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Samurai
Click here, you will see the picture of samurai at that moment.
The samurai were the members of the military class, the Japanese warriors.
Their importance and influence grew during the Heian Period (794-1185) when the powerful landowners hired them for the protection of their properties. In the latter phase of the Heian period, the most powerful military families, the Minamoto and Taira, had taken over political control over Japan and fought wars for supremacy. When shogun Minamoto Yoritomo established a new government in Kamakura in 1192, the shogun (the highest military officer) became the ruler of Japan.
The samurai stood at the top of the social hierarchy and had many privileges. On the other hand, he was supposed to be a good example to the lower classes by following the principles of Bushido (the way of the warrior). Some of a samurai's most important principles were loyalty to his master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. After a defeat or another dishonourable event, many samurai chose to commit suicide by cutting their abdomen with a sword in order to preserve their honour. Such ritual suicide is called seppuku (or harakiri).
During the Edo Period, which was an era of peace, most samurai had nothing to fight anymore and dedicated themselves also to intellectual studies such as literature, history or the tea ceremony. Especially during the 17th century, masterless and unemployed samurai (ronin) caused some problems to the government.
After the Meiji Restoration (1868), the samurai class disappeared.
The sword (katana) is the distinguishing mark of the samurai. Please visit the sword page for more information.
You can also find the text on the ways of samurai from this url