'Legacy of the Samurai Essay\r'

'For seven centuries, the samurai govern Japan as the world baronful fightrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they led society in feudal Japan. The loyalty to his lord was overmuch much pregnant than his altoge at that placegiance to his frigoals, family and even the emperor moth moth moth. Their philosophy was adept liberated him from fear, and for these reasons, the samurai came to be the dominate force d aneout gothic Japan.\r\nWar played a central mathematical function in the history of Japanese samurai. As regional clans gathered valet de chambrepower, resources and struck alliances with each other, they formed a hierarchy centered around a toryo, or chief. This chief was typically a relative of the emperor and a member of one of the both dominating clan families of the pre-samurai era. Though they were originally s decision to regional areas for a fixed four year verge as a magistrate, the toryo usually declined to return to the with child(p) when their terms ended. Their sons inherited their positions instead and comprehendd to backsheesh the clans in suppressing re doorbellion throughout Japan during the centre of attention and new-maker Heian period. (Cook 24) star main reason why conflict amidst clans was so predominant was because they were typically started as a result of area ownership. alone a fifth of Japan’s land was suitable for agriculture. The struggle for control of land ultimately gave rise to the samurai class.\r\nThe samurai eventually became a class unto themselves between the 9th and 12th centuries A.D. They were called by dickens call: samurai which meaning â€Å"knights” and bushi which means â€Å"warriors”. The samurai came from guards of the imperial palace and from private guards that the clans employed. They as sound acted as a police force in and around Kyoto. These forerunners of what we now know as samurai had ruler-sponsored equipwork forcet and were pee to h one their militant skills. They gave complete loyalty to their daimyo (feudal landowner) and accepted land and position in return. Each daimyo employ his samurai to protect his land and to expand his power and rights to to a greater extent land.\r\nThe source samurai were servants, yet their advantage of creation the bushel armed party increasingly became apparent. By bright protection and gaining policy-making clout through political marriages they amassed power, eventually surpassing the ruling aristocrats. (Kure 10-12)\r\nIn the ripe 12th century, the two most powerful clans operated the emperor of Japan: the Taira clan, and the Minamoto clan. These two families became bitter rivals, and in 1192, Minamoto Yoritomo led his clan to victory over the Taira. The emperor, the traditional head of the Japanese presidency, declared Minamoto Yoritomo shogun, the head of the military. However, Yoritomo utilize his new power to strip the emperor of all political power, make his p osition as shogun permanent, and pose up a military dictatorship cognise as bakufu. So, the samurai went from being servants of the land-owning daimyos to being the rulers of Japan low the shogun. (Dean 21)\r\nOver time, powerful samurai clans became warrior nobility, who were only technically under the court aristocracy. When the samurai began to meet aristocratic pastimes like calligraphy, verse and music, some court aristocrats in turn began to adopt samurai customs. (Dean 22) In spite of various scheming and instruct periods of rule by various emperors, real power was now in the hands of the shogun and the samurai. The reign of the samurai lasted until the late 19th century.\r\nThe image of the samurai that is probably most well- cognise(a) is that of a s newsworthiness expert, brandishing his curved katana with deadly skill. However, for the first few centuries of their existence, samurai were better known as horse-riding archers. light a bow while riding a horse was a demanding task, and mastering it required age of relentless practice. any(prenominal) archers practiced on targets tethered to a pole, which could be swung to make a base target. For a time, living dogs were used as contemptible archery targets, until the shogun exterminateed the malicious practice. (Turnbull 45) The amount and form of a samurai’s training depended on the wealth of his family.\r\nIn propertyless families, sons were sometimes sent to village schools for basic education, just they received most of their samurai training from their fathers, older brother, or uncles. Training in martial arts was considered really primary(prenominal), and often began at age five. Sons of wealthy families were sent to special academies, where they were tutored in literature, the arts, and military skills. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 6-10) Swordsmanship was taught in a similarly relentless manner.\r\nThe most recognized subdivision of the samurai throughout history was t he katana. The oldest marques were straight and had their early forge in Korea and China. A katana was never worn without its young man brand, the wakizashi; it was a shorter stigma with a broader brand. Together the two swords are referred to as daisho, meaning â€Å" bombastic and petite.” The word dai ( braggy) represents the katana and the word sho (small) represents the wakizashi. The smiths who created the katana for the samurai are widely regarded as the finest sword makers in history. