World Of Swords

Samurai stories are well-known and there are an overwhelming amount of movies, plays and books that illustrate Samurai and related fictions. In fact Samurai is the name of a powerful military class that existed in feudal Japan. Same as the stories about them, their real history is also enchanting for everyone irrespective of age.

History of the Samurai art cannot be explained without referring to the history of the Samurai tribe. The ruling system that existed in Japan in 12th century was denominated as Shogunate and the ruler was known as Shogun. At that time, Japan was suffering a lot from frequent struggles between the then existed powerful groups named Taira and Minamoto.

Daimyo who were much the same to the Dukes in Europe were the second powerful authority in the country. Samurai were the fighters of these dukes. There were Ronin in the Samurai people who became masterless as their masters had committed suicide.

Samurai people were entitled with several special rights that the ordinary people did not have. As per the laws and rules of that time, a commoner was not licensed to carry any weapon with him, but Samurai were allowed to carry two swords together. Even if they made away with any common man for annoying them, no one was able to question them.

The Samurai tribe itself was categorized into three classes - the administrators who were named housemen, soldiers who were permitted to fight on horse back named mounted Samurai and the foot soldiers.

Over the years the role of the Samurai changed as they now became independent farmers who were limited to the citadels. They were also entitled to a certain percentage of the rice tax based on their ranks. The code of ethics followed by the Samurai class was known as Bushido which meant the way of the warrior. It was based around loyalty towards their leader called the daimyo.

Suppuku was a strange custom among the Samurai people which represented a ritual of suicide. This practice was performed either within a battle or outside the war in a public ceremony and was believed to be a honourable form of death. When the era of battles and feudalism came to an end in Japan, the Samurai caste changed into bureaucracy.

The term Samurai needs no explanation because of the fame they accomplished via different kinds of media and fictions. Their history and life triggers curiosity in anyone outside Japan. Their strange practices and the perfect discipline are hard to swallow for the people around the world.

The Samurai life had a great influence on the Japanese art of those times because of the power and position they possessed in the society. Their life, history and culture had been illustrated in the Japanese art works with all the charm. These arts catch the attention of everyone including those who are not at all familiar with the Japanese way of life.

Japanese Samurai artwork is an integral part of being a traditional warrior. If you would like to learn more about Japanese love symbols click on the preceding text links.

categories: japan,samurai,martial arts,combat,sports,art,painting,culture,society,homes,family,kids

Tags: art, combat, culture, family, homes, japan, kids, Martial Arts, painting, Samurai, society, sports

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