Samurai facts for kids

Japanese samurai in armour, in the 1860s

The samurai (or bushi) were Japanese warriors. They were members of the important military class before Japanese society changed in 1868.

The word samurai comes from the Japanese verb saburau, which means to serve someone and look up to them.

History of Samurai

In the 12th century, two military clans, the Minamoto and the Taira, were very powerful. They controlled Japan. They fought wars against each other. In 1192, Minamoto no Yoritomo became the first shogun. He became the ruler of all of Japan. He started a new government in Kamakura. This “Kamakura” government was from 1185-1333. It made the samurai the ruling class of Japanese society.

The samurai did many wars in the Warring States period (1467-1573). At that time, there were many independent areas in Japan. Those areas fought each other all the time, so Japan needed many samurai. Many of the famous samurai movies by Akira Kurosawa were about this time.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi won many wars against other clans. When he made Japan one country, he developed a social caste system. This caste system was completed by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the rulers after him. Between the wars, many samurai had always worked on farms. Hideyoshi said that all samurai must either live on farms or live in castle towns with other warriors. Hideyoshi also made a law that only samurai could have swords.

The samurai became very powerful and important near the end of the Edo period (1603-1867) and in the Shinto period. In the Edo period, they were the most important social caste. All samurai had to live in castle towns. The samurais' lords paid them with rice. Some samurai did not have lords. These samurai were called "Rōnin". The "Rōnin" caused some problems for Japan in the early Edo period.

In 1615, Tokugawa won a very important battle when he took Osaka Castle. The Tokugawa clan did not have any more rivals. Japan became very peaceful for about 250 years. In these 250 years, military skills became less important. Most samurai became bureaucrats, teachers or artists.

In 1868, feudalism ended in Japan. This was the end of the samurai class.

Weapons

Photo from the 1860s showing the wearing of the daisho. A local governor in 1864

Weapons used by the samurai included:

• Japanese swords, see katana
• The yumi (longbow)
• Firearms: from 16th century
• Cannons
• Pole weapons bearing blades, and spears
• Staff weapons (no blades)
• Clubs and truncheons
• Chain weapons

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  1890s photo showing a variety of armor and weapons typically used by samurai

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  Various Japanese (samurai) Tanegashima matchlock firearms.

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  The ōzutsu (大筒), a swivel breech-loading cannon, 16th century

Beliefs in people

A samurai believed that his swords held his soul. That made the sword the most important thing he had.

Samurai were allowed to fight anyone who did not show them proper respect. Every sword had to be tested. To do this, the owner of the sword could execute a criminal. This allowed the warrior to test his sword's sharpness. Samurai led their lives according to the ethical code of bushido ("the way of the warrior"). That meant loyalty to one's master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. When a samurai lost his master, also called daimyo, he became a Ronin.

If a samurai were defeated or he dishonored himself by not following the code of bushido, he had to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Part of the seppuku ritual is cutting the stomach or abdomen. That part of the ritual is called hara-kiri. To a samurai, death was better than having no honour or being captured by the enemy. Another reason to commit Seppuku was the death of the daimyo. With this ritual, a samurai was able to show how loyal he was to his dead master. There were periods when Seppuku was forbidden, but some samurai still committed it.

The bushi's training methods, like meditation, judo and kendo, are still followed today. There is no longer a samurai class in modern Japan, but the successors of these families are well-respected.

Women

Samurai women were trained to defend themselves and their children. They usually did this when their warrior husbands were busy in battles. This is why samurai women were trained to handle polearms (naginata) and short daggers (tanto). During the Edo period, Japanese women were trained to handle naginata by the age of 18. The short kaiken knife was used by young women to defend their virtue or, if they lost it, to take their own life.

During the Edo period, women's education became very important. Girls were taught to write, read, dance, etc. beginning at a young age. While the main criteria for marriage changed, among the most important were physical attractiveness and education. Special books were written for women. They mainly taught how to take care of house and children. By the end of the Edo period, women attended philosophical and literary classes.

The term "samurai" refers to males specifically. There were a few women who were samurai. One of the most famous was Itagaki. She lived during the end of the Heian period. She owned her own army of about 3,000 warriors. In 1199, Itagaki fought against 10,000 Heike soldiers. She was famous for being very good at handling the naginata sword.

Hino Tomiko ruled in place of her husband, Ashikaga Yoshimasa (8th shogun).

