The Fashion of Warriors
9/2/13
Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Samurai | PBS
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Sam urai warriors em erged as an elite force in Japan's prov inces during the early 1 0th century . Recruited by local chieftains, these fighting forces were m aintained long enough to wage a specific war, after which the soldiers would return to their lands to till the soil. With Japan's em peror liv ing in the ancient capital of Ky oto and unable to m aintain control of the prov inces, the sam urai clans established them selv es as v iable political entities. By the late 1 2 th century , sam urai lords ruled both the prov inces and central Japan. They m aintained their influence until the m id-1 87 0's when the sam urai class was outlawed and their priv ileged status was dissolv ed.
Samurai warriors were at the top of the social order
CASTE POSITION The sam urai class, "shim in," form ed Japan's top elite, and were the only caste granted the priv ilege of wearing two swords and hav ing two nam es—a fam ily and a first nam e. The shoguns and daim y o lords were m em bers of the shim in caste. THEN & NOW Modern Japan still m aintains a culture based on the concepts of
1/3
The rigorous training of a sam urai warrior began in childhood. Sam urai school was a unique com bination of phy sical training, Chinese studies, poetry and spiritual discipline. The y oung warriors studied Kendo ("the Way of the Sword"), the m oral code of the sam urai, and Zen
www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo_8.html
9/2/13
Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Samurai | PBS
Buddhism . Sam urai were expected to liv e according to Bushido ("The Way of the Warrior"), a strict ethical code influenced by Confucianism that stressed loy alty to one's m aster, respect for one's superior, ethical behav ior in all aspects of life and com plete self-discipline. Girls also receiv ed m artial arts training. Although m ost sam urai wom en did not fight on the
Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Samurai | PBS
Search
Support for PBS.org provided by:
What's this?
Sam urai warriors em erged as an elite force in Japan's prov inces during the early 1 0th century . Recruited by local chieftains, these fighting forces were m aintained long enough to wage a specific war, after which the soldiers would return to their lands to till the soil. With Japan's em peror liv ing in the ancient capital of Ky oto and unable to m aintain control of the prov inces, the sam urai clans established them selv es as v iable political entities. By the late 1 2 th century , sam urai lords ruled both the prov inces and central Japan. They m aintained their influence until the m id-1 87 0's when the sam urai class was outlawed and their priv ileged status was dissolv ed.
Samurai warriors were at the top of the social order
CASTE POSITION The sam urai class, "shim in," form ed Japan's top elite, and were the only caste granted the priv ilege of wearing two swords and hav ing two nam es—a fam ily and a first nam e. The shoguns and daim y o lords were m em bers of the shim in caste. THEN & NOW Modern Japan still m aintains a culture based on the concepts of
1/3
The rigorous training of a sam urai warrior began in childhood. Sam urai school was a unique com bination of phy sical training, Chinese studies, poetry and spiritual discipline. The y oung warriors studied Kendo ("the Way of the Sword"), the m oral code of the sam urai, and Zen
www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo_8.html
9/2/13
Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Samurai | PBS
Buddhism . Sam urai were expected to liv e according to Bushido ("The Way of the Warrior"), a strict ethical code influenced by Confucianism that stressed loy alty to one's m aster, respect for one's superior, ethical behav ior in all aspects of life and com plete self-discipline. Girls also receiv ed m artial arts training. Although m ost sam urai wom en did not fight on the