Sandal-bearer

Last updated
King Narmer (right) followed by his sandal-bearer. Detail from the Narmer Palette, Cairo Egyptian Museum. Agyptisches Museum Kairo 2019-11-09 Narmer-Palette 05.jpg
King Narmer (right) followed by his sandal-bearer. Detail from the Narmer Palette, Cairo Egyptian Museum.

A sandal-bearer is a person who bears the sandals of his superior. The role existed in various cultures and epochs, being first documented in Egypt's Early Dynastic Period (c. 31st century BC).

Contents

In Antiquity

In Ancient Egypt the role of sandal-bearer was documented for the first time in history. A sandal-bearer is depicted on the Narmer Macehead, as well as on both sides of the Narmer Palette, in which he is identified by a rosette and a club as the servant of the king. [1] Based on interpretations of these depictions, the sandal-bearer was possibly a high-ranking official, accompanying the pharaoh on important occasions. [2] [3] In addition to carrying the sandals, the sandal-bearer would also perform the ancient practice of washing the king's feet. [4]

In Medieval times

Sandal-bearers also existed in Feudal Japan, being a position of relatively high status. Probably the most famous person to take on this role in Japan was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, during the Sengoku period. Being of humble origins, around 1557 he joined the Oda clan, then headed by Oda Nobunaga, as a lowly servant. [5] He became one of Nobunaga's sandal-bearers and was present at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560 when Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto to become one of the most powerful warlords in the Sengoku period. After the death of Nobunaga, he secured a succession of high imperial court titles including, in 1585, the prestigious position of kanpaku (regent). [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oda Nobunaga</span> 16th-century Japanese samurai and warlord

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese daimyō and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharaoh</span> Title of Ancient Egyptian rulers

Pharaoh is the vernacular term often used for the monarchs of ancient Egypt, who ruled from the First Dynasty until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Empire in 30 BC. However, regardless of gender, "king" was the term used most frequently by the ancient Egyptians for their monarchs through the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty during the New Kingdom. The earliest confirmed instances of "pharaoh" used contemporaneously for a ruler were a letter to Akhenaten or an inscription possibly referring to Thutmose III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyotomi Hideyoshi</span> 16th century Japanese samurai and daimyo

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, otherwise known as Kinoshita Tōkichirō and Hashiba Hideyoshi, was a Japanese samurai and daimyō of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sengoku period</span> Period of Japanese history from 1467 to 1615

The Sengoku period is the period in Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. Though the Ōnin War (1467) is generally chosen as the Sengoku period's start date, there are many competing historiographies for its end date, ranging from 1568, the date of Oda Nobunaga's march on Kyoto, to the suppression of the Shimabara Rebellion in 1638, deep into what is traditionally considered the Edo period. Regardless of the dates chosen, the Sengoku period overlaps substantially with the Muromachi period (1336–1573).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azuchi–Momoyama period</span> Period of Japanese history from 1568 to 1600

The Azuchi–Momoyama period was the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maeda Toshiie</span> General of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period

Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左衛門) being his common name. He was a member of the so-called Echizen Sanninshu along with Sassa Narimasa and Fuwa Mitsuharu. The highest rank from the court that he received is the Great Counselor Dainagon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azai Nagamasa</span> Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period (1545–1573)

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering her three daughters – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu, and Oeyo – who became prominent figures in their own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Shizugatake</span>

The Battle of Shizugatake was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Shibata Katsuie in Shizugatake, Ōmi Province in May 1583. Katsuie supported Oda Nobutaka's claim as successor of Oda Nobunaga in a succession dispute within the Oda clan that benefitted Hideyoshi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narmer Palette</span> Egyptian archaeological artifact

The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archaeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, belonging, at least nominally, to the category of cosmetic palettes. It contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. The tablet is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer. Along with the Scorpion Macehead and the Narmer Maceheads, also found together in the main deposit at Nekhen, the Narmer Palette provides one of the earliest known depictions of an Egyptian king. On one side, the king is depicted with the bulbed White Crown of Upper (southern) Egypt, and the other side depicts the king wearing the level Red Crown of Lower (northern) Egypt, which also makes it the earliest known example of a king wearing both types of headdress. The Palette shows many of the classic conventions of Ancient Egyptian art, which must already have been formalized by the time of the Palette's creation. The Egyptologist Bob Brier has referred to the Narmer Palette as "the first historical document in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honnō-ji Incident</span> 1582 assassination of Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto, Japan

