Samurai

Bushido

It demanded loyalty to one’s lord, courage and self-control. As a fixed term it spread mainly in the Edo period.

💡 Did you know? It became world famous only in 1900 through the English book “Bushido: The Soul of Japan” by Nitobe Inazō.

Katana

It was worn in the sash with the edge upward, so that it could be drawn and swung in a single movement.

💡 Did you know? Its curve only appears during hardening, because the edge cools differently from the back.

Wakizashi

It stayed in the sash indoors, when the long sword had to be left at the entrance.

💡 Did you know? Unlike the long sword, commoners in the Edo period were sometimes allowed to wear a wakizashi, for example when travelling.

Daishō

The name combines “dai” for large and “shō” for small. It was the visible mark of the warrior class.

💡 Did you know? The two swords were often made as a set with matching fittings.

Yoroi

It consisted of many small plates of iron or leather, lacquered and laced together with silk cords.

💡 Did you know? The lacquer protected the plates from rust and rot in Japan’s damp climate.

Kabuto

A neck guard of lames hung from its rim. Many lords had it fitted with striking crests so they could be recognised in the melee.

💡 Did you know? Date Masamune wore a helmet with a large golden crescent moon.

Kaishakunin

He stood behind the dying man and struck at the agreed moment to spare him a long death struggle.

💡 Did you know? A stroke that did not sever the head completely but left it hanging by a strip of skin was considered especially skilful.

Daimyo

In the Edo period there were about 260 such domains. Each lord maintained his own army of samurai.

💡 Did you know? Every other year the lords had to live in Edo at the shogun’s court, and their families stayed there as hostages.

Shogun

Three families in turn headed the great shogunates: the Minamoto, the Ashikaga and the Tokugawa.

💡 Did you know? The full title means roughly “great general who subdues the barbarians”.

Ronin

If the lord died or his domain was confiscated, his retainers lost both their status and their income.

💡 Did you know? The word literally means “wave man”, someone who drifts like a wave on the sea.

Hagakure

A younger samurai spent years writing down what the old retainer of the Nabeshima house told him.

💡 Did you know? The title means “hidden by the leaves”.

1876

The Haitōrei Edict took away the former samurai’s most important mark of rank. Only soldiers and police were still allowed to carry swords.

💡 Did you know? In the same year the samurai’s rice stipends were converted into one-off government bonds.

Yabusame

The rider lets go of the reins, steers with the knees and shoots at three wooden targets in turn.

💡 Did you know? Yabusame is still performed today at shrines such as Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura.

Kamon

It usually showed a simple, round motif of plants, animals or symbols and appeared on banners, armour and clothing.

💡 Did you know? The Tokugawa crest, three aoi leaves in a circle, was known throughout the land.

Akira Kurosawa

Seven masterless warriors defend a farming village against bandits. The film runs for more than three hours.

💡 Did you know? In 1960 Hollywood turned it into the western “The Magnificent Seven”.

Meiji Restoration

Power returned to the young Emperor Meiji. Japan abolished the domains and modernised along Western lines.

💡 Did you know? Of all people, samurai from Satsuma and Chōshū led the overthrow that abolished their own class.