The samurai, or bushi, were the warrior class in Japan. They started between the 9th and 12th centuries, and were abolished in 1876, after declining in power. The term "samurai" meant "those who serve". They chiefly fought on horseback, using bows and arrows and a newly designed sword, based on curved swords that some of their enemies used which were better to slice from horseback.
Equipment
The samurai weapons include the katana, the wakizashi and the tanto.They wore strange,ugly masks to scare their enemies. The leather armour was lighter than metal, and did not rust. Their helmets were often scented with incense to keep them smelling nice.
click here for more armour info!
What they did
The warrior samurai fought for their emperor. Later on they were part of the ruling class in Japan. They were very good at killing people, and did not fear to die in a good cause.
Bushido
The samurai follow the code of Bushido (The Way Of The Warrior). They believe in honour, self discipline, justice, respect, duty, loyalty, sympathy and sincerity.
The code was so strong that anyone who violated it felt obliged to commit seppuku, a form of ritual suicide. They might also do it to avoid capture in battle, or if they had been defeated by an enemy. Generally the warrior would disembowel himself, and another samurai, often a friend, would slice his head off to end the pain.
History
The samurai, or bushi, were the warrior class in Japan. They started between the 9th and 12th centuries, and were abolished in 1876, after declining in power. The term "samurai" meant "those who serve". They chiefly fought on horseback, using bows and arrows and a newly designed sword, based on curved swords that some of their enemies used which were better to slice from horseback.Equipment
The samurai weapons include the katana, the wakizashi and the tanto.They wore strange,ugly masks to scare their enemies. The leather armour was lighter than metal, and did not rust. Their helmets were often scented with incense to keep them smelling nice.click here for more armour info!
What they did
The warrior samurai fought for their emperor. Later on they were part of the ruling class in Japan. They were very good at killing people, and did not fear to die in a good cause.Bushido
The samurai follow the code of Bushido (The Way Of The Warrior). They believe in honour, self discipline, justice, respect, duty, loyalty, sympathy and sincerity.The code was so strong that anyone who violated it felt obliged to commit seppuku, a form of ritual suicide. They might also do it to avoid capture in battle, or if they had been defeated by an enemy. Generally the warrior would disembowel himself, and another samurai, often a friend, would slice his head off to end the pain.
Bibliography
http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/bushido/bsamurai.htmlhttp://www.vikingmud.org/guilds/samurai/?bushido
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