Samurai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The samurai, also named bushi, were the members of the military class of Japan. In other words, they were Japanese warriors. The word samurai comes from the Japanese verb saburai, which means to serve (someone). Samurai lived during the Edo period.
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[change] History
The samurai's importance and influence grew during the shinot Period, when powerful landowners hired private warriors for the protection of their properties. Towards the end of the Edo Period, two military clans, the Minamoto and Taira, had grown so powerful that they took control over the country and fought wars against each other as each one tried to be more powerful.
In 1185, the Minamoto defeated the Taira, and Minamoto Yoritomo started a new military government in Kamakura in 1192. As shogun, the highest military officer, he became the ruler of Japan.
During the chaotic Era of Warring States (sengoku jidai, 1467-1573), Japan consisted of dozens of independent states which were constantly fighting each other. This is why the country needed lots of samurai. Between the wars, many samurai were working on farms. Many of the famous samurai movies by Kurosawa take place during this era.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi reunited Japan, he started a very strict social caste system which was later completed by Tokugawa Ieyasu and his successors. Hideyoshi forced all samurai to decide between a life on the farm and a warrior life in castle towns. Furthermore, he made it a law that the samurai were the only people who were allowed to arm themselves with a sword.
According to the Edo Period's official hierarchy of social castes, the samurai were the most important, followed by the farmers, artisans and merchants. Each caste was then divided into different groups according to importance. All samurai were forced to live in castle towns and received income from their lords in form of rice. Samurai without masters were called ronin and caused minor troubles during the early Edo Period.
With the fall of Osaka Castle in 1615, the Tokugawa had lost his last possible rival, and it was much more peaceful in Japan for about 250 years. As a result, martial skills became less important, and most samurai became bureaucrats, teachers or artists.
In 1868, Japan's feudal era came to an end, and the samurai class was abolished.
[change] Weapons
Samurai were able to use many weapons. However, their most famous weapon, a long sword called a Katana, was their symbol.
A samurai carried two swords. In peace-time, he carried a Katana and a short sword, Wakizashi. In war-time, he carried a long sword, Tachi and a short sword, Tantō. He wore less armor than knights from Europe.
[change] Beliefs
A samurai believed that his swords hold his soul, so they became the most important thing he had.
The samurai were allowed to fight anybody 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. In this way the warrior was able to test his sword's sharpness. Samurai lead their lives according to the ethic code of bushido, which translates as the way of the warrior. This has the meaning of loyalty to one's master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. When a samurai lost his master, also called Daimyo, he was called a Ronin.
After a defeat, the samurai chose to commit ritual suicide, which is also called Seppuku. In this ritual they cut their stomach before the enemy was able to capture them, in the case of a war. In Europe, this ritual is often mistaken for hara-kiri. Hara-kiri means "to cut the stomach". In other words, hara-kiri refers only to the action done by Seppuku and not the whole ritual. Seppuku was a more honourable death for a samurai than 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 despite the bans there were samurai who still committed it.
The bushi's training methods like meditation, judo and kendo are still followed today. Although there is no more samurai class in modern Japan, the successors of these families are well respected.
[change] Samurai and women
It has to be noted that the term "Samurai" is a gender-specific term, referring to males specifically. An academic article on this can be found here
Japanese women had a very clear role in Japanese society. Most of them took care of house and crops and raising children. There were a few women who were samurai. One of the most famous Japanese samurai women was Itagaki. She lived during the end of the Heian period (794 – 1192 AD) and owned her own army of about 3000 warriors. In 1199, Itagaki fought against 10.000 Heike soldiers. She was very good at handling the naginata sword, which made her very famous.
Samurai women were also trained to defend themselves and their children. They usually did this while their warrior husbands were busy in battles. The samurai wife was called okusan (in translation "one who remains at home"). This is why samurai women were trained to handle polearms (naginata) and short daggers (Tanto). During the Edo period (1600-1800 AD), 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.
The 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, responsible, etc. Wives of rich samurai were very well dressed and enjoyed a good position in society. They did not do any physical work. No women were allowed to be involve in politics or warfare.
Of course, there were women who were powerful. For example, in Muromachi period, the wife of Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1449 – 1474, 8th shogun), Hino Tomiko ruled in his place. The Toyotomi Hideyoshi's (1536 – 1598) mistress became the real master of Osaka castle after his death. Yamauchi Kazutoyo's (1545 – 1605) wife, Chiyo, was one of the most loyal wives known in Japanese history. Her power was of another kind, 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, and he never left Chiyo although she was only able to have one child (a girl, Yone).
During Tokugawa Era (1603 – 1867) women's education became very important. Girls were taught to write, read, dance, etc. beginning at a young age. 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. But by the end of the Tokugawa period women attended philosophical and literary classes. so most samurais were men, not women.
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