Samuri

It is fairly common for people to have heard of samurai. It goes along with a lot of ideas associated with Japan and their culture. People think of majestic warriors from long ago. However, a lot of people, like myself, are not familiar with the word bushido. There is a huge association between samurai and bushido. Bushido was the way by which samurai were guided in life. Samurai were a huge part of the Japanese civilization for several hundred years. In this paper, I will cover the history of the samurai and the principles by which they lived their lives.

Although a warrior class had existed for hundreds of years in Japanese society, the samurai did not emerge until the twelfth century C.E. (Hall, 8). The word samurai was derived from the word saburai, meaning “to serve. “ The first mention of the term was seen sometime in the eighth century, but in reference to servants (Turnbull, 16). Although royalty lived lavishly, there were warlords and rebels always challenging their authority and causing a concern for their safety. Unable to rely on their royal guards, they put their sons and servants under the leadership of warrior-chiefs well known for their fighting ability

The samurai were incredibly important in a society generally run by shogun. Within their class, there were several sub-classes. At the top of the class were wealthy chieftains; while at the bottom of the class were poor samurai, barely able to make a living. One thing that is constant is the portrayal of samurai. They are almost always seen in battle or wearing battle attire, ready to use their mastery of the martial arts and various weapons. In Life Among the Samurai by Eleanor Hall she states an interesting fact, “[…] Even more surprising is the fact that many samurai warriors became scholars, poets, artists, and philosophers who took pleasure in such delicate pastimes as calligraphy, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony (11).” Nevertheless, the samurai were warriors above all else.

Towards the end of the twelfth century, the rival clans, Taira and Minamoto, assisted the emperor in quelling his enemies. However, after the episode the clans turned against each other and began fighting. Eventually the Minamoto clan won and the leader of the clan proclaimed himself shogun, or military leader. The position of shogun was normally temporary, but the leader of the Minamoto made it a permanent position, taking political power from the emperor. It was not until 1876 that the power was returned to the emperor with the arrival of the U.S. Navy and thus the retirement of the last shogun (Hall, 9-11).

The success of a samurai was based on the strength of his body, mind, and soul. To help young samurai learn training, they were often made to fast, walk barefoot in snow, and maintain difficult postures for long periods of time. To help themselves through these tasks the samurai looked for spiritual aid (Hall, 25).

Boys born onto the samurai class were schooled in many areas, but expected to become a samurai above all other things. They were often taught samurai skills by their father or male relative. Children were also apprenticed to sword or archery masters as well. Even the women were expected to defend themselves and received lessons in the use of some weapons (Hall, 24).

Another thing that was always upheld was personal honor. It was slightly unusual for the ronin to take vengeance into their own hands (usually the family dealt with the matter). However, samurai were quick

Some topics in this essay:
Followers Zen, Eleanor Hall, CE Hall, Eventually Minamoto, Bushido Didn’t, Zen Buddhism, Daoism Confucianism, Taira Minamoto, japanese society, samurai warriors, one’s lord, personal honor, zen buddhism, bushido written, life samurai, one’s self, samurai expected, samurai bushido,