SAMURAI - Japanese Warriors

Connections to…The Samurai’s Tale

Japanese History (1185-1868)

Japan was ruled almost continuously by military warlords called SHOGUNS.

Japanese emperors lived in Kyoto, the capital, and were religious and cultural leaders.

Japanese believed that their emperors were directly descended from the Sun Goddess.

Therefore, shoguns always treated the emperors with respect.

Emperors carried out religious ceremonies and safeguarded Japanese tradition.

However, it was the shogun who ruled the Japanese people.

Shogunate History First shogun was Minamoto

Yoritomo. Military governments of the

shoguns called SHOGUNATES. First = Kamakura Shogunate

(1192-1333). Second = Muromachi

Shogunate (1333-1573). Third = Tokugawa Shogunate

(1603-1867). Samurai’s Tale takes place

towards the end of Muromachi blending into Tokugawa.

Shogunate finally came to an end in 1868 and the emperor gained full power again.

Feudal Society in Japan

Emperor (little power) Shogun (all the power) Daimyo (large land

owner) Samurai (warriors loyal

to Daimyo) Zen Monks Peasants (mostly

farmers) Artisans/Craftspeople Merchants

Samurai Training Samurai means “those who

serve.” Samurai must be born to

samurai parents or be adopted by them.

Most importantly, samurai boys were taught two basic skills-how to survive and how to kill.

This included being taught sword fighting, wrestling, ju-jitsu, and archery.

However, they also learned reading, writing, the proper way to walk, bow, and hold chopsticks.

During peaceful times, samurai wrote poetry and practiced flower arranging and calligraphy.

Samurai Code-Bushido Bushido is the samurai code. Samurai’s honor or code is more

important than their religion. A samurai who lost his honor was

expected to kill himself in the ritual of seppuku or hara-kiri.

LOYALTY: be loyal to master at all costs.

COURAGE: be brave even against impossible odds; don’t retreat.

HONESTY: never lie. JUSTICE: always act in a just and

fair way toward others. BENEVOLENCE: show love,

affection, and sympathy toward others, but no weakness.

POLITENESS: always treat people in a proper manner with politeness.

Samurai Arms Samurai fought with swords,

lances, bows plus arrows, and later guns.

Long sword = katana. Short sword = wakizashi. A good sword took a long time to

create and would be decorated. Some swords were thought to

have super-human powers. A few swords were given names. A sword could cut off an

opponent’s head with one stroke. Young samurai received first sword

at 5. Sword training focused on speed

and accuracy. Began at 13 until age 22.

Lances = about 8 feet long. Bows = about 7 feet long.

Samurai Armor Much of samurai combat was

hand-to-hand. Helmets were made of iron and

were elaborate. Attached to brow were crests in

the shape of horns, dragons, and fantastic creatures.

Emblems identified warrior; symbolized bravery and were meant to scare enemies.

Arm guards were made of small iron plates.

Neck guard made of iron plates coated with lacquer and laced together with silk. Lacquer helped to stop rusting.

Metal plates protected the knees and lower legs.

Samurai Armor Continued

Body armor made of iron plates and tied together with silk or leather chords.

Body armor weighed about 25 pounds.

When it rained the chords became soaked making the armor weigh even more.

Dressing in battle gear was hard.

After putting on a kimono, loose pants, and an outer jacket and pants, they had to strap on armor.

Some hung their armor from the ceiling and had it lowered onto their shoulders.

Japanese Castle Town Rich, powerful daimyos built

large, beautiful castles. Castles were surrounded by

high walls and moats. Builders designed castle towns

for protection. Castle towns also showed off

the daimyo’s wealth and importance.

Castles towns were big because they housed the daimyo, his family, his servants, and much of his army.

The castle itself also served as the political and economic center of all the lands the daimyos owned.

Japanese Castle Town Security

Mostly built on high hills Moats were first line of defense. Outer and inner stone walls help

to stop intruders. Inner stone walls had hidden

holes or trap doors used for dropping heavy rocks or boiling liquids.

All windows were barred. Samurai shot arrows and guns through slits in walls.

Samurai stood watch at the gatehouse and watchtower.

The keep was the highest part of the castle. That is where the daimyo and his family lived.

Only a few castles survive today.