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 42) The samurai’s desire for tougher, perspicaciouser swords in battle gave rise to the curved blade. One of the biggest problems in making a sword is accompanimenting it sharp. A weapon made with a hard coat forget bread and butter its edge, but will be brittle and prone to breaking.\r\nJapanese sword smiths resolved this problem by making the mettle of the sword with a soft metal that wouldn’t break. This core was then covered wi th layers of harder metals that were repeatedly folded and hammered until there were literally millions of layers of metal laminated together. The edge was so sharp that a skilled swordsman could slice a human in half with one blow. Upon completion, the sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle). The samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the soul of their warriorship. (Sato 28-33)\r\nIn addition to swords and bows, samurai used a variety of bladed-pole arms. One of the more common Japanese pole arms was the naginata, which consisted of a sharp blade two to four feet in length mount on a wooden shaft that was four to five feet long. The extra reach afforded by these weapons allowed groundwork to hold attackers at ba y, or make a first strike before an attacker with a sword could reach them. They were in addition very rough-and-ready against mounted opponents. (Kure 170) A big change occurred in the late 15th century because of the consistency of war and the introduction of guns into battle.\r\nIn the 16th century, European traders arrived in Japan for the first time. The Japanese paid large sums for their matchlock guns, quickly mastering the smithing techniques needed to mass aver the weapons. Although the gun is not traditionally associated with samurai, it was a study influence on Japanese warfare from that betoken on, allowing daimyos to raise large armies of relatively un practised men armed with cheap guns. Many samurai adopted the punic weapons, which were best used as a succour to the more trustworthy sword. (Turnbull 73) The sword played a very key role in the methods and philosophies of the samurai. Without the samurai â€Å"bushido”, they would be considered by unexamp led terms to be obdurate killers.\r\nBushido means â€Å" stylus of the warrior”. It was at the heart of the beliefs and target of the samurai. The philosophy of bushido is â€Å"freedom from fear.” It meant that the samurai transcended his fear of expiry. That gave him the peace and power to serve his daimyo faithfully, loyally and die honorably if necessary. transaction is a primary philosophy of the samurai. In position for the samurai to truly be able to serve his purpose, finale must be ignored. An excerpt from _Code of the Samurai_ exemplifies this ideology:\r\n_”One who is a samurai must before all things keep constantly in mind…the fact that he has to die. If he is al agencys mindful of this, he will be able to live in accord with the paths of loyalty and filial duty, will avoid myriads of evils and adversities, keep himself free of disease and calamity and moreover have sex a long life-time. He will also be a fine personality with many an (prenominal) admirable qualities. For existence is impermanent as the dew of evening, and the hoarfrost of morning, and curiously uncertain is the life of the warrior…”_\r\n(15)\r\nReligiously, Zen Buddhism scattering among samurai in the 13th century and helped to shape their standards of conduct, particularly overcoming fear of death and killing, but among the general humanity Pure Land Buddhism was predominant. (Kure 12)\r\nHonor was so important to the samurai that they would frequently take their own lives in the look of failure, or if they had violated bushido. This honor-bound suicide became very ritualized, pickings the form of seppuku. Also known by the more popular phrase hara-kiri, seppuku was a way for a samurai to restore honor to his lord and family, and to fulfill his pledge of loyalty even if he had failed as a samurai. (May 2)\r\nRitualized seppuku involved the samurai wearing the proper garments while he was presented with the ritual knife, wrappe d in paper. The samurai would then take the knife and cut aerofoil his own stomach, from leftover hand to right, with a final upward cut at the end. However, seppuku was not a solitary act, and few samurai were left to die a slow and excruciating death from disembowelment. Another samurai would typically stand behind the one committing seppuku, and behead him with a sharp sword dead after the seppuku cut was made to spare him from gratuitous suffering. (May 3)\r\nThe original motivations for this method of death may well have been purely practical. Cutting off one’s own head is impossible, and the spirit was matte up to reside in the stomach, slitting the belly propagate was mat up to be the most straightforward (if not quickest) way to die and free the spirit. (May 5) Although, seppuku may seem staring(a) in modern day society, it was the only way to regain one’s honor, and looked upon as well(p) even after the samurai’s decline towards the end of the 19th century.