The Honnō-ji Incident was an attempt to assassinate Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga at the Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto on 21 June 1582, resulting in the suicide by seppuku of both Nobunaga and his heir Oda Nobutada. The unprotected Nobunaga was ambushed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide, an act of betrayal that ended Nobunaga's Sengoku period campaign to consolidate centralized power in Japan under his authority. Nobunaga's death was avenged two weeks later when his retainer Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated Mitsuhide in the Battle of Yamazaki, paving the way for Hideyoshi to continue Nobunaga's endeavor to unify power in Japan during the 1580s and 1590s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oichi</span> Historical figure in the late Sengoku period (1547–1583)

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu and Oeyo. Oichi was the younger sister of Oda Nobunaga; and she was the sister-in-law of Nōhime, the daughter of Saitō Dōsan. She was descended from the Taira and Fujiwara clans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yodo-dono</span> Japanese samurai class woman

Yodo-dono (淀殿) or Yodogimi (淀君) was a prominently placed figure in the late-Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Oichi and sister of Ohatsu and Oeyo. She was a concubine and second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was then the most powerful man in Japan. She also became the mother of his son and successor, Hideyori. Her time period being that of large turmoil and overhaul, Yodo-dono had an interest toward both politics and administration. She actively acted in the restoration of the Toyotomi clan after the fall of the Council of Five Elders, as Hideyori's guardian. Alongside her son, Yodo-dono led the last anti-Tokugawa shogunate resistance in the siege of Osaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kōsa</span> Japanese warrior monk

Kōsa, also known as Hongan-ji Kennyo, was the 11th head of the Hongan-ji in Kyoto, and Chief Abbot of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, cathedral fortress of the Ikkō-ikki, during its siege at the end of the Sengoku period. He engineered many alliances, and organized the defenses of the cathedral to the point that most at the time considered Ishiyama Hongan-ji to be unbreachable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scorpion II</span> Protodynastic Egyptian king

Scorpion II, also known as King Scorpion, was a ruler during the Protodynastic Period of Upper Egypt.

Imai Sōkyū was a 16th century merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, and a master of the tea ceremony. His yagō was Naya.

<i>Gō</i> (TV series) 2011 taiga drama about the daughters of daimyō Azai Nagamasa

Gō: Himetachi no Sengoku is a 2011 Japanese historical drama television series and the 50th NHK taiga drama. It was written for television by Kumiko Tabuchi, based on her own novel of the same name. The drama stars Juri Ueno in the title role, with Rie Miyazawa and Asami Mizukawa as Cha-cha and Hatsu respectively, the sisters of Gō.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narmer Macehead</span>

The Narmer macehead is an ancient Egyptian decorative stone mace head. It was found in the “main deposit” in the temple area of the ancient Egyptian city of Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) by James Quibell in 1898. It is dated to the Early Dynastic Period reign of king Narmer whose serekh is engraved on it. The macehead is now kept at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Many significant Japanese historical people of the Sengoku period appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games. This article presents information on references to several historical people in such works.

<i>Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings</i> Japanese anime television series

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings is a Japanese anime television series based on the Capcom video game series of the same name made by Production I.G, planned and written by Yasuyuki Muto, and chiefly directed by Itsuro Kawasaki. The series started broadcast on Japan's Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC) station in April 2009; other networks broadcast the episodes within a few days, including TBS, MBS, and Animax. Its first season made its North American television debut on the Funimation Channel on November 16, 2010.

Ikeda Sen (池田せん) or Annyo-in (若御前) was a late-Sengoku period onna-musha. She was the daughter of Ikeda Tsuneoki and the older sister of Ikeda Terumasa. Mori Nagayoshi was her first husband. She was a woman trained in martial arts and was commander of a unit that consisted of 200 female musketeers

References

  1. Ancient Egypt Online: Narmer Palette
  2. The Narmer Palette
  3. Analysis of royal sandals in ancient Egypt, Part 1
  4. Douglas J. Brewer; The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt: Beyond Pharaohs, p. 86
  5. Samurai Archives: Toyotomi Hideyoshi Archived 2010-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Berry, Mary Elizabeth. (1982). Hideyoshi. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 168–181