Are Samurai Still Alive?

As we all know, and are perhaps saddened by, the era of the Samurai ended about 100 years ago. There is no ands, ifs, or what’s about it. Samurai simply do not walk around the streets of Japan anymore. They no longer dominate the social classes. However, is it really true that you can’t become a Samurai anymore? Is Bushido completely nonexistent now?

Well, while the blatantly obvious would deter someone form believing in the existence of true Samurai in the modern day (you can’t exactly wield a weapon in the streets of modern Japan) yet you may still do other things worthy of a Samurai though. For instance, Bushido is the code of ethics, immensely important to Samurai. One may certainly follow that code as well as train in weaponry and martial arts. In short, live as a warrior, live as a Samurai. It does not matter how the outside world treats you, sure you do not have the social respect, or the feeling of “I am a Samurai, hear me roar”, but it is on the inside. You simply know that you are a warrior and that is all that matters.

On the other hand, it may be a good thing that the Samurai do not fully exist anymore. Now, they can focus on solely their fighting skills and living up to the code of ethics. Now there is no way for a warrior to feel himself better than others (IE a Samurai was allowed by law to attack any commoner that disrespected him). You are simply not any better than them; they are human just as you. To be frank, I believe that that was a huge weak point in the traditional Samurai; they believed themselves to be God, when they were no better than any other good citizen.

Ok, so maybe it’s not as cool, not as amazing, but its better this way. Samurai may not roam the streets, and battle in the open. But at least you know that the ones who are Samurai, are real warriors. They practice in the dojo and train, nothing more, there is no vanity, there is no superiority. And for another thing, I’m sure that most warriors nowadays do not condone the practice of Seppuku, and that my friends is a good thing. So in conclusion, do Samurai really exist? Of course they do, they are the true warrior’s out there who are never heard nor seen, and that is the way it should be

Posted in History

Bushido made the sword its emblem of power. In fact, a wise man one said that “The sword is the Key of heaven and hell”. Indeed, the swords of Samurai never left their side, they were priceless. But more than just that, these swords also have a unique and amazing history.

Historically the first Japanese sword was produced around 700 AD. A Blacksmith named Amakuni Yasutsuna, was responsible for making the first single edged long sword. At first, his swords were doing little to help the warriors in battle. There was of course reason for this, One day Amakuni realized that the Emperor never gave Amakuni any sign of recognition for his efforts. So, upon realizing this, Amakuni observed the warriors as they returned from battle. Of these warriors, nearly half of them were returning with broken swords.

Amakuni was heartbroken. He realized that all of his work had been put to shame. He had to make things right, and so he and his son Amakura set off to work again. They at first, evaluated the broken sword of a warrior, and realized that they were improperly made. The swords could not handle large impacts, yet they desperately needed to. So Amakuni and his son locked themselves up in the forge for seven days and nights, during which they prayed to the Shinto gods. After their long prayer session, Amakuni selected the finest Iron sand ore and refined it to steel. Thirty days later after arduous work and days of sleepless nights, Amakuni and his son emerged from the foe with a single edged sword that had curvature. They polished this new sword, and later continued to work developing many more like it.

And so, the warriors came to wield these new swords. The next spring, there was another war, and the Samurai fought with Amakuni’s swords. They returned however, not with broken swords, but with perfectly intact swords. Afterwords, the Emperor congratulated Amakuni, saying that he was an expert swordsman. And thus, the Katana, the Wakizashi, and the Tanto were born.

Even today, there still exist sword smiths who practice the ancient art of sword making. Currently, the best known Japanese sword company is the Japanese Sword Company in Tokyo.

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In 1853, Samurai changed forever. It all happened when massive steamships from the US Navy imposed a broader commerce system, on the previously strict system. That system, isolationism, kept the Japanese from socializing with the western half of the world. And thus, with the strict system abolished, the Samurai were exposed to a different side of the world.

From then on, the Samurai and the Japanese navy were modernized. In 1855 a naval training school was brought about in Nagasaki. There, you guessed it, they learned about western ways of life. Of course, this also brought upon the future onset of westernized and foreign educated leaders. By 1867 the Japanese Navy possessed 8 western style steamships; soon the armies were heavily modernized as well.

