Samurai were expected to serve their lords with unwavering devotion, even at the cost of their lives. Honour: A samurai's honour was non-negotiable. They were bound by a strict code of ethics that demanded integrity, honesty, and moral uprightness.
The collection of ideals that we know as Bushido represents the Samurai code of honor. The tenets of the Bushido code are rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor, loyalty, wisdom, and care for the elderly.
Another equally important aspect of every samurai's personality was honour. Although they were able to kill their enemy mercilessly thanks to training, they never attacked first, nor did they kill people from behind or show any disrespectfully behaviour towards the enemy.
Being killed by the enemy was dishonorable, but seppuku, a key aspect of the samurai code of honor known as bushido, allowed warriors an honorable end.
The practice of decapitating and collecting enemy heads is an example of honor in samurai culture. The severed heads were shown to a general as evidence that they killed wanted opponents and to collect rewards. More heads meant higher prestige, honor and rewards.
The term ronin refers to masterless samurai in Japan that existed from the 12th century until the Meiji period in 1868. The samurai were a part of the Japanese warrior class and typically served feudal lords known as daimyo.
The Meiji Restoration formally abolished the status, and most former samurai became Shizoku. This allowed them to move into professional and entrepreneurial roles. Their memory and weaponry remain prominent in contemporary Japanese popular culture.
Bushidō expanded and formalized the earlier code of the samurai, and stressed frugality, loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and honor to the death. Under the bushidō ideal, if a samurai failed to uphold his honor he could only regain it by performing seppuku (ritual suicide).
Although the depiction of samurai warriors is traditionally male-oriented, the Onna-bugeisha, female samurai existed and were just as strong and fearsome.
To the samurai, death was not the end but a continuation of existence. Not only did they believe in an afterlife, but moreover they believed in their next incarnation they would still be a servant of their lord.
Bushido is the way of warrior, the codex of Samurai during feudal Japan which promoted the importance of loyalty, honor and martial arts. The Bushido philosophy refers to not fearing death and dying for valor. It is sometimes criticized for disrespecting human life.
In the early part of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867), the samurai, who accounted for less than 10 percent of the population, were made a closed caste as part of a larger effort to freeze the social order and stabilize society.
Saigo Takamori's legacy as "The Last Samurai of Japan" is profound and multifaceted. His life, actions, and leadership continue to have a significant impact on Japanese culture, history, and collective memory. Saigo Takamori remains a symbol of samurai loyalty, honor, and commitment to tradition.
The samurai warriors do not exist today. It is illegal to carry swords and arms in Japan. However, the cultural legacy of the samurai exists today. The descendants of the samurai families also exist today.
Most samurai married women from a samurai family, but lower-ranked samurai were permitted to marry commoners. In these marriages a dowry was brought by the woman and was used to start the couple's new life together. A samurai could have a mistress, but her background was strictly reviewed by higher-ranked samurai.
Yasuke was the only African and first non-Japanese samurai. His story began around 1579 in Edo Japan. Not much is known about his life before arriving in Japan. Some say he was from the country of Mozambique and came to Japan on a ship with an Italian missionary named Alessandro Valignano on an inspection tour.
A drum sounded in the night, "boom, boom-boom." The ronin launched their attack. The tale of the 47 ronin is one of the most famous in Japanese history, and it is a true story. During the Tokugawa era in Japan, the country was ruled by the shogun, or the highest military official, in the name of the emperor.
Ronin is a samurai who became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's favour or privilege. Loosely translated, ronin is a vagabond or wanderer. If a samurai becomes masterless, he should, according to the Japanese code of conduct (called bushido), commit seppuku (suicide).
Samurai could attempt to regain honor over time, yet some transgressions of the code could be so severe that those who broke bushido committed a form of ritual suicide known as seppuku in order regain their honor even in death.
Harvest from the sea was bountiful including seaweed, fish, clams, shrimp, octopus, and whale meat. Red meat was not part of the pre-modern Japanese diet, and did not become popular until the Meiji Era. Rice was a staple and considered a measure of wealth (samurai's stipends were paid in rice).
Samurai were taught that living a life of honor was more important than life itself, which helped them confront death with courage. Acceptance of Death: The code encouraged samurai to view death as an inevitable part of life, fostering a mindset that accepted rather than feared mortality.
