ABOUT US
Our ultimate goal is to study the Japan of the Azuchi-Momoyama period to educate ourselves and the public through documentation/research-based displays; our ultimate aim to research not only the legends, but discover and show the truth, the years we focus on specifically being 1599-1600 C.E. Our main display is that of a hypothetical Takayama retinue that split from the main branch of the Takayama family due to the changing allegience of this retinue's lord, Fukushima Masanori. While this split is not documented in historical documents, we do this to reflect that not only did this period of civil conflict put the Japanese against each other, but even split entire families.
We are dedicated and passionate history, craft, and combat enthusiasts that focus not only on research, but also applying this research into displays. In this way, we not only offer a researched display for the public, but also an authentic and enjoyable experience for all of our members.
OUR MISSION
Our group has, and always will be, a product of hard work, learning, growth, and passion for history. We would not be where we are without the most gracious help we have received not only from our founder and our own members but various other accredited and experienced individuals. We will never forget the assistance they have given and continue to give us, and will never cease to acknowledge them.
As a full time History, English, Drama, and Language teacher, and the son of two other highly experienced teachers who always advocated immersive teaching techniques for decades, I had the pleasure of seeing the fruits of Living History-based education in all people. It is a kind of learning that starts at books and archives but… and here is the best part…it doesn’t stop there! You use your learning to wear what they wore, eat and drink what they ate and drank, live how they lived, sleep how they slept, see the world the way they saw it, train how they trained, and so much more. Through Living History, you not only know about the past but can begin to understand the past as well. Like the words of British Historian Ian Mortimer state, “The way to learn about history may be through ruins and archives, but the means whereby we understand it is, and always will be, ourselves.” In this way, history stops becoming legend and starts to become truth, allowing us to truly connect with those in the past on a profound level.
We are not a part of or representing any cultural or traditional schools or groups in Japan with the desire to preserve either a skill and/or lineage. While we not only highly respect such goals and always make it our goal to connect with such groups, we are, first and foremost, a group that looks at the era through historical research and interpretation. We discuss, analyse, interpret, and pressure test various sources. We do this because we have a passion for discovering what the era was truly like, and what was going on at that time before some later sources attempted to greatly embellish the truth.
Our mission is to conduct multifaceted and cooperative historical research and interpretation to learn about and re-enact the Azuchi-Momoyama period in Japan. This era is such a different era to many preconceptions held about it in the current day, and its people have an incredible story to tell. And you know what’s great? It is impossible to know everything about it! We are always learning more and more!
Welcome to Sengoku No Bushido!
Yours Sincerely,
Nathanael Chapman
ATCL, BALA, MTeach (Sec)
Sengoku No Bushido President
