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Introduction:
The Samurai (bushi) were the highest military class of
the Japanese warriors.
The Samurai used a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and
guns; but their most famous weapon and their symbol was the sword. Samurai
were supposed to live their lives “the way of the warrior” (bushido). Strongly
Confucian in nature, Bushido stressed concepts such as:
• Loyalty to one's master.
• Self discipline.
• Respectful, ethical behavior.
After a defeat, some samurai chose to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) by
cutting their abdomen rather than being captured or dying a dishonorable death.
Below is a 1000 years of history of the Samurai:
Heian Period (794-1185)
During the Heian period, the Samurai’s influence grew
when land owners hired these trained warriors to protect their properties. At
the end of the period two clans in particular grew so powerful that they took
control over the country and fought wars of supremacy against each other. The
two clans were Minamoto & Taira.
Kamakura Period (1192-1333)
Minamoto were eventually victorious over the Taira in
1185. By 1192 Minamoto Yorimoto set up a new military govenment in Kamakura.
Yorimoto was the highest ranking military officer with the title of 'shogun',
so he became the ruler of Japan.
Muromachi Period (1333 - 1573)
Halfway through this period, (sengoku jidai, 1467-1573)
the whole japanese state was at war with dozens of other rival clans, The
Samurai were much sought after warriors for nationwide independant wars. When
the Samurai were not fighting in battle, they worked on the farms. Many
Japanese Samurai war films took place in this era.
Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573 - 1603)
Eventually, Toyotomi Hideyoshi reunited Japan &
introduced a rigid social caste system which was later completed by Tokugawa
Ieyasu and his successors. Toyotomi Hideyoshi forced all samurai to decide
between a life on the farm, or a warrior life in castle towns. He also made it
forbidden for anyone other than the samurai to arm themselves with a sword.
Edo Period (1603 - 1868)
In the Edo Period's hierarchy of social castes, the
samurai were top, followed by the farmers, then artisans, and at the bottom,
merchants. Within each social caste, there were further hierachies. All
samurai were forced to live in castle towns and received income from their
lords in form of rice.
Masterless samurai were called 'ronin' and caused minor troubles during
the early Edo Period. With the fall of Osaka Castle in 1615, the Tokugawa's
last potential rival was eliminated, and relative peace prevailed in Japan for
about 250 years. As a result, the importance of martial skills declined, and
most samurai became bureaucrats, teachers or artists. In 1868, Japan's feudal
era came to an end, and the samurai class was abolished.
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