The Samurai and Bushido

TOP: A samurai in formal dress with a drawn dagger and an inset of Edo Castle are pictured in this color woodcut.

Courtesy of the Wellcome Collection. BOTTOM: A photo of an armored samurai wielding his sword, taken around 1860.

Photo by Felice Beato from the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The samurai were members of a powerful military class in medieval Japan. They began as

warriors in the countryside before rising to power in the 12th century.

In the country’s first military dictatorship, known as the shogunate, the samurai followed the

orders of a shogun, a type of military general. Soon, the shoguns became the most

powerful leaders in the country.

Later on, many of the samurai would enter the top ranks of politics and industry in modern

Japan. More importantly, the traditional samurai code of honor, discipline and morality

known as bushido, or “the way of the warrior," was revived. It was made to be the basic

code of conduct for much of Japanese society.

Early samurai worked as guards

During the Heian Period (794-1185), the samurai worked as guards for wealthy

landowners, an example of feudalism. The word “samurai” roughly translates to “those

who serve.”

By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.17.17

Word Count 951

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Beginning in the mid-12th century, real political power in Japan shifted from the emperor in

Kyoto to the wealthy landowners in the countryside. These wealthy large families, or clans,

fought for control. A samurai, Minamoto Yoshitsune, led his clan to victory against their

enemy, the Taira clan.

The leader of the Minamoto clan, Yoritomo, gained control of the state and established the

center of government at Kamakura. It was a military dictatorship, which shifted all real

political power in Japan to the samurai. Yoritomo depended on the samurai so he could

appear strong, and he went to great lengths to make the samurai an elite, special group.

No one could call himself a samurai without Yoritomo’s permission.

Samurai followed Zen Buddhism

Many samurai followed the Zen Buddhist religion at this time. It had simple rituals, and

held that salvation would come from within a person. Many samurai already lived by this

code of behavior.

Also during the Kamakura period, the sword came to have a great significance in samurai

culture. A man’s honor was said to come from his sword, and the craftsmanship of swords

became an art in itself.

After many battles against foreign enemies, the Kamakura Shogunate began to weaken

near the end of the 13th century. It eventually fell to a rebellion led by Ashikaga Takauji.

Japan in conflict

The Ashikaga Shogunate began around 1336. For the next two centuries, Japan was in a

near-constant state of conflict between clans. Around 1467–77, the Ashikaga shoguns

ceased to be effective. Japan lacked a strong central authority. Soon, local lords and their

samurai stepped in to maintain law and order.

Despite the political unrest, Japan was thriving. There was a golden age for Japanese art;

now-famous Japanese art forms such as the tea ceremony, rock gardens and flower

arranging flourished, as did theater and painting.

A period of war finally ended in 1615 under Tokugawa Ieyasu, ushering in a 250-year-long

stretch of peace and prosperity in Japan. For the first time, the samurai took on the

responsibility of governing through traditional civil means rather than through military force.

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Samurai began to absorb the principles of Confucianism, a more conservative faith that

emphasized loyalty and duty. That religion slowly started to eclipse Buddhism as the

predominant faith.

Japanese people followed principles of bushido

During this period, the principles of bushido emerged as a general code of conduct for

Japanese people. Bushido still emphasized military skills and fearlessness in the face of

an enemy. But it also emphasized frugality, kindness, honesty and care for one’s family

members, particularly one’s elders.

In 1588, the right to carry swords was restricted only to samurai. This created an even

greater separation between them and the farmer-peasant class. The wealth of many

samurai actually declined during the Tokugawa Shogunate, and samurai began to get

frustrated.

In the mid-19th century, the Tokugawa regime started to become unstable. The lower

classes suffered from famine, and began to resist.

In 1858, Japan signed a treaty with the United States, and later opened up trade with

Russia, Britain, France and Holland. The controversial decision for free trade was met with

anger by conservative forces in Japan, who hoped to preserve local traditions.

Feudalism was abolished

Powerful clans combined efforts to topple the Tokugawa Shogunate and announce an

“imperial restoration” named for Emperor Meiji in early 1868. Feudalism was officially

abolished in 1871; five years later, the wearing of swords was forbidden to anyone except

members of the national armed forces. Samurai suffered significant financial loss. The new

Japanese national army quashed several samurai rebellions during the 1870s, while some

disgruntled samurai joined secret societies. Among them: the Black Dragon Society,

whose goal was to cause trouble in China so that the samurai could have a reason to

invade.

In the wake of the Meiji Restoration, Shinto was made the state religion of Japan and

bushido was adopted as its ruling moral code. By 1912, Japan had a stronger army and

economy, and the country was recognized as one of the “Big Five” powers alongside

Britain, the U.S., France and Italy at the Versailles peace conference.

One of the world's greatest powers

Japan’s aggressive military traditions were revived in the 1930s. This led to Japan’s

entrance into World War II. During that conflict, Japanese soldiers brought antique samurai

swords into battle. They made suicidal “banzai” attacks, which followed a bushido

principle: one should die before they admit defeat or dishonor.

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At war’s end, Japan again drew on its strong sense of honor, discipline and devotion to a

common cause. Only this time, respect wasn't directed toward the lords or shoguns of the

past: it was toward the emperor and the country. From this, Japan rebuilt itself and

reemerged as one of the world’s greatest economic and industrial powers in the latter 20th

century.

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Quiz

1 Read the sentence from the section "Samurai followed Zen Buddhism."

A man’s honor was said to come from his sword, and the

craftsmanship of swords became an art in itself.

How does the word "art" affect the TONE of the sentence?

(A) It conveys the idea that samurai swords were often hung in museums.

(B) It conveys the sense of skill and mastery associated with samurai swords.

(C) It conveys the idea that samurai were creative and emotional people.

(D) It conveys the sense of freedom and carelessness associated with the

samurai.

2 Read the paragraph from the section "Japan in conflict."

Despite the political unrest, Japan was thriving. There was a golden

age for Japanese art; now-famous Japanese art forms such as the tea

ceremony, rock gardens and flower arranging flourished, as did

theater and painting.

Which word from the paragraph gives context for the meaning of "flourished"?

(A) unrest

(B) thriving

(C) forms

(D) arranging

3 Which of the following MOST changed the role of the samurai in Japanese society?

(A) the Zen Buddhist religion

(B) the Heian Period (794-1185)

(C) the "imperial restoration"

(D) the Black Dragon society

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4 Which of the following answer choices BEST describes how bushido was connected to

Japan's role in the world in the 20th century?

(A) The code of bushido suffered when samurai began forming and meeting

with secret societies, but was improved when Japan signed a treaty with the

United States early in the century.

(B) The code of bushido suffered after wearing swords was forbidden to anyone

not in the armed forces, and Japan lost World War II because it had turned

its back on bushido principles.

(C) The code of bushido led to international strength and success early in the

century, but the country's sense of respect for the code was damaged by

World War II soldiers bringing samurai swords into battle.

(D) The code of bushido helped Japan build international strength and success

at the beginning and end of the century, but also caused soldiers to carry

out suicidal attacks during World War II.

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