Samurai facts
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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 saburai, which means to serve (someone).

History

The samurai first became important in the Warring States period (467-1573). 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.

In the 12th century, two military clans, the Minamoto and the Taira, were very powerful. They controlled much of 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.

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 "ronin". The "ronin" 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

Weapons used by the samurai included:

Japanese swords
The Yumi (Longbow)
Pole weapons
Tanegashima (Japanese matchlock)
Cannons
Staff weapons
Clubs and truncheons
Chain weapons

1890s photo showing a variety of armor and weapons typically used by samurai
Various Japanese (samurai) Tanegashima matchlock firearms.
The ōzutsu (大筒), a swivel breech-loading cannon, 16th century

Beliefs

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.

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.

Samurai and women

Japanese women, especially the samurai wives, were very respected. They had qualities that made them an important part of Japanese society. They were obedient, self-controlled, loyal, and responsible. Wives of rich samurai were very well dressed and enjoyed a good position in society. They did not do any physical work. However, no women were allowed to be involved in politics or warfare.

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. Yamauchi Kazutoyo never took a mistress, though it was a known tradition for samurai. He never left Chiyo, even though she had only one child.

Related pages

Images

Samurai around the 1860s
Saigō Takamori (seated, in Western uniform), surrounded by his officers, in samurai attire, during the 1877 Satsuma rebellion. News article in Le Monde Illustré, 1877.
Iron helmet and armor with gilt bronze decoration, Kofun era, 5th century. Tokyo National Museum.
Samurai on horseback, wearing ō-yoroi armour, carrying bow (yumi) and arrows in a yebira quiver
Samurai ō-yoroi armour, Kamakura period. Tokyo National Museum.
The Samurai Suenaga facing Mongols, during the Mongol invasions of Japan. Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba (蒙古襲来絵詞), circa 1293
Samurai and defensive wall at Hakata. Moko Shurai Ekotoba, (蒙古襲来絵詞) c.1293
Nanban (Western)-style samurai cuirass, 16th century
The Samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga in Rome in 1615, Coll. Borghese, Rome.
Miyamoto Musashi, Self-portrait, Ronin, writer and artist, c. 1640
Shogunal samurai troops in 1864 (Illustrated London News)
Samurai with sword, ca. 1860
Matsudaira Katamori (1836–93), photographed on the day of a cavalcade before Emperor Kōmei
Samurai of the Satsuma clan, during the Boshin War period, circa 1867. Hand-colored Photograph by Felice Beato
Saigō Takamori (upper right, in Western uniform) directing his troops, some of them in traditional samurai armor, at the Battle of Shiroyama.
Painting of Ōishi Yoshio committing seppuku, 1703.
Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561
Edo-period screen depicting the Battle of Sekigahara. It began on 21 October 1600 with a total of 160,000 men facing each other.
A 10-volume set of books with wood block prints by Osaka artist Matsukawa Hanzan (1820–1882?) dated 1863
Samurai warriors with various types of armor and weapons, 1880s
One of the first Western samurai William Adams (1564–1620)
The French Navy officer Eugène Collache fought for the Shogun as a samurai during the Boshin War (1869).
Photo from the 1860s showing the wearing of the daisho. Ikeda Nagaoki in 1864
Edo period (1600s) samurai armor, Tosei-gusoku.
Actor Kōtarō Satomi on the set of Mito Kōmon
Actors playing samurai and ronin at Kyoto's Eigamura film studio
Yamaoka Tesshū was a famous samurai of the Bakumatsu period.

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