Samurai << SAM u ry >> were members of the hereditary warrior class in Japan. The early samurai defended the aristocrats’ estates in the provinces. The samurai wore a protective helmet and armor. They used two curved swords, one long and one short.
During the 1000’s and 1100’s, the samurai began to develop a tradition of values and personal conduct called bushido. They valued horsemanship, skill with the bow, strong self-discipline, and bravery. Above all, they prized total obedience and loyalty to their lords, and personal honor. According to bushido, it was a dishonored samurai’s duty to die by ritual suicide.
The samurai became powerful after Yoritomo, the Minamoto clan leader, established the first bakufu or shogunate (warrior government) in 1185. Their military strength and administrative organization provided a foundation for a long period of relative stability.
From the mid-1400’s to late 1500’s, under the weak Ashikaga bakufu, the samurai plunged Japan into civil war. The greatest of the warriors, called daimyo, controlled vast territories.
After a period of control by daimyo, Japan was reunified in the late 1500’s. In 1603, the powerful Tokugawa bakufu was established. The samurai then influenced every part of life until the mid-1800’s, when the bakufu was overthrown by the Japanese emperor.
