Dear Customers & Freinds;

Hello from Japan! This is Antique Ichiroya News Letter.No.97th,
Almost every single days,there are terrible news all over the world,but in Japan,so many news about camouflaging food and people kill strangers for no reasons,even kill their own families.
Most of children who murdered are from wealthy families,well educated,seems like nothing to complain about their life....but when they were caught,they usually blame their parents.Once they were born,parents gave everthing children desired,raised with love,but when they are grown up,parents are killed by their own children's hands....that is one of the worst thing I could imagine.
It seesm like tragedies in the families are happening more in Japan than other countires.In 1,600s,there is one lady whose life was totally controlled by her family.He name is O-ichi,the most beautiful woman in sengoku-era,the Warring states period.
Today,I would like talk about life of Oichi and related subjects.

Now,who is Oichi? She is a younger sister of one of the most famous samurai,Nobunaga Oda.
Being his sister,she had to live the way he wanted as strategic goods.
Her first tragedy was that her favorite another older brother was killded by Nobunaga which made her hate Nobunaga even more,then obeying his order,
she married to Nagamasa Asai first,but Nobunaga made him seppuku,ritual suicide (performed by samurai) because Nagamasa betraid him and she returned to Oda family,but Nobunaga did not allow her only son of Asai's to be alive beleiveing that he would plan to kill Nobunaga one day,so he ordered to pierce this small boy with his spear and killed him.

After Mitsuhide Akechi assassinated Nobunaga at Honnoji Temple, Oichi, taking her three daughters, married Katsuie Shibata of Echizen Kitanojo,but again, the conflict with Hideyoshi Toyotomi prevented her from living her days in peace.
With the army of Shibata vanquished and Odani Castle burning, Oichi sent her daughters out of the castle, then took her own life together with her husband. Thus ended Oichi's ill-fated life.Katsuie told her to run away with daughters like last time,but she prefer dying with husband without regret.

The way she dies just reminds me of book 'Hagakure'.
It is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo dated around mid.Edo.
This book shows everything Bushi needs to know,just like a guidbook for business men in these days.In the book,there is the most famous phase 'Bushidotoha Shinukotoo Mituketari' which means get ready(not afraid) to die beautifully,,,,(kinds of,,,,),so this was read at lot specially during World war by young men.
Of course,it is for bushi,for men,but being loyal to load and not afraid to die,not to be coward begging to be saved,oichi's end was really beautiful also, I truely admire her 3 gilrs who are willing to die together.

The life of Oichi is a sad tale lived against the backdrop of the power struggle to unite and rule Japan,but during this period,there were good(?) reasons,bus these day,so many crazy people kill strengers for no reasons and parents of criminal blame themselves not to raise their children right.
I am not qualified to talk about this issue since I don't have any children,but
l can tell that children behaive just as parents do and what you see in children are who you are.
Luckly,I have many beautiful friends who are proud of children being perfectly disciplined and I always tell them you should be proud of themselves.I know it is so easy to say and it is so different when it comes to real,but one day,I hope I can have children who make me proud because having family is the one of the best thing happen to our life.

Tomorrow,we will list interesting antiques,keep listing wonderful katagami(If you have not checked our antique katagamis listed for while,please take a look! and fabulous kimonos,so please browse our both sites!

Thank you for taking your valuable time to read my 97th newsletters and we will get back to you soon!

Have a wonderful day!

Hisami Sato

Japanese antique Ichiroya
http://www.antiqueichiroya.com
e-mail: info@ichiroya.com
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Osaka 584-0025 JAPAN
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