The quintessential warriors from Japanese history, the samurai were a prominent military class in feudal Japan. From the late 16th century to the mid-19th century, they rose from being provincial warriors to the ruling class, directly backing the Shogun to have higher authority than the Emperor.
As a part of the Shogunate military dictatorship, the samurai would keep their power for over 700 years, holding high social status and many privileges, such as the exclusive right to own swords longer than 24 inches.
They were well known for being proficient in an arsenal of weaponry, such as bows, spears, guns, and most prominently, the sword. Though they have long since been dissolved along with the feudal system, the samurai have been glorified by Japanese culture for their purported strength, discipline, loyalty, honor, and bushido code, though this perception might not always accurately reflect the reality.
Historically, Japanese warriors were referred to as ‘bushi’, the literal translation of the word. But over time, the bushi became synonymous with samurai which was derived from the word saburau/saburai which roughly translates to “those who serve nobility.” They emerged as a social class in the early feudal period of Japan, around the 9th century. Originally, they were skilled horseback warriors tasked with protecting the estates of the ruling nobility.
Elite warrior class
However, with time and success on the battlefield, their role evolved, and they became the elite warrior class of Japan. Though popular culture depicts the samurai as solely combat-focused, in the real world, they were also administrators, scholars, and artists.
They played a crucial role in shaping Japan’s history, politics, and culture. Samurai served various clans and daimyos (feudal lords) during Japan’s feudal era, and their influence extended from the battlefield to the royal court.
In most modern media depictions, samurai are inextricably linked to the bushido code of honor. In stark contrast to the underhanded and ‘dishonorable’ tactics of the ninja, samurai are considered to be more noble.
But much like the medieval knights and chivalry, in reality, samurai were a very broad class of people that did not follow one universal strict code of conduct. There did exist as warriors with strict adherence to laws and their own rules, with certain disgraceful acts being paid for in ritual suicide (seppuku or harakiri).
Ninjas
But there were just as many samurai who could best be described as armored bandits or worked as who we now might call ninjas. There were also female samurai, despite most modern depictions being predominantly male. Called onna-musha or onna-bugeisha, literally women warriors, these women wore similar armour, usually wielded naginata spears, and fought in wars alongside men.
The Tokugawa shogunate, the final one before the end of the shogunate system, brought relative peace and stability to Japan, limiting the role of samurai in the military. Instead, many samurai took on alternative bureaucratic roles, like administration and teaching, that diverted their focus from martial pursuits and minimized their political power within the shogunate.
The arrival of Western powers in the mid-19th century further eroded the samurai’s traditional roles. Japan’s rapid modernization and adoption of Western military technology made the samurai’s traditional martial training less relevant. Then finally, in 1876, the Meiji government implemented a sweeping sword ban, called the Haitō Edict, further symbolizing the end of the samurai era.
Ultimately, despite their gradual and ignoble dissolution, samurai have continued to live on as a major part of Japanese history and culture, with the stories of famous figures like Sakamoto Ryōma, Yagyū Jūbei, and Niijima Yae to be told and admired by generations after. Regardless of the more nuanced reality, the samurai as a whole became a cultural symbol of Japanese strength and honour that people even today strive to adhere to.
