Samurai Story

A lot of Japanese folks like to brag that they're descended from Samurai stock. The Samurai were the warrior class in feudal, pre-modern Japan. They started out as fighting men. But, they evolved into a ruling or noble class, if you will. They were the only group of people who were allowed to carry swords and other weapons. Many were effete administrators and oppressive landowners. They did no real work other than to wage war or serve as bodyguards and lived off the forced tributes of the peasants. Some Samurai were aristocrats, much like the lords and ladies of feudal Europe. Other Samurai were mere foot soldiers, known as Ashigari. Although I originally thought my ancestors were Ashigari, further investigation revealed that they were Samurai of some higher rank and importance.

Prior to 1600, there was constant warfare between the lords and overlords of feudal Japan. Fields and forests were strewn with dead soldiers from hundreds of battles. There was a decisive battle in 1600 at Sekigahara between two powerful overlords, Ishida of Western Japan and Tokugawa of Eastern Japan. If you've read the James Clavell's novel, Shogun, or seen the TV mini-series of the same title, these two were fictionally known as "Ishido" and "Toranaga". Tokugawa was victorious. He established a powerful military dynasty that lasted from 1600 to 1868 when the isolationist regime was finally forced to open up the country to Western powers. Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy set the change in motion in 1853 by threatening to bombard the Japanese unless he was allowed to deliver a letter from President Fillmore to the Shogun.

Where did we fit in all this? My ancestors were involved in the Sekigahara battle. We happened to be on the losing side. In those days, the options weren't very good for soldiers on the losing side. If they were captured alive, they would probably be tortured and killed. They could opt to commit "harakiri" or you may know it as "hary-cary". Or they could "head for the hills". Guess which one my ancestors picked. They weren't stupid. For the next 300 years, my ancestors blended into the countryside and lived as peasants. Well, so much for my proud Samurai roots.

Our family name was probably not Kaku originally. The first syllable "Ka", is derived from the ancient province of Kaga, which today is more or less Ishikawa prefecture in central Japan. The second syllable "ku" is a shortened form of the verb "kuru", which means to come. To escape detection and capture, my ancestors disguised their identity with this obscure name, Kaku, that only hinted of their home province of Kaga. This fact substantiates my belief that my ancestors were Samurai of a higher rank than Ashigari. Upon capture, Ashigari would probably have not been required to forfeit their lives.

Is this story true? Or is it a family myth? I'll never really know. A Japanese friend of mine thought that the story is plausible, because of the unusualness of the name.