In the 14th century, Samurai really started to develop into what we know them as today. At this time an amazing innovation came into the hands of these warriors, and it was all because of a blacksmith named Masamune. He had developed a two layered structure of both soft and hard steel to use in his swords. This led to improved cutting power and life. This production technique also led to the recognition of Japanese swords as the most powerful weapons of East Asia. In the 14th century, another amazing thing occurred, the Samurai creed as written. This creed was written by an anonymous warrior and contained Confucian, Shinto, Buddhist and Zen principles.

During this time, the practice of primogeniture was also prevalent. Primogeniture was the practice of giving the entire estate heritance to only the first born son. At this time fighting between samurai classes was also common, although unfortunate. This was seen between the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates. The Kamakura were a feudal military dictatorship, that derived from Kamakura Japan. The Ashikaga were a feudal military dictatorship from the Ashikaga family. Power struggles between classes were all too common in the 14th century.

Mainly, in the 14th century, the system of ethics that derived from the warriors creed, were put in place. This included Loyalty, honor, courage, refinement, and excellence. This creed of course and its strictness also led to some unfavorable occurrences of Japan. By this I am referring to the ritual suicide known as seppuku, or Hara Kiri. This practice became more and more common during this century, which was mostly due to the strong sense of pride these warrior had, the “never back down” feeling was mutual.

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As the clans gained more and more warriors, they gained more and more alliances and formed a large hierarchy. This was centered predominantly around a toryo or chief. This toryo was usually a relative of the emperor and a smaller member of a noble family. Of the noble families there were the Fujiwara, Minamoto, and the Taira. Of these the Minamoto and Taira were rivals. As they rose to power, the Taira and Minamoto were finally pit together. The victor, was Taira, short for Taira no Kiyomori, who became the first warrior to become Imperial advisor. He later gained control of the central government and created the first Samurai dominated government. The Taira clan did little however, to improve on weaponry and strength; they focused instead, on control.

In the late 12th century, both clans again sought out their rivalries in a clash. This led to the Gempei War, which ended five years later in 1185. However, this time the tides turned as Minamoto became victorious. This clan, short for Minamoto no Yoritomo, behaved much differently from that of Taira. They did not focus on ruling; they focused however on Sameri superiority. Five years later, Minamoto visited Kyoto and in 1912 stablished the role as Seii Taishogun. He then formed the Kamakura Shogunate, set up in Kamakura near his power base. At this time, it was obvious that, despite some shifts in Aristocratic power and Samurai power, the Shogun and Samurai really lead the show.

In the 13th century, Zen Buddhism paved the way for the Warriors honor code. This was particularly helpful in helping Samurai overcome any fears of death. This brings me to the next battle, in 1274 between the Yuan Dynasty of the Mongol Empire and Japan. This empire had sent about 40,000 men in about 900 ships to invade Japan. However, Japan was only able to come up with about 10,000 samurai to battle. With a bout of luck however, a large thunderstorm interrupted the attempts of the empire. The Yuan army then recalled the invasion. Because of this invasion, the Japanese realized that another invasion was probable. So they constructed a great stone barrier surrounding Hakata Bay in 1276. In 1281, The Yuan army came once again with about 140,000 men and 4,400 ships. In spite of the shear numbers, The Japanese Samurai were able to defeat them. How? Well, the Japanese Army had about 40,000 men defending the bay, and in a bout of Irony, a Typhoon came just as the Yuan army was ready to invade. The damage done by the typhoon was enough to send the Yuan army home again. These events were termed Kami-noKaze, which literally means “wind of the gods”

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Samurai: The warrior class of Japan

…. It Starts

Samurai’s are legendary; they have been inscribed in out history for centuries. They are the picture of power and vigilance, and more so, they are looked upon with respect. Of course, there are reasons or all of this. These warriors lived a serious lifestyle, one dedicated to the mastery of battle, otherwise known as Bushido.

Alas, there might be some confusion between Bushido, and Bushi. Firstly, as you should already know, Bushido is a warrior code of conduct that surrounds the Samurai warrior class. On the other hand, Bushi refers to the older version of the Samurai, which refers to horsemen who wielded bows.

The age of the Samurai, and as well, the age of Bushido originated before the thirteenth century. Then, the principles of Bushido had been influenced by Buddhism, Zen and Confucianism and shintoism. Buddhism is a major religion that concentrates on explaining the origin of existence, morality, and has a specific set of rituals and behaviors. Zen was the school of Mahāyāna Buddhism known mostly for its noted form of meditation; it also placed much emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom. Confucianism bases itself on the philosophical teachings of Confucius. Shintoism, formulary the official religion of Japan, it is now the folk religion. Shintoism concentrates on Kami spirits, and there are several different spirits that represent a wide array of things.

In essence, it was the combination of Buddhism, Zen, Confucianism, and Shintoism that brought about the Bushido warrior code and the Samurai. This creation of Bushido occurred somewhere around the 9th century until the 12th century. These warriors, at that point began to form a class all their own, a ruling and powerful class. This occurred in the Heian Period, and was due to the fact that wealth land owners would hire private warriors for land protection. They also became police guards around the city of Kyoto. Then, these warriors were merely servants, however it was quickly noted that they were the only armored clan around. Soon, they rose to power by promising protection and gaining political awareness, they eventually succeeded in surpassing the aristocrats. By mid Heian period they had also adapted Japanese style armory and weaponry, and soon they would form the Bushido warrior code.

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