as God.

[@OneOkRockSamurai]

As a Christian I have a unique perspective. It seems that the scholarly definition of "Christianity" in academia is a bit lazy. From my own research Protestants did not come into Japan until the late 1800s, so this rebellion couldn't have been historically Christian in nature. Most people are ignorant of the fact that Catholicism is not the traditional Christian faith as most elements and rituals of Catholicism actually contradict the holy Bible in various ways. But I'm also not placing blame on the Catholics in this particular event, as lords killing peasants into revolt is a tale old as time, regardless of religion or socio-political affairs. The Dutch were Protestants it seems so I could also be wrong

[@Krafanio]

Catholics and Orthodox are the two main branches of the original church. Thus making them even more Christian than a lot of protestant movements nowadays. One thing is to say you don´t understand Catholicism, other is to claim Catholicism is not Christianity because they don´t act like the protestants do.

[@marciorodrigues500]

What about the participation of Myamoto Musashi .

[@joejunior5991]

Amakusa Shiro the False Saint

[@diapason89]

So that guy that Kenshin fought in the Shimabara arc was real?

[@fredmartinez9597]

Time to chill.🤓

[@shirowolfanimator]

I'M FEATURED IN THE VIDEO' lol

[@Casanova395]

Aw crap I thought this was part 1

[@paulpranay4135]

What will be the next edo period video and when will it come out?

[@juliancalvo5907]

is Kotor OST what i hear? hahaha

[@arielquelme]

20 years after Shimabara rebellion, the Taiping Rebels in China considered their leader as "brother of Jesus" This Shimabara leader Amakusa regarded as "2nd coming of Jesus" BRUH 💀

[@lordtea7688]

KOTOR 2 soundtrack xD

[@arielquelme]

Who here each because the "Silence" movie???

[@CmdrDingus]

•w•

[@novrinkov0053]

I always think that Westerners are always biased when they talk about these things. They don't explain in detail why they had to do this repression. Why don't you explain that the christian were destroying Japanese shrines and temples and engaging in problematic behavior? Why don't you explain that they angered Hideyoshi by selling Japanese slaves overseas? portuguese missionary actually sold Japanese people overseas as slaves. Hideyoshi was angry and bought back Japanese people from overseas. First of all, missionaries and Christianity were not banned from the beginning. There's always a reason for that. Remember what the Christianity was doing in other parts of Asia and South America at that time. They sent missionaries as vanguards to rule the colonies. Christians always justify themselves and talk like they're good guys.

[@novrinkov0053]

Did Europe fully allow the spread of other religions at that time? At least Japan allowed missionaries to proselytize until they caused problems.

[@novrinkov0053]

Missionaries always came to other countries with the ambition of colonizing them. The missionary actually wrote a letter to the spanish king. 「It is impossible to invade Japan by force.」They write such letters to the spanish king. Missionaries(Christianity) always had ambitions for slave trade and colonial rule. The reason why they continued to trade with the Netherlands was because the Dutch had no intention of proselytizing. unlike Portuguese

[@Krafanio]

A lot of your claims were never proven, only the destruction of shrines that was advised against by the missionaries (on multiple occasions) but the common folks and Christian Daimyo did it regardless. You said there´s a pro-Christian bias here. But you are showing an anti-Christian bias in your statements.

[@joaomanoel3197]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@beepboop204]

[@lou-sanus4life]

Love these videos man. Edo period always seems so fascinating and I like the pacing and images you use.

[@OasisTypeZaku]

I can understand why Hidetada repressed the christian movements due to the wide-spread destruction the converts and priests caused. Temples hundreds, even maybe a thousand years or so old, are destroyed, villages burned and people murdered because of christian zealotry. Same thing happened in Europe. You're a guest in someone's house and go around causing chaos and damaging your host's property, you deserve to be kicked out.

[@larpingastheduchyofburgund337]

I can understand why Oliver Cromwell repressed the Irish.

[@historian252]

You mean despite the fact that a lot more damage was caused by the Toyota military and Tokugawa's actions constantly attacking Christians especially the majority peaceful ones and continued to make life for them difficult.

[@theuniverse5173]

Tell me you know nothing about religious history or japanese history without telling me