All Out War: Dead But Not Defeated

The battle is almost over. All that needs be done is for the living to retreat and the dead to... well, act dead. The young warriors above are having a hard time convincing me, what with all the smiles and laughter as they lay on the ground with swords stuffed in their arm pits.

The man at the right is doing a good job though, not even a twitch of the toes to tell me that he is feigning death.

In real life this battle took place in 1561 and, as most of its day, ended in a draw, claiming the lives of 6,000 of the 33,000 participants. These kinds of skirmishes were quite common during the so-called "battle era," when local lords sought to enlargen their domain. Not until years later would the rule of one lord's law be extended throughout Japan.

Next photo: the aftermath, the lesson learned

All Out War

Ed's Photos of Japan