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Jun 10, 2022 · In this article, we'll examine the strict warrior code of the samurai, the honor system that shaped their lives, the weapons and armor they used, and the history of the samurai, from their murky origins in the fifth century to the abolition of the samurai class in 1868.
- In Japanese culture, the samurai are an important symbol of respect, discipline and honor.
- Within Japan, Oda Nobunaga is considered the most famous samurai. He was the head of the very powerful Oda clan and was one of the leading figures...
- No, they no longer exist. While their influence certainly lives on in popular and Japanese culture, they have not existed since 1876, when Emperor...
- Elite Samurai were known as Shimin and were the only caste granted the privilege of wearing two swords. They were also allowed to have a first and...
- Samurai is derived from the word saburau, which means “to serve.” It also means to look up to someone.
Samurai ( 侍 、さむらい) were the hereditary military nobility [1] [2] [3] [4] and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in the late 1870s during the Meiji era. They were the well-paid retainers of the daimyo, the great feudal landholders.
Apr 15, 2024 · What does samurai mean? The term samurai was originally used to denote Japan ’s aristocratic warriors ( bushi ), but it came to apply to all the members of the country’s warrior class who rose to power in the 12th century and dominated the Japanese government until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The term samurai was originally used to denote Japan’s aristocratic warriors (bushi), but it came to apply to all the members of the country’s warr...
- Emerging from provincial warrior bands, the samurai of the Kamakura period (1192–1333), with their military skills and deep pride in their stoicism...
- The ideal samurai was supposed to follow an unwritten code of conduct, later formalized as Bushidō, which held bravery, honour, and personal loyalt...
- Development & Status
- Samurai Weapons
- Samurai Armour
- Bushido
- Seppuku
- Samurai as Heroes: Yoshitsune
- The 47 Ronin
- Decline & Subsequent Mythologising
The government system of conscription in Japan was ended in 792, and so in the following Heian Period (794-1185), private armies were formed in order to protect the landed interests (shoen) of nobles who spent most of their time away at the imperial court. This was the beginning of the samurai, a name meaning 'attendant' while the verb samuraumeans...
Trained from aged 10 or even earlier in martial skills, samurai rode and fought on horseback in the early medieval period, primarily using a bow but also a curved long sword when necessary. They had a second, shorter sword, and a decree by the ruler Hideyoshi in 1588 stated that only full samurai could wear two swords, and this became an important ...
Cuirasses made of metal plates stitched together and protected by lacquer date back to the Kofun period (c. 250-538). A more flexible armour was then made using narrow strips of bronze or iron which were held together with cord or leather ties. Leather plating was another common material for armour throughout the medieval period as it was both ligh...
Thebushido or shido, meaning the 'way of the warrior,' is the famous warrior code of conduct the samurai followed, but it was only compiled in the late 17th century by the scholar Yamago Soko (1622-1685), by which time the samurai were no longer active militarily but functioned more as moral guides and advisors. It is, therefore, difficult to ascer...
Those in the top echelons of the samurai were expected to fight to the death, even if this meant killing oneself to avoid capture. The honourable method was seppuku (aka hara-kiri) or self-disembowelment as the stomach was considered to contain the spirit, not the heart. The warrior first donned a white robe, symbol of purity, and then cut his abdo...
Many heroes in Japanese mythology are samurai warriors and none is more famous than the legendary Yoshitsune (1159-1189). Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune, born Ushiwakamaru, was the younger brother of the shogun and a successful general in the Gempei War (1180-1185). His legendary status springs from his standing as the epitome of the loyal, honourable, and...
Perhaps the most famous real-life samurai, episode of mass-seppuku, and example par excellence of maintaining honour through death is the story of the 47 Ronin (Shijushichishi) which occurred in January 1703 (although commemorated today every December 14). The lord of Ako, Asano Naganori (1665-1701) was at the castle of the shogun in Edo one day wh...
The importance of samurai and local armies was greatly reduced following the stabilising policies of the Tokugawa Shogunate which brought relative peace across Japan. This continued the process begun half a century earlier when the rural populace was disarmed. In addition, many samurai, faced with becoming either peaceful farmers or retainers to lo...
- Mark Cartwright
- Early Samurai. Samurai and Bushido. During the Heian Period (794-1185), the samurai were the armed supporters of wealthy landowners–many of whom left the imperial court to seek their own fortunes after being shut out of power by the powerful Fujiwara clan.
- Rise of the Samurai & Kamakura Period. The triumphant leader Minamoto Yoritomo–half-brother of Yoshitsune, whom he drove into exile–established the center of government at Kamakura.
- Japan in Chaos: the Ashikaga Shogunate. The strain of defeating two Mongol invasions at the end of the 13th century weakened the Kamakura Shogunate, which fell to a rebellion led by Ashikaga Takauji.
- Samurai under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Sengoku-Jidai, or Period of the Country at War finally ended in 1615 with the unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The samurai were the military class of Japan who developed from local provincial warriors into the ruling elite that maintained power in the name of the emperor from 1185-1868
Samurai (lit. “one who serves”) is the term used to refer to members of Japan’s warrior class. The origins of the samurai can be traced to the eighth and ninth centuries, when large landholdings moved into the hands of the imperial family and related members of the aristocracy (nobles).
