Quotation

Samurai Rising

the Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
Yoshitsune persisted: Did deer ever go down that way? The man admitted that they did. “Why, it sounds like a regular racetrack!” Yoshitsune said. “A horse can certainly go where a deer goes.” === They also made off with the Japanese imperial regalia. As everyone knew, the sun goddess had given these ancient treasures— a mirror, a jewel, and a sword— to her grandson, who was the ancestor of the Japanese imperial line. No Japanese emperor could be enthroned without these sacred objects. === … if history’s great fighters were gathered together, Yoshitsune’s men would find a lot more in common with fiercely independent Comanches than disciplined Roman legionnaires. === Every high-ranking samurai, of course, wanted close retainers who would act as bodyguards. Yet training and equipping your own team of samurai was like owning a professional sports franchise: an expensive proposition. === The Chinese character for samurai originally meant “to serve a master.”