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.