In Japan there once existed a class of warriors called the samurai. This class rose to power in the 12th century under military dictators called shoguns. The samurai were important in the Japanese government until the late 1800s.

Code of conduct

The samurai were supposed to follow an unwritten code of conduct. This code, later called Bushido, developed during the Kamakura shogunate (1192–1333). The Kamakura shogunate was the first military government established by the shogun Yoritomo in Japan.

According to the Bushido code, the ideal samurai had athletic and military skills. He was fearless toward the enemy in battle. The samurai spent wisely, was kind and honest, and treated his parents with respect. But above all, the samurai was completely loyal to his lord, the shogun.

By the 19th century the Bushido code had become the basis of ethical training for all of Japanese society. This code contributed to the tough Japanese nationalism and the heroism exhibited during World War II.

Dress

Special costumes were made for samurai around the 12th century. At court samurai wore a formal robe called hitatare. For everyday wear they had the suo, which was a crested linen robe.

Several centuries later the samurai adopted the kamishimo. It was a striking, jumperlike garment with extended shoulders and pleated skirt-trousers. The kamishimo was worn over the hitatare.

Honorable death

During 12th-century wars the samurai developed a slow and painful method of suicide called seppuku, or hara-kiri, meaning “belly cutting.” Samurai practiced seppuku when they were defeated in battle and did not want to fall into the hands of the enemy. Sometimes a samurai would do this to show loyalty to his lord by following him in death. During the 15th century seppuku was also used as capital punishment. This was done to spare the samurai the disgrace of being beheaded by a common executioner. The practice was abolished in 1873.

Impact on Japanese culture

During the Kamakura shogunate the samurai developed a disciplined culture that differed from the earlier, quiet culture of the emperor's court. The samurai culture developed further during the Ashikaga shogunate (1338–1573). During this period the samurai came under the influence of Zen Buddhism. From this resulted such unique Japanese arts as the tea ceremony and flower arranging that continue today. The samurai also contributed much to one of the oldest theatrical forms still in existence, the No theater, meaning “talent” or “skill.”

History

The samurai were originally warriors who belonged to the noble families. They were generally younger members of the royal family or lower-ranking aristocrats who took jobs as local officials in various provinces of Japan. Many of them settled there permanently, acquired lands, and built up armed forces.

As samurai families became more and more powerful, they began to struggle for power among themselves. Finally, in 1185, the samurai leader Yoritomo defeated his rival Taira. Seven years later Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate and took the title of shogun.

Japanese society at this time was becoming increasingly feudal. This means that the shoguns began to exercise control over the various private estates into which the empire had been divided. Therefore, the shogun who controlled the military had control over the country as well. The emperor remained in his palace in Kyoto chiefly as a symbol of power behind the shogun.

The Kamakura shogunate appointed its own military governors, or shugo, as heads of each province. The shugo began acquiring even greater authority than Yoritomo had allowed them.

The Kamakura shogunate collapsed in 1333, and the warrior Ashikaga Takauji established the Ashikaga shogunate. This shogunate ruled much of Japan from 1338 until 1573. The independent shugo, who by the 16th century were known as daimyo, grew powerful during this time. The daimyo weakened the shogunate considerably. After much struggle Tokugawa Ieyasu gained control over the daimyo in 1600 and established the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. For the next two centuries Japan was peaceful and most of the samurai became civil servants. Those working as government employees received a fixed salary. As time passed, this income became insufficient. Therefore, in spite of their high social rank, a growing number of samurai families became poor by the end of the Tokugawa period.

By the mid-19th century young samurai who were opposed to the Tokugawa shogunate were eager for a change. They wanted to create a strong Japan to be ready for any possible danger from the West. They overthrew the shogunate and restored Meiji Tenno as emperor to the throne. This event is called the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Meiji government ended feudalism and destroyed the samurai as a class. Former samurai became commoners. Other symbolic class distinctions such as the hairstyle of samurai and the privilege of wearing swords were also ended. In the 1870s the samurai made attempts to return to power but were unsuccessful.