To cut to the chase, Seppuku is not a pleasant word, nor does it refer to a pleasant action. Indeed, Seppuku refers to a violent and brutal act of self sacrifice. This term refers to a ritual suicide that was done all too often among Samurai. This ritual suicide became an integral part of the Japanese Bushido code and the discipline of the Samurai Warrior class. Seppuku dates back to the 11th century, and became more prevalent as the years went by.

To begin, the concrete definition of Seppuku, also known as hara kiri, is self-immolation or disembowelment. In crude and literal terms: “Ripping of the abdomen”. At present this act may seem absurd, or disgraceful, but at the time, Samurai viewed it as nothing more than the means of truly preserving honor. In the world of the veraciously proud Samurai, it was admirable for a warrior to realize that he had been defeated, disgraced, or morally wounded, and choose to end his life in a proud way. It meant above all that he (or she) could end life with his/her reputation enhanced.

There were many reasons for a Seppuku, firstly, Samurai preferred to die a noble death over dying at the hand of an enemy. In the case of warriors in battle, most did not perform the traditional seppuku because of their armor. In their case, they simply split the veins at the back of their neck, or fell on their swords. On the other hand many of these suicides were performed on a more formal note.

Seppuku soon became a detailed ritual in the life of the Samurai. The ritual usually went as such; the warrior was bathed, dressed in white robes and seated, either in a garden or a Tatami room. There, three attendants would watch the act and a kaishaku (the one who delivered the final blow i.e.: cutting off the Samurai’s head) would stand by. Once the ritual started, the warrior in ceremonial dress would sit down in front of a raised tray of wood. On the tray lay Japanese paper, the warriors’ favorite meal, and a low cup of Sake. Afterwords, the warrior would begin to compose a “death poem”.

Afterwords a small dais with a bare blade was placed in front of the warrior. The warrior would then slip the shoulder of his garment bellow his knees so that he would not fall in a disgraceful position. Then the warrior would begin the cutting. There were many forms of cutting but the most common was one straight across the stomach. This thus exposes the warrior’s insides (figuratively and literally). Then the warrior would lean forward and the Kaishaku would deliver the final blow.

There were many forms of this suicide including the kanshiin which a warrior would commit the act in protest of a lords decision. Oftentimes, the warrior would cut into his stomach and then bandage the wound. Afterwards, the warrior would make a speech to the lord about how he protests his actions, and then show the wound. Sometimes Seppuku was used as a form of capital punishment for those Samurai who disgraced their name. In such a case, the person would be told of his crime, and given a certain time frame to commit the Seppuku. If the person did not comply, they would often be restrained and executed. In such a case, honor was not brought back, and depending on the seriousness of said crime, the family’s rank cold be completely stripped.

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For Samurai, along with the warrior code of conduct, which included seven basic principles, there were also set regulations that had to be observed. These rules varied with each feudal chief, for they each provided their own code. There was however, a certain degree of uniformity. The rules were similar among all samurai, although there were a few differences.

Below is an example of regulations that each and every Samurai had to observe. These were formulated by General Kato Kiyomasa.

1. Every routine of service must be observed strictly. Military exercises must begin at 6 A.M. Gunnery, Archery, and equestrianism must not be neglected. If any warrior shows greater proficiency than his fellow warriors, he shall receive greater pay.
2. Those warriors who wish for recreation may engage in wrestling, hawing, or deer hunting.
3. In terms of dress, clothing of cotton or pongee (soft and unbleached Japanese silk) may be worn. Any warrior in debt due to extravagance of clothing will be considered a lawbreaker. The only way a warrior will receive extra pay is if he desires to hire instructors in the pursuit of practice in the military arts.
4. The main portion of a warrior’s diet should be rice. At social gatherings, one host for each guest is the limit. The only exception is when men assemble for military exercises; they may dine together.
5. Every Samurai must make himself acquainted with the principles of his craft. Superfluous displays of adornment are forbidden in battle.
6. Dancing and/or organizing dances is unlawful. For the soldier, military amusements alone are suitable. The penalty for violating this provision is death by suicide.
7. Learning should always be encouraged. Military books should be read. Above all, the spirit of loyalty and filial piety must be taught first. Samurai should not engage in poem composing, such amusements are for females. A man born a Samurai must live and die with his sword at hand. Unless this warrior is trained in a time of peace, he will be useless in a time of conflict. The warrior must be brave and warlike at all times.

Whoever finds these rules too severe will be removed from duty. Should any investigation show that a warrior is lacking in qualities worthy of a man, he shall be dismissed immediately. These instructions are imperative for each and every warrior.

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One of the first things that come to mind when one thinks of a Samurai is weaponry; Samurai used a variety of weapons to hone their skills. Most of these weapons have a special Japanese flair to them, which makes them special, and perhaps more powerful than other blades.

Japanese Swords:

Swords have existed in Japan for its entire history. After 2,000 BC the Japanese Learned the art of craftsmanship, they were able to make their own swords! Swords were very much “In demand” in Japan, due to the fact that conflicts were almost constant. In fact statistics show that there must have been about 1 ½ million swords existing before World War II. Warriors so honored their swords, that they even named them! The earliest swords were straight swords, but after a while, many started to see the importance of curved swords because warriors found that curved swords delivered a much more effective cutting angle.

Samurai had the privilege of caring two swords at a time, and were allowed to use them on any commander who offended them. In general, they wielded a long and a short sword. Samurai did not wield these yes of swords however when they were training. They used instead wooded bokken so that they did not run the risk of harming themselves in practice, and also so that they did not wear out their weapons.

