Summoning the samurai spirit at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

SINGAPORE – Below the towering stone walls of Nagoya Castle, two warriors clad in samurai armour are locked in battle. A crowd gathers, watching intently as they trade blows, before one falls to the ground, defeated.

It is a scene that could belong in another age, but this is present-day Japan.

Every weekend and public holiday, the Nagoya Omotenashi Bushotai – a famous Japanese tourism and performance group – transform the castle grounds into a stage.

Formed in 2009, the troupe of six busho (army generals) and four jingasa foot soldiers keeps alive the memory of the samurai who once shaped this region.

Though the battles are staged, the samurai spirit remains deeply woven into the city.

Now, more than 150 years after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate brought an end to the samurai as a social class, Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture are preparing to welcome a very modern gathering of warriors.

From Sept 19 to Oct 4, Aichi-Nagoya and Tokyo will host the 2026 Asian Games, bringing together about 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and territories across 43 sports.

Where once there were spears, katanas and armour, this modern troop now wields javelins, protective vests, helmets and rackets. 

The qualities demanded of this new clan of warriors echo those from centuries ago. 

Derived from the Japanese verb saburau, samurai means “to serve”. 

Similarly, athletes serve something larger than themselves. In their national colours, they dedicate countless hours honing their skills in the battle for glory. 

The land of the samurai has also produced some of the world’s greatest athletes – from baseball star Shohei Ohtani to four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, and a women’s football team who remain the only Asian side to have won a World Cup.

Japanese athletes have also repeatedly drawn on the language and ideals of the samurai.

At the 2022 World Cup, defender Yuto Nagatomo called on his teammates to summon the “samurai spirit” ahead of their round-of-16 clash against Croatia, as Japan sought to reach the quarter-finals of the men’s tournament for the first time.

Nagotomo said: “Before they (the samurai) go into battle they polish their weapons and try to improve their techniques, but if they are scared during battle, they would not be able to use those weapons and techniques fully.

“It’s exactly the same with football – of course the tactics and techniques are important, but no matter how much we have improved those, if we are scared when we are on the field, those things are useless.

“In order to maximise all the tactics that we have been discussing and practising for the last four years, the first condition is to have courage.”

Sport has long provided Japan with a stage on which to demonstrate their blend of preparation, discipline and courage.

The country hosted the post-war 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, symbolising its recovery and return to the international community, before its capital staged the quadrennial event once again in 2021, offering another sign of normality after the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, Japan will host the Asiad for the third time, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.

They will also field their largest Asian Games delegation of 932 athletes in their bid to challenge China’s dominance.

Before China’s rise, Japan were the ones to beat, topping the medal table in each of the eight editions from the inaugural 1951 Asian Games in Delhi to the 1978 Bangkok Games.

Since then, China have topped the Asiad medal table at every edition.

The Chinese have already underlined their ambition with a contingent of 815 athletes led by 36 Olympic champions, including table tennis stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu.

Few places could be more appropriate for Japan to make that attempt and draw on the samurai spirit than Nagoya and the wider Aichi region, which was home to three of the most consequential warriors in Japanese history – Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. 

Their rise during the Sengoku, or Warring States, period helped end more than a century of civil war and reshape Japan.

The warrior was judged not only by how he fought but also by how he conducted himself.

And the way of the warrior, known as Bushido – the moral and ethical code for the samurai – encompasses the virtues of honour, courage, compassion, respect, honesty, loyalty and integrity.

As the sun rises on the Asian Games in this land, athletes from across the region – including Singapore – will bring their own interpretations of Bushido in their pursuit of excellence.

On Sept 12, The Straits Times will begin its coverage of the 2026 Asian Games by profiling seven athletes from Singapore’s 304-strong contingent, each representing one of the virtues of the warrior.

The Republic’s association with the Asiad dates back to the very beginning.

At the first Asian Games in 1951, Singapore, then competing as a British crown colony, fielded just 20 athletes. 

They returned with five golds, seven silvers and two bronzes in swimming, athletics, weightlifting and water polo, finishing fourth among eight nations in the medal table.

The late Neo Chwee Kok, who earned the nickname “Flying Fish” for his feats in the pool, stood out with four golds. 

Since then, Singapore have participated in every edition of the continental competition and now sit 17th in the all-time medal table with 44 golds, 65 silvers and 123 bronzes.

Over the decades, the Republic has established itself in sports such as sailing.

In Aichi-Nagoya, Singapore’s 11-strong sailing contingent, led by defending men’s ILCA 7 champion Ryan Lo will be in the hunt for medals once again.

For this warrior of the sea, honesty is not simply a virtue, but a commitment. 

As a young boy, he knew that sailing was what he wanted to pursue.

He remained committed to that path, even when the journey demanded patience and sacrifice.

His dedication has been rewarded as he heads to Gamagori City after finishing seventh at the ILCA 7 world championships in September, registering the best performance by a Singaporean sailor at the regatta.

Also spearheading Singapore’s medal charge is sprint queen Shanti Pereira, who represents another kind of perseverance. 

Pereira made history at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 when she won Singapore’s first athletics gold in 49 years with her victory in the women’s 200m.

Her path to success has not been straightforward, as she withstood dips in form, periods of self-doubt and the pressure that came with being one of the country’s most bemedalled track athletes.

She stayed the course, and her loyalty to her craft has helped transform the 29-year-old into one of Asia’s leading sprinters.

Like the samurai of yesteryear, today’s athletes know what it means to dedicate themselves to a craft, weather setbacks and summon the courage to perform when it matters most. 

Their worlds may be centuries apart, but in Japan, the way of the warrior lives on.

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