Something similar happened to Yoshitomo's brother Tametomo, who was taken prisoner while in the bath after the Hogen Disturbance of 1156. And to Taira no Moritsugu, also captured while taking a bath after the Genpei Wars of 1185. And Yoshitomo's grandson Minamoto no Yoriie, murdered in the bath in 1204. And Hosokawa Masamoto, murdered in the bath in 1507.
Clearly the lesson here is this: If you're a samurai, *never take a bath*.
LoL! Indeed, Well pointed out! I'd noticed a few episodes like that. In fact during the late Sengoku and early Edo periods, daimyo didn't take baths! They wouldn't submerge themselves in tubs of water, but climb into steam cabinets - never naked, but in a yukata - and wiped down by handmaidens. In the peaceful times of the mid Edo period onwards, some daimyo were known to have favoured hot tubs, and in some cases, part of the sankin kotai train included the lord's private tub! Oh, one more, Miyamoto Musashi is said to have never taken a bath either. Highly unlikely. I believe that Musashi suffered a kind of eczema that left his skin looking dark and flaky, as though he were unwashed, hence the "dirty" image.
Something similar happened to Yoshitomo's brother Tametomo, who was taken prisoner while in the bath after the Hogen Disturbance of 1156. And to Taira no Moritsugu, also captured while taking a bath after the Genpei Wars of 1185. And Yoshitomo's grandson Minamoto no Yoriie, murdered in the bath in 1204. And Hosokawa Masamoto, murdered in the bath in 1507.
Clearly the lesson here is this: If you're a samurai, *never take a bath*.
LoL! Indeed, Well pointed out! I'd noticed a few episodes like that. In fact during the late Sengoku and early Edo periods, daimyo didn't take baths! They wouldn't submerge themselves in tubs of water, but climb into steam cabinets - never naked, but in a yukata - and wiped down by handmaidens. In the peaceful times of the mid Edo period onwards, some daimyo were known to have favoured hot tubs, and in some cases, part of the sankin kotai train included the lord's private tub! Oh, one more, Miyamoto Musashi is said to have never taken a bath either. Highly unlikely. I believe that Musashi suffered a kind of eczema that left his skin looking dark and flaky, as though he were unwashed, hence the "dirty" image.