It was venetrated by the bushi, or warrior class, and was worn as a badge of the samurai status. SAMURAI WEAPONS The Japanese sword is often considered an emblem of the samurais power and skill. Honor: a good name and reputation, self respect (A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. Loyalty: faithfulness, allegiance to master and cause (Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.

2 Important precepts in the Code of Bushido: 1. Bushido was based on the Japanese national tradition and religious heritage: largely Shinto and Buddhism. TWO FACTS ABOUT THE CODE OF BUSHIDO Bushido, literally the way of the warrior (Samurai), was a code of ethics of the warrior that would be analogous to the code of chivalry of the knights during the European feudal period. The Japanese samurai were the military retainers of a daimyo.

Under the shogun the next hierarchy were the daimyo, local rulers comparable to dukes in Europe. At that time the Japanese shogunate, a system of a military ruler, called the shogun was formed. The Japanese samurai warriors came into existence in the 12th century when two powerful Japanese clans fought bitter wars against each other - the Taira and the Minamato. At a certain period samurai warriors were even allowed to behead a commoner who had offended them. Commoners were not allowed to wear any weapons at all. They were allowed to wear two swords - a long one and a short one. SAMURAI Samurai is the word for a Japanese warrior class and for a member of this class. The Daimyo were wealthy people and second in the feudal system under the Shogun. The establishment of the shogunate (or bakufu) at the end of the twelfth century saw the beginning of samurai control of Japan for 700 years until the Meiji Restoration in the middle of the nineteenth century.ĭAIMYO The Daimyo are the great feudal landholders of Japan, the territorial barons as distinguished from the kuge, or court nobles.

SHOGUN OF JAPAN The title of shogun in Japan meant a military leader equivalent to general, and at various times in the first millennium shoguns held temporary power, but it became a symbol of military control over the county. In the Japanese Feudal system the Shogun ruled over the Daimyo who were head of the samurai.

Download for honor samurai