I searched in vain to find another like it online. My thought: "What is the story being depicted here?" So I posted my question to the online Buttonbytes group and, as is most often the case, someone was able to answer the question.
A member named Laurie provided this fascinating bit of history:
"Amazing button! This is the procession of a daimyo (a feudal lord) traveling from his domain to Edo (the seat of government, present-day Tokyo) with his household and retainers.
"In Japan in the Edo period, the daimyo were all required to spend alternate years in Edo so the shogun could keep an eye on them. Since Satsumas were made no earlier than the Meiji period, this would be a reference to earlier times."
How difficult this must have been to live in such an oppresive regime and to root up the whole family to temporarily relocate to a different community every other year, leaving one's home behind -- and, perhaps vulnerable! I know the feeling of being uprooted from the comforts of home and it was a major time of adjustment for me. Of course, career military people and others move frequently. They take it for granted. As for me, I like to be settled. Where is my sense of adventure?
No comments:
Post a Comment