History
The modern view of the Samurai as a heroic, loyal and virtuous warrior who went into battle
with his trusty sword as his only weapon, is indeed a romantic and modern view started around
the Tokugawa era. The origins of the Samurai are in a class of warrior referred to as 'bushi'.
'Samurai' literally means 'one who serves' and originally did not just apply to the warriors.
There is a large body of material on the internet about Samurai - here's a small sample:
Role of the Samurai
Japan is a country that doesn't have a lot of farming land for cultivation of rice (the staple
diet food source). It is said that only around 10% of Japan was suitable for growing rice, so
whover controlled the land that was suitable for rice controlled the major food source. Early
power in Japan hinged around land control and therefore warriors were required to help maintain
or gain control over the land. As it was realised that specialisation would provide better
armies, the bushi class evolved into people specialising in the weapon arts. They existed to
serve their Lord.
Weapons
The popular image of the Samurai has his favourite weapon as the katana. However, the 'original'
bushi/samurai viewed the sword as the last means of defense. Their prime weapons were longer
range weapons and in later years included muskets. The horse was also an important part as
cavalary was a principle weapon. The bow and arrow was a main "ingredient" for long range
fighting and even survived the threat of muskets for a while due to the rapid fire rate in
comparison and the fact the arrow could be seen during flight to correct aim which could not
be done with a rifle projectile, as well as still being reliable in the wet (when the muskets
were prone to mis-fire). Also the long range yari (spear) and naginata (a kind of large
sword blade on a pole) were favourite weapons that could all be brought to bear before the
fighting got close enough for the sword.
Other Samurai Items
To understand the Samurai, one really needs to study the whole culture of Japan during the era
of the Samurai. Here are a couple of additional items that go alongside the whole melting-pot
of Samurai related information. Some are possibly "little-known facts" to make you wonder! Enjoy,
and if you find any other little-known fact links, please send
them my way to include for all to enjoy! I will add to these links as I find them.
You should also refer to the other Samurai pages here and for a good introduction to understanding
the Japanese history and culture, refer to the book Japan, An Attempt At Interpretation on the
Samurai Resources page.
