The samurai were the warriors of premodern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class which eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo period (1603-1867). Samurai used a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol was the sword.
History
The samurai origins go back to the Heian period campaigns to subdue the native Emishi people in Tohoku. Around the same time, warriors were increasingly hired by wealthy landowners that had grown independent of the central government and built armies for their own protection.
The two most powerful of these landowning clans, the Minamoto and Taira, eventually challenged the central government and battled each other for supremacy over the entire country. Minamoto Yoritomo came out victorious and set up a new military government in 1192, led by the shogun. The samurai would rule over Japan for about the next 700 years.
During the era of warring states in the 15th and 16th centuries, Japan broke into dozens of independent states constantly at war with one another. Consequently, warriors were in high demand. It was also the era when ninja, warriors specialized in unconventional warfare, were most active. Many of the famous samurai movies by Kurosawa are set during this time.
The country was eventually reunited in the late 1500s, and a rigid social caste system was established during the Edo Period that placed the samurai at the top, followed by the farmers, artisans and merchants respectively. During this time, the samurai were forced to live in castle towns were the only ones allowed to own and carry swords and were paid in rice by their daimyo. Masterless samurai were called ronin and caused minor troubles during the 1600s.
Some peace prevailed during the roughly 250 years of the Edo Period. As a result, the importance of martial skills declined, and many samurai became bureaucrats, teachers or artists. Japan's feudal era eventually ended in 1868 and the samurai class was abolished a few years later.
Comments ()