Types of Swords:

Katana: By far the longest sword available. This is a curved single edged sword that was used in great deal by Samurai’s. Samurai’s made the Katana infamous, and they turned it into a lightning fast weapon of shear power. Usually the Katana was paired with the Wakizachi and together they became the daisho (literally means large and small).

Wakizashi: a very traditional Japanese sword. This may essentially be thought of as a smaller version of the Katana. This weapon came in handy oftentimes when the Katana was too big of a sword to get the job done. Oftentimes, this weapon was used as a backup to behead the victims of the wielder.

Tanto

This sword is the smallest of the three. It is a dagger, and was designed for stabbing. This weapon is usually single edged although it is sometimes double edged. Oftentimes woman would also carry this dagger for self protection. The Tanto also sometimes took the place of the Wakizashi in daisho.

Another form of the Tanto: the kubikiri As you can see the tanto is a straight dagger, however this version had a curved blade. There were several possible uses for this weapon, and the main one can be inferred from the title, which means Head cutter. They may also have been used to cut charcoal.

Additionally, there are several different forms of these three basic swords, the one above is just one example.

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Samurai were made “legends”, “Amazing”, and “Incredible” to some by the effect major films have had on us. There have been so many Samurai films to exist hat the list of movies would stretch on for pages. And why not, Samurai make for such interesting film topics. Many enjoy the style of Japanese fighting, and Japanese action films. Even the American Samurai films do a great job of portraying the Samurai Style. A majority of the Samurai films that exist today came out in the 70’s. They were originally more “drama” than action. After World War II however, they started to get more action based. For the most part, Samurai films have been set in the Tokugawa era. In Japan the term Chanbara is typically used to refer to “sword fighting movies”, which were also a type of jidaigeki, referring to movies that depicted events of a certain time period. Throughout the years, Japanese films began gaining in popularity. Of the Samurai films that were made, there were a few characters and events that stood out in particular. That is, there were many films made in their honor. These would include films about Zatoichi the famous blind swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi the famous indestructible swordsman, Ronin warriors with no name, and many more.
Samurai Films also have many themes that accompany the movie these include tales of loyalty, tales of master less warriors, and tales of true warriors. Japans most famous director, Akira Kurosawa made many famous Samurai films that that dealt with solitary and “loner” Samurai. Many Samurai films have also been series like the “lone wolf and cub” series which depicts the tale of a Samurai and son traveling Japan, and of course getting into a couple of brawls along the way. Yet another Samurai Series would be the Adventures of Zatoichi which tells about a famous and skilled swordsman who was blind.
After the 1970’s however, America and the rest of the world started losing interest in the Samurai movies. Therefore, Samurai movies were no longer hits, and they no longer came out as often. That is not to say however that they are now unpopular or that no one watches them anymore. Samurai films are still amazing and always will be. There is something about the excitement, the intensity of the battle, and the “trip to the past”, that just keeps people coming for more.

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Samurai certainly developed their own culture that was unique to them. They were more then just warriors, they had a unique lifestyle that followed, and in fact you will be surprised at some of the things you learn.

First of all Samurai may not have been the brightest souls in Japan, but they were certainly educated. Yes, Samurai were expected to know how to read and write, they were also encouraged to engage themselves in other arts. Samurai also had a series of different names throughout the course of their lives. All of the names were important to the Samurai in some way. At birth, a Samurai’s given name would stay with him until his coming of age. They were typically strong sounding; you know the “Big and Bad Samurai to be”. For example a common name might have been ‘Victory Forever’, a little bit pretentious yes but these were Samurai. As children Samurai were also given nicknames, for instance the sons might be nicknamed by order of their birth like firstborn: ‘Taro’. As a Samurai came of age, he would be given a name more fitting of him, firing of his character and fighting ability.

In terms of clothing, Samurai typically wore a Kimono and typically consisted of two layers, an outer and inner. There were also winter and summer kimonos, a ceremony would typically be held for the exchanging of summer to winter Kimonos and vice versa. The Kimonos were also plain, and bright or lavishly decorated kimonos were seen as foolish and immodest. This was the opposite however for women in Samurai families as well as young children. Beneath the kimono, a loincloth was worn. Socks were also worn and were called tabi, they were made to separate the first toe form the rest, in order to wear sandals. And yes, Samurai typically wore sandals, and sometimes clogs. There were also special raincoats that Samurai wore, they were made out of straw and are called Kappa. To top it all off, Samurai wore obi, a belt, in order to secure their swords in place at their waist. Hairstyle was also important for Samurai, and it was typically a topknot. This consisted of oiled hair that was slicked back and tied tightly at the top.

Of course, in terms of food, the main dish was rice. Rice was actually seen as food for the wealthy. Typically peasants ate millet. For Samurai, a daily portion of rice would be about 900 grams. Besides rice, potatoes, radishes, beans, cucumbers, yams, various nuts, peaches, apples, and several other foods were also eaten. More importantly fish served as a huge supply of food. Drinking wise, it is of no surprise that Sake was extremely popular, although, we must not forget tea.

When Samurai were to be married a person of higher rank or equal would arrange the marriage. They would typically choose women from a Samurai family. Although, Lower ranked Samurai were allowed to marry commoners. Samurai were also surprisingly allowed to divorce their wives given certain conditions. They had to obtain approval from someone of higher rank. Divorces were though, rare and a typical reason for divorce could be: the wife could not produce viable offspring. A better solution for this though, would have been adoption. Surprisingly also, women could divorce their husbands too, in the end however, it would appear as if the Samurai had divorced her.

And so that is how the culture of Samurai was, unique, and altogether interesting. But then again, what is there about Samurai that is not interesting?

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