さむらい

Samurai侍

ショーン　ライリーと

ライアン　マーチ

ぶしどうThe Way of the Warrior

武士道

Bushido is the code of conduct the samurai followed. It is split into seven different sections.

義 ( ぎ ) - Recitude, or morals.

勇（ちゅう） - Courage

仁　（ジん） - Benevolence

礼 （れい） - Respect

ぶしどうThe Way of the Warrior

武士道

誠 ( まこと） - Honesty 誉 ( よ） - Honour

忠 （ちゅう） - LoyaltyOthers that are sometimes added to these:

孝 （こ） - Respect for Elders 智 （ち） - Wisdom

悌 ( てい） - Care for Elders

In response to Pearl Harbor :“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible

resolve. “

- やまもと　つねとも

Famous SamuraiThere are several famous Samurai in Japan, but we will just

highlight two of the well-known ones!

むさし　みやもと　 is Japan’s most famous samurai. He fought 48 sword fights, and lost none. Throughout his adventures, he wrote the now famous book; “The Book of Five Rings,” which is still commonly studied today. After his forty-eighth battle, he was self-declared as ‘unbeatable’ and went on to become a hermit who lived in a cave. He possessed a high-ranking in all aspects of bushido, and as such was greatly respected by mostly all of Japan.

やまもと　つねとも　 is famous for many of the quotes he has provided us with. You will see many of his quotes along the bottom of the pages. He also wrote the Hagakure, a famous bushido book.

ろにんRouge Samurai

炉人A Ronin, which literally translates into ‘drifting

person,’ is a Samurai who lacks a master. Historically, they have been viewed as dangerous and not a positive part of the era’s society.

みやもと　むさし , one of the famed Samurai we talked about before, was a Ronin himself. While it may seem cool to be free of anyone else’s control, having the reputation of a Ronin was rarely a positive thing and was quite disreputable.

“A military man can scarcely pride himself on having 'smitten a sleeping enemy'; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten.”

- やまもと　つねとも

びきWeapons

武器The samurai are known to use the famous ‘ かたな ,’ and though they did use that weapon, they used a variety of weapons. These weapons included;

だいしょう – A combination of a Katana and smaller blade, Wakizashi. This is what most samurai would use as their basic

weapon.

ゆみ – Meaning longbow, many samurai were taught the art of きゅじゅつ , the skill of the bow.

やり – The spear would not become popular for Samurai until the 15th century. It was more a more strategy-oriented weapon.

よろいArmor

鎧Samurai armor is nothing like what medieval armor. It was not

made so much for protection, but for flexibility and speed. I lacked the weight of a knight’s armor, and as such was easier to maneuver around in and walk in. There was no need for help when putting to armor on, as it was an easy process. Here are the steps!

一ど　ー　 A silk robe was put on underneath the armor.二ど ー The trousers (leggings) were put on.

三ど　ー The samurai would then put on his shoes and tie his leg armor.四ど　ー Next, the arm plates we applied.

五ど　ー The body armor was put on over the kimono.六ど　ー The protective “skirt” was put on.七ど　ー The shoulder pads were put on.

八ど　ー The helmet was placed on the head.

せっぷくStomach-cutting

切腹 Seppuku is a type of suicide, considered honorable by the samurai. It would involves taking a たんとう (short sword) and stabbing oneself in the chest. This could be voluntary, or it could be demanded on behalf of a Samurai’s master, which is known as おいばら . Eventually, the ritual of Seppuku became a long ritual, which involved these steps:

First, the man would dress in his ceremonial robes. Then, he would prepare for his death by writing a ‘death poem.’ After, with his attendant standing by, he would open his kimono and plunge the たんとう into his abdomen. Finally, the attendant would perform a だきくび cut, which put a fast end to the samurai’s life. It was essentially decapitation, but the head was still attached by a small tendon.

"I have found that the Way of the samurai is death. This means that when you are compelled to choose between life and death, you must quickly choose death."

ーやまもと　つねとも

Effects on Modern Society

The samurai have had various effects on today’s world. There are manga (and in lieu of that, anime) based on the way of a samurai, and many modern versions of entertainment have at least some form of samurai influence. Here are some examples of the effects of the samurai:

Do you remember the comic and eventually television show ‘Usagi Yojimbo?’ Probably not, but I bet you have probably seen the main character before. He is a hare that is based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

Where to begin with the video game references? Mitsurugi from Soulcalibur is a noticeable addition, as is Sodom from the Street Fighter Series. Both these characters are based on samurai.

Effects on Modern Society

Miyamoto’s book, ‘The Book of Five Rings,’ is used as a business strategy for companies and lawyers.

Star wars was influenced by the samurai, specifically the story of the Seven Samurai. Darth Vader’s helmet is very similar to

that of a samurai warrior’s. Various forms of entertainment, such as anime and manga,

are based on Samurai. Some of these examples include ‘Samurai X’ and the ‘Super Sentai’ series, known to us as

‘Power Rangers.’ Ronin have also inspired many characters and shows, such as

the character bluntly named ‘Ronin’ from the marvel series ‘The Avengers.’

Interesting Facts Though it was rare, females could also be samurai of the

fighting variety.

Samurai believed their soul was in the katana they carried.

A samurai’s name was usually comprised of one kanji from his father’s or grandfather’s name, and one あたらしい kanji.

Samurai, though seen as ruthless and sometimes un-intelligent in many media portrayals, often were very literate.