42 Honorable Facts About Samurai, Japan's Warrior Lords
Something about samurai seems to capture the imagination of each successive generation. These Zen warriors lived as a part of the military nobility that ruled feudal Japan for centuries.
The samurai rose to the height of their power in the 12th century, with the beginning of the country’s first military dictatorship (known as the shogunate).
The samurai would dominate Japanese government and society until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 led to the abolition of the feudal system.
Meanwhile (and perhaps more importantly) the group also came to develop their own unique cultural attitudes toward how a person might define and live a "good" life.
They were renowned for their discipline, intelligence, and courage, and as a result their teachings are still commonly pursued today, in both everyday life and in modern Japanese martial arts.
Here are a few things you might not know about these legendary fighters.
Samurai Facts
42. Live by the Code
The samurai followed a code known as bushido, which translates in English as “the way of the warrior.” It was (and is) similar in its ethics to the notion of chivalry in the European tradition. Interestingly, though, while the tenets of a bushido lifestyle were arguably observed by Samurai from their very beginnings as an order, the crystallized concept only developed between the 16th and 20th centuries. During that time period, scholars debated the exact parameters of the term, while acknowledging its roots in the already-ancient cultural practices that samurai had been practicing for centuries.
41. On Your High Horse
The bushido code varied throughout the centuries, but most aspects focused on preparing for a good death through personal care, maintaining honor, and often dying in battle. Other aspects of the code were a little more material: for example, at one point only high-class samurai were allowed to ride a horse, while lower-class samurai were barred the privilege.
40. What's in a Name?
In Japanese, samurai are often simply called bushi or buke. The term "samurai" is thought to come from the Japanese word "saburau," for "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility."
