A Little History on Samurai- Okay
From the latter part of the Heian era (794-1185), the warriors of Japan were called bushi (buu-she), a term that had been introduced from China. In earlier times, court officials who waited upon the emperor were known as saburo-bitto, from the word saburo, which means "to serve" or "wait upon." Bushi assigned to guard the emperor came to be known as saburai. By the thirteenth century, hereditary warriors, as well as officials serving princes, court ministers, and other persons of high rank, were called saburai. Saburai originally referred only to higher class warriors and court officials. Eventually it was changed to samurai just to make it easier to pronounce.
The essence of the samurai code of bushido was total loyalty to the feudal lord; a willingness to give their lives in the defense of their lord, his honor, and their own; a strict regimen of martial training; and a sternly refined etiquette that governed their actions and behavior in all things. Part of the code of the samurai was to commit suicide rather than be captured in war or dishonored by failure those who did fail became known as ronin (masterless samurai) and were shunned by socailty for their failure and dishonor. They became beggars, drunks, and assassins - shunned and feared. Many committed ritual suicide. Many others threatened to do so at the houses of wealthy lords, embarrassing the lords into giving them money or food. The code of the samurai applied to the women, as well as the men, in this elite class.
Early weapons included bows, arrows and swords. Armor included a helmet that protected head and neck, a breasplate that protected the chest, arm and shoulder protectors, and a belly wrap. Later armor included protection for the legs and thighs. Armor changed as the type of battles changed. A big change occured in the 5th century when horses were introduced to Japan. Another change occured in the 15th century because of the constancy of war and the introduction of guns into battle. The code developed from the Chinese concept of the virtues of warriors doing battle with the Samurai. The samurai called their code of chivalry Kyuba no michi ("The Way of Horse and Bow") and Bushido ("The Way of the Warrior").
The Samurai became expert in fighting from horseback and on the ground. They practiced armed and un-armed combat. The early Samurai emphasized fighting with the bow and arrow. They used swords for close-in fighting and beheading their enemies. Battles with the Mongols in the late 13th century led to a change in the Samurai's fighting style. They began to use their sword more and also made more use of spears and naginata. The Samurai slowly changed from fighting on horseback to fighting on foot. In the late 16th century, it became common for the Samurai to wear two swords (daisho). One was long; the other short. The long sword (daito - katana) was more than 24 inches. The short sword (shoto - wakizashi) was between 12 and 24 inches. The Samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the "soul" of their warriorship. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China. The Samurai's desire for tougher, sharper swords for battle gave rise to the curved blade we still have today.
One special category of samurai were the hatamoto (hah-tah-moe-toe), the higher ranking warriors who were the shogun's personal guard. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1867), the hatamoto were direct vassals of the shogun, and their annual revenue was fixed at a minimum of 10,000 bushels of rice. Even today, in some rural areas of Japan, the descendants of samurai feudal lords are treated with special respect reminiscent of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Wednesday, November 5 at 5:53 AM
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