The Samurai Culture: A Short Overview
While many view the samurai of Japan as a sort of analogue
to Europe's knights, there are a number of surprising differences that
distinguish samurai culture. While samurai were a class of knights, they were
also military nobles. The origins of samurai are in the bushi noble class,
which later came to mean essentially the same thing. The code of honor that
samurai follow is known as bushido, in keeping with their warrior-noble status.
Samurai comprised roughly one tenth of Japan's total population, and existed in
some capacity up until as recently as the early 1900s.
Samurai Equipment
Perhaps the most famous aspect of samurai are their swords
and armor. Samurai were masters of the sword as well as other martial arts, and
while the katana is the most famous samurai weapon, they also used other swords of the East, polearms, bows,
staff weapons, and later even learned to use matchlock rifles, or tanegashima.
Some samurai became specialists with particular weapons, such as yari (the
spear) or yumi (longbow). There are also a number of rarer weapons that were
used by samurai, such as the kusarigama, which is a sickle attached to a handle
by a long chain. Most samurai wore lamellar armor into battle, which was made
by weaving together small rectangular scales of iron, bronze, or leather.
There are a number of a famous samurai – some were masters
of martial art like Miyamoto Musashi, who famously defeated an opponent in a
duel to the death using only an oar (his opponent being armed with a sword).
Some were political and even national figures, like Oda Nobunaga, a samurai
warlord who spurred the reunification of Japan and ended the Sengoku (warring
states) period. Others were infamous commanders, such as Takeda Shingen, who
conquered wide areas of land during his reign.
Samurai Code
The samurai code of honor, bushido, had very strict rules
for how samurai were to conduct themselves, both in terms of personal lifestyle
as well as in public service. The concept of bushido can be related to the
Western ideal of chivalry, with virtues of samurai being loyalty to one's
master, honor in life and in death, command of martial arts and weaponry, and a
frugal life. This code of honor carried over to female samurai, though in a
different context – the duty of maintaining and running the household typically
fell to samurai women, as did caring for children and even defending the home
from intruders. Women were often trained in the use of naginata (a slender
spear with a curved edge) and knife-fighting.
Similar to the traits sought-after in male samurai, women
were expected to behave with strength, self-restraint, duty, and humility. It
was important for samurai women to know how to manage a home and its finances,
educate children, keep records, and order servants. While women were largely
responsible for keeping a household running smoothly, they were not its
authoritative head, and were not involved in political matters or diplomacy.