Samurai, the Medieval Japanese Warriors

Did you know that part of a samurai's training was ritual suicide? Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today's video is all about probably the most well-known type of warrior that arose in the 10th century in Japan. Swords, imposing armor and a coat of honor. We've got it all. Today we are talking all about the samurai of medieval Japan. Don't forget the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up, subscribing to our channel and hitting that bell icon for notifications so you don't miss out on any new uploads. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization and you can find us on Patreon, a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive exclusive benefits in return. Your support helps us create videos twice a week so make sure to check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the Patreon link down below. Samurai were elite and highly skilled warriors that arose in the 10th century in Japan. They performed military service using a bow or swords of varying lengths and were essential components of medieval Japanese armies. The samurai were both highly mythologized and romanticized as the epitome of chivalry and honor, famous for their coat of bushido, meaning the way of the warrior, which is essentially the code of conduct for the samurai. These codes, there were more than one, were written in the late 17th century however, after the warriors were no longer actually active in the military. So we don't really know just how much of the code or codes was followed throughout the history of the samurai. There is definitely examples of samurai who showed great loyalty and courage to their master and some even went so far as to partake in ritual suicide if their lord was defeated or died. Of course though, Japanese warfare was just as bloody as all other warfare and the samurai were mostly motivated to fight for money. From the 17th century, samurai were no longer active in the military so they became advisors and moral guides, teachers or administrators, but still held the elevated social status the samurai always had. Eventually in 1876, samurai were formally disestablished in Japan. The samurai began in the Heian period of Japan between 794 and 1185 when land-owning nobles formed private armies to protect their land since they spent most of their time in the imperial court. Samurai were the only class of warriors in medieval Japan that served the imperial court. The feudal lords or daimyo employ the samurai to defend their territory and fight enemies of the government as well as battle bandits and hostile tribes. So samurai could find themselves living in barracks, a castle or in their own homes. In the Kamakura period between 1185 and 1333, a new military government was founded after the samurai were organized into groups by warlords that had some political power and took over from the weak imperial court. This new highly militarized governmental system was both founded and dominated by warriors and was led by a military director, the shogun, until the 19th century. Samurai were trained from the age of 10 and would ride into battle on horseback and would carry a bow and also a curved sword. There were 18 different martial arts in the Edo period and samurai had to learn them all. All samurai could initially hold a second sword but a decree by the ruler Hideyoshi in 1588 stated that only full samurai could wear two swords and so it became a symbol of importance. In the 17th century the sword took over the bow as the quintessential samurai weapon since the swords were more expensive and not accessible for ordinary foot soldiers and they became the soul of the samurai. Samurai swords were curved and made of steel and they were amongst the sharpest and finest swords produced in the medieval world. The longest sword known as the katana was around 60 centimeters or two feet and the shorter one known as the wakizashi were about 30 centimeters long. An earlier sword than the katana and the wakizashi which were both worn with the cutting edge uppermost, the tachi had a blade up to 90 centimeters or three feet and was worn with the cutting edge facing down. There are early forms of armor from ancient Japan that were made with metal plates stitched together and narrow strips of bronze or iron held together by leather ties. During the medieval period leather was often used for armor since it was light and flexible and in the early Heian period a silk cloak known as a horo was worn over their armor whilst riding into battle. This silk cloak was used as both a way to identify the wearer but also since it inflated with air it was able to deflect arrows. There were numerous suits of armor including the box like oyoroi that weighed around 30 kilos or 62 pounds and the simpler and more flexible haramaki suit. Their lower legs may have been covered by suneate or greaves and their thighs were protected by guards or haidate. They didn't have anything covering their feet though and would just wear socks and rope sandals. They would also wear helmets or kabuto often made out of iron or steel plates and sometimes they would wear a menpo or face mask which could have mustaches and fierce features. The more impressive helmets with crescent crests, plumes or horns were usually worn by the daimyo. The samurai's rank could be ascertained from the armor and helmet they wore and their home region was shown with colored stitching, heraldic patches or painted symbols. As samurai rode into battle a tradition developed that they would declare their lineage and past victories showing their bravery and courage and this tradition was later replaced by the use of banners. It was during the later edo period between 1603 and 1868 that the status and ranking of the samurai became fully standardized. The three ranks were or housemen who were the lowest and vassals of a feudal lord. Then there was the goshi or rustic warrior who could farm their land but couldn't have the two swords of the full samurai rank and then there was the highest class of samurai the hatamoto or bannermen and it was this rank that was expected to die to protect their lord's interests. It was from 1591 that samurai had to the goal that choosing one or the other would make them more dependent and so more loyal to their master. Those samurai at the highest level were expected to fight to the death and this extended to killing themselves if it meant avoiding capture. The honorable way of doing this was known as seppuku or harakiri or self disembowelment because they thought the spirit was contained in the stomach not the heart. Since disembowelment isn't exactly the fastest way of dying there was usually an assistant on hand with a special sword known as a keisha kunin to decapitate the samurai. The tokugawa shogunate which was the military government of the edo period introduced policies to japan that brought relative peace to the country and reduced the importance and need for Many samurai had to choose between being farmers or retainers to local lords since there weren't any battles for them to fight so many samurai became teachers administrators or moral guides. They still enjoyed a higher status in japanese society and even after the formal disestablishment of the samurai in 1876 descendants of samurai were still distinguished with the title shizoku until the second world war. What is your favorite book or film dealing with the samurai? 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