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mistress became the master of Osaka Castle after his death.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo's wife, Chiyo, was one of the most loyal wives known in Japanese history. She supported her husband during hard times, saving to buy a horse for him. He never left Chiyo, even though she had only one child.

Related pages

• Katana
• Tachi
• Japanese sword schools
• Wakizashi

Images for kids

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  Samurai in armor in the 1860s; hand-colored photograph by Felice Beato

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  Kofun period helmet, gilt copper, 5th century, Ise Province

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  In the noh drama Sanjō Kokaji, the 10th-century blacksmith Munechika, aided by a kitsune (fox spirit), forges the tachi (samurai sword) Ko-Gitsune Maru.

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  Samurai ō-yoroi armor, Kamakura period. Tokyo National Museum.

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  Men and women engaged in battle (16th century illustration).

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  Samurai Takezaki Suenaga of the Hōjō clan (right) assaults the Mongolian invasion army (left) at the Battle of Torikai-Gata, 1274

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  Himeji Castle, built from 1333 by the samurai Akamatsu Norimura of the Akamatsu clan.

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  A hatomune dou from the 16th century, the historic armor was once used by Kenshin Uesugi, one of the most powerful daimyōs of the Sengoku period.

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  Matchlock

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  Battle of Nagashino (1575)

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  Korean and Chinese soldiers assault the Japanese-built fortress at Ulsan during the Japanese invasions of Korea, 1597

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  Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who would later command the invasion of Korea, leads a small group assaulting the castle on Mount Inaba. Print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.

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  The Battle of Sekigahara, known as "Japan's decisive battle" (天下分け目の戦い, Tenka wakeme no tatakai)

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  Kamei Koremi, a samurai and daimyō in the bakumatsu period

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  A studio photograph of a samurai, taken by Italian–British photographer Felice Beato, c. 1860

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  Painting of Ōishi Yoshio performing seppuku, 1703

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  Edo-period screen depicting the Battle of Sekigahara. It began on 21 October 1600 with a total of 160,000 men facing each other.

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  Kōan Ogata, a samurai, physician and rangaku scholar in late Edo period Japan, noted for establishing an academy which later developed into Osaka University.

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  Toyotomi Hideyoshi with his wives and concubines.

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  Gyokusen-en, Japanese garden made by a Korean samurai Wakita Naokata and his descendants.

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  Mounted samurai with horse armour (uma yoroi or bagai)

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  Samurai lord and a palanquin (norimono)

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  Statue of samurai Kusunoki Masashige stationed outside Tokyo Imperial Palace.

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  The Gosannen War in the 11th century

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  Samurai on horseback, wearing ō-yoroi armor, carrying a bow (yumi) and arrows in an yebira quiver

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  Heiji rebellion in 1159

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  Samurai of the Shōni clan gather to defend against Kublai Khan's Mongolian army during the first Mongol Invasion of Japan, 1274

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  Battle of Yashima folding screens

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  Kasuga no Tsubone fighting robbers - Adachi Ginko (c.1880)

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  Hangaku Gozen by Yoshitoshi, ca. 1885

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  Yuki no Kata defending Tsu Castle. 18th century

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  A samurai class woman.

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  Diagram of the Katana sword.

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  Samurai with various armor and weapons, c. 1802-1814

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  Antique Japanese tachi

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  Antique Japanese katana

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  Antique Japanese wakizashi

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  Reenactors with Tanegashima at Himeji Castle Festival

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  Japanese arrow stand with a pair of Yumi bows.

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  The bow of the Kamakura period

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  The arrow of the Kamakura period

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  Ō-yoroi, Kamakura period, 13th-14th century, Kasuga Grand Shrine, National Treasure

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  Dō-maru with Black and White Lacing. Muromachi period, 15th century, Tokyo National Museum, Important Cultural Property

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  Toyotomi Hidetsugu's gusoku armour, Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th-17th century, Suntory Museum of Art

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  Karuta tatami dō gusoku, Edo period. A lightweight portable folding (tatami) armour made from small square or rectangle armor plates called karuta. The karuta are usually connected to each other by chainmail and sewn to a cloth backing.

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  A re-creation of an armored samurai riding a horse, showing horse armour (uma yoroi or bagai).

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  Shell-shaped cask (Oitaragainari kawari kabuto), iron and papier-mâché for the shell, beginning of the Edo Period.

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  Face guard (Menpō). Edo period. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.