Of course, this also brings us to another point, in 1967 the Japanese saw an end to Traditional Samurai, and this was also around the time of the Boshin War. In late 19th century around 1968, another change occurred that pretty much brought an end to Samurai. You see, previously Samurai were the only armed forces in Japan. Emperor Meji abolished this however in favor of a more westernized army of course. The right for a Samurai to wear a Katana or other weapon was also abolished, as well as the right to attack any commoner who disrespected them.

As well, Samurai were no longer really Samurai; their name was even changed to Shizoku in 1873. Sadly, Samurai were simply nonexistent; they had no longer a high status or fame. It was official in the 19th century, that Samurai no longer walked the streets of Japan. In place of them, was a more westernized army. Later on along the lines, in 1943 to be exact, the name Shizoku, a last shred of Samurai spirit, also disappeared.

Posted in History

The 17th century was home to the Edo period. At this time the Tokugawa Shogunat ruled Japan. At this time, Samurai ruled the lands, and there were about 2 million Samurai living and fighting in Japan. There were both Samurai who lived under the rule of a lord and Ronin, who wandered the countryside without a lord, and consequently without money. Thus they wandered, looking for someone who would find them useful. This was due mostly to the fact that Japan was not at war, the Samurai did not have to battle. From 1616 until 1868, Japan was at peace.

Due to this new found peace, Samurai found that there combatant skills had no use. They became therefore, involved in other matters. Samurai became bureaucrats, courtiers, and administrators. As a class, there military function started to decline, and quickly at that. They still carried weapons however and were still allowed to attack any commoner who did not show the proper respect. More importantly, it was during the Edo period that the code of Bushido was written. This code became the ideal, and citizens tried to follow the code just as Samurai.

With more and more time on their hands, Samurai began to follow the code to the tea; they also had time to pursue a good education. In fact, many Samurai became scholars.

Posted in History

During the 15th Century, the Samurai started to improve in their combat tactics. Schools of swordsmanship were abundant and many became rivals. During this time ashigaru were seen by the thousands. This term refers to the foot warriors that were employed by the shogun. The term itself latterly meant light foot, and referred to the lowest warrior class the “light Armor class” which consisted of either low class warriors or commoners who had decided to join the army. For them, the weapon of choice was the Naginata which was a pole weapon, and they were typically seen on horseback.

In the 16th century the emergence of the aruebus also changed the Samurai. The aruebus came into the hands of the Samurai from Portugal in 1543, and was quickly assimilated. The aruebus was a different kind of weapon, a weapon that is most prevalent now a day. That’s right; it was a firearm, a hook gun. It was however a primitive firearm, the predecessor of the musket and rifle. Although, needless to stay it was still powerful. This weapon came in handy especially against enemies in steel plate armor.

Pretty soon, and by pretty soon I mean at the end of the feudal period, firearms wee seen by the thousands in Japan. Army size also soared to numbers of well over 100,000! The Japanese were certainly getting ahead of themselves! Most other countries were not even near this amount of shear power.

At the end of the 16 century, in 1592, Toyotomi Hideyoshi decided to invade Korea. This invasion was also known as the seven year war, because it lasted seven years from 1592 to 1598. An army of 160,000 samurai were sent to Korea, and at first all seemed to be going well. The Japanese appeared to be taking in a victory; however this was not the case. The Japanese had seen consistent success on land, and failure at sea. However, they began to suffer due to lack of communication and supply lines. The Korean forces were also starting to become victorious; their navy successfully starved the Japanese from their vital resources of communication and supply lines. They did this by intercepting their supply fleets on the western side of the peninsula. In fact, they interjected the waters of which, most major Korean rivers flow. To add more, China also became involved in the war.

Emperor Wanli of China tried to bring in a diplomatic intervention. This stalled the war for five years, as negotiations went on, although peace failed to arrive as Japan invaded Korea for yet a second time in 1597. This time however, they were shot down. The war was over at the naval battle of Noryang. At last, after seven years, Japanese forces retreated, and returned to Japan after a horrible and shocking defeat against the Korean Navy.

Posted in History