Samurai - Warriors of Feudal Japan

The feudal lords of Japan hired fighters for their security and protection. They were basically members of the Japanese army and were commonly known as ‘Bushi’. These warriors served their masters with a unique philosophy that was called ‘Bushido’ meaning the ‘Way of the Warrior’. The basic idea behind this was to stay faithful to their masters, observe proper self discipline and behave morally.

One of the most unique and famous aspects of their way of living was the custom of committing suicide if they get defeated. This shows their determination and passion for the work. They were fully devoted towards serving their masters and didn’t care about their lives for that purpose.

Samurai used a wide variety of different weapons during fights, which included bows, arrows and spears. Samurai history is particularly known for the highly professional fighting techniques of the Samurai warriors, especially with their unique swords.

Samurai gained power during the feudal era of Japanese history when the rulers needed warriors to protect their land and belongings. As the power of these feudal lords grew, there was a dynamic increase in the fights fought among themselves for more property and power, and hence the importance of Samurai increased.

When there were no wars, the Samurai used to be engaged in other tasks such as farming. They placed great significance on learning and focused a lot on studying different topics such as strategic planning, calligraphy, poetry, war craft and art.
After thousands of years, even today these Samurai warriors and their fighting skills are greatly cherished. Their fans still practice those fighting techniques in various combats and reenactments. There are proper training institutes where students are given training about the Samurai fighting methods and the use of their various weapons. Exact replicas of Samurai weapons and swords are available which makes the present day practices and sword fights even more realistic and dramatic.