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Sakakibara Yasumasa (1548-1606) was a daimyo of the late Sengoku and early Edo Period serving under the Tokugawa clan. Yasumasa was considered one of the Tokugawa clan's greatest military commanders, and was labeled as one of its 'Four Guardian Kings' (Tokugawa-shitenno), bearing the court title of 'Shikibu-Sho'.<br/><br/> Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/1538-1598) was a preeminent daimyo of the same era, and regarded as Japan's second 'great unifier'. He brought about the end of the Warring States Period, and ruled during a preiod known as the Momoyama Period, named after Hideyoshi's castle.<br/><br/> Japan went through various cultural advances under Hideyoshi's rule, such as the edict that only the samurai class could bear arms, as well as the construction and restoration of various temples in Kyoto. He also infamously ordered the execution of twenty-six Christians by crucifixion.
Vaisravana, sometimes spelt as Vaishravana or Visravana, is a Buddhist god and 'chief' of the Four Heavenly Kings, four deities who each protect one of the world's cardinal directions. Vaisravana is guardian of the north, and is derived from the Hindu deity Kubera. He makes his home on the lower half of the sacred Mount Meru, where he lords over all of <i>yaksha</i> (guardian spirits) who dwell there.<br/><br/> Vaisravana is the ruler of rain, and thus is symbolically armed with an umbrella or a pagoda, while wearing heavy armour. The colours most associated with him are yellow or green, which is why he is often portrayed with a yellow face. Vaisravana is sometimes also portrayed with a mongoose ejecting jewels from its mouth, representing its generosity and antithesis to the snake, a common symbol of greed and hatred.<br/><br/> In Theravada Buddhism, he is known as Vessavana, one of the Four Guardian Kings, while he is known as Bishamonten or just Bishamon - sometimes called Tamonten - in Japan, where he is portrayed as an armour-clad god of war and righteousness, as well as being one of the Seven Lucky Gods.
Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class.<br/><br/> The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō. While they numbered less than ten percent of Japan's population, samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.