History of Samurai Essay -- Samurai Japanese Warriors Essays

History of Samurai The Japanese warrior, kn feature as the samurai, has played a signifi johnt role in Japans history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced rump to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down all over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their developing to nowadays. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most noteworthy group of warriors of all times.Looking back in time, the prime(prenominal) Japanese battles recorded are in the first few centuries AD. At this time Japanese warriors went across the sea to Korea to patron one kingdom battling twain rival kingdoms. Four hundred work force set out and fought on foot carrying their bows, spears and swords. They were quickly beaten by warriors attacking on horseback. They probably had never seen an attack like that before, with horses world ridden. Even though there were horses in Japan they had not been use for riding or fighting, but to help in carrying and pulling goods. In the next century, however, there is evidence that horses were being ridden and used in state of war by warriors who would later be called samurai (History Channel).The term samurai was first used in the 10th century and means those who serve. In the beginning it stood for manpower who guarded the capital for the Emperor, some where used as tax collectors. afterwards the word grew to include any military man who served a flop landlord, almost like a police force for that time. They would go approximately the countryside on horseback collecting taxes from the peasants, often this was in the act upon of rice. This capital helped the Emperor pay for his lavish life style. The word, samurai, quickly spread and was prize (and maybe feared a little) for the men it represented. The noblemen depended on the strength of the samurai. Since the ir power and riches was directly related to how much land they owned, the noblemen kept small armies of samurai to nurse their property from thieves and invaders. Eventually many noble families joined together to form clans that became more powerful than the emperor, who was the traditional head of the Japanese government (How Samurai create 11). In the 12th century the two most powerful clans were the Minomoto and the Taira. The two came to battle in 1160 w... ... in body and mind, to governing of the Emperors, to the study of the martial(a) arts. Their code of honor and loyalty are traditions that all Japanese venerate and try to live up to even today. The self sacrifice of ones own life for a common cause was even seen in human War II when Japanese pilots deliberately crashed their planes into United States ships anchored at osseous tissue Harbor. This was a devastating attack and can show the horror caused by revenge and their belief in sacrifice and honor. They were eve n called kamikaze pilots after the famous samurai battle of long ago. The influence of the samurai continues to be seen in Japan today in a positive way with the stories and legends of heroic samurai and the bushido as their guide. works CitedGaskin, Carol. and Hawkins, Vince. The Ways of the Samurai. New York Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 2003History of the Samurai. http//home.online.no/p-loeand/samurai/hist-eng.htmHow Samurai Work. http//science.howstuffworks.com/samurai.htmThe History Channel The Samurai. Videocassette. A&E Television Networks, 2003. 100 min.Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai, The World of the Warrior. Oxford Osprey Publishing, 2003