\r\nThe role of the samurai during peacetime gradually declined, but two key factors led to the demise of samurai: the urbanization of Japan, and the end of isolationism. As more Japanese citizens moved to the large urban centers of Japan, there were fewer farmers producing the necessary sieve to feed the growing population. The lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the shoguns and most daimyos started to eat away at the frugal system. Many Japanese, including lower class samurai, grew dissatisfied with the tyranny because of the deteriorating economic circumstances. (Dean 37)\r\nIn 1853, U.S. ships sailed into Edo Bay with Commodore Matthew Perry at the helm, intending to deliver a gist from professorship Millard Fillmore to the emperor. Although the emperor was still considered a figurehead, the shogun truly ruled the country. President Fillmore’s message was clear. He wanted to open trade relations with Japan, he wanted shipwrecked U.S. sailors to be treated prop erly by Japanese soldiers and citizens, and he wanted to open Japanese seaports as a resupply stations for American ships. (Kure 167-9)\r\nIn Perry’s wake, a rift divided opposing views in Japan. Some wanted to reject the American offer, continue with isolationism, and claim their ancient traditions. Others, however, realized that Japan could never hold their country when typed with the better technology of the western civilizations. They proposed opening the gates of Japan with the intention of acquisition everything they could from the Americans, terminating isolationism and becoming a stronger world power. Ultimately, the bakufu decided to open Japanese seaports for American resupply, and later decided to strengthen trade with America. (Avakian 41)\r\nThe emperor initially refused to approve to the pact’s conditions, but because he was merely the face of Japanese government, the bakufu went ahead with the treaty anyway. Several factions of refractory samurai wanted Japan to stay the same, and therefore support the emperor and began a civil war against the bakufu. To much surprise, they overthrew the shogun, ending the Tokugawa period and restoring the emperor to his rightful power. depress class samurai took positions of leadinghip within the administration, controlling the government from behind the new emperor, a young man by the name of Emperor Meiji. This event is known as the Meiji Restoration. (Avakian 43-48)\r\nThroughout Japan at the time, the samurai numbered 1.9 million. The samurai in Japan were not merely the lords, but also their higher retainers, people who actually worked. With each samurai being paid fixed stipends, the upkeep presented an immense pecuniary burden, which provoked the emperor and his oligarchy to act accordingly. Whatever their consecutive intentions, the oligarchs started a slow and deliberate process to abolish the samurai class. First, in 1873, it was proclaimed that the samurai stipends were to b e taxed on a rolling basis. Later, in 1874, the samurai were given the choice to replace their stipends into government bonds. Finally, in 1876, this option of conversion was made obligatory. (Avakian 49-54)\r\nFinally, in 1876, the emperor banned samurai from wearing their swords, leading(a) to the creation of a drafted standing army. The final bell had tolled for the samurai †they no longer existed. Not surprisingly, this led to a series of riots from disgruntled samurai. One of the major riots, the satsuma tree lawlessness, eventually turned into a civil war. This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the fresh created imperial army The new army was trained in Western tactics and utilized more advanced weapons. Ironically, the core of the new army was the capital of Japan Police force, which was formed largely of former samurai who had helped the emperor regain his empire. This sent a strong message to the nonconformist, rebellious samurai that their time was inde ed up. (Kure 172-174)\r\nThe samurai continue to impress, and serve as a model for obedience, reverence, and loyalty on so many different scales. The incredibly prosperous heritage provided by this elite class of warrior leaders can be linked to the foundations of numerous facets of the life we lead today. Although the samurai cease to exist, their spirit of honor and enlighten has found a home in modern times. From the kamikaze pilots of Japan in World War II, to martial artists and even modern businessman who look to bushido as a guide to living an honorable life, samurai continue to positively influence Japan today.\r\nBIBLIOGRAPHY\r\nAvakian, Monique. The Meiji Restoration and the raising of Modern Japan. Boston: Silver Burdett, 1991. 38-54.\r\nCook, Harry. Samurai: the Story of a Warrior Tradition. bare-assed York: Sterling, 1998. 22-35.\r\nYuzan Daidoji, Oscar Ratti, and Thomas Cleary. The Code of the Samurai. Boston: Tuttle, 1999. 10-44.\r\nDean, Arlan. Samurai: Warlords of Japan. invigorated York: Scholastic Library, 2005. 19-37.\r\nKure, Mitsuo. Samurai: An Illustrated History. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2001. 10-179.\r\nMay, Nick. â€Å"Seppuku †a Practical Guide.” Gaijin Gleaner (1997): 1-5. 1 Dec. 2006 .\r\nSato, Kanzan. The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide. New York: Kodansha International, Ltd., 1983. 28-80\r\nTurnbull, Stephen. Samurai Warfare. New York: Sterling, 1996. 44-73.\r\nYamamoto, Tsunetomo, and William S. Wilson. Hagakure: the Book of the Samurai. Tokyo: Kodansha America, 1983. 17-65.\r\n'