Samurai Myths

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Samurai were a caste in the 1600s that were highly respected warriors in japan. Most samurai had masters, those who didn’t were called ronin and were known to be trouble later in the 1600s(Samurai - Japanese Warriors). Many myths have been growing around the idea of the samurai for a long time now. Some of these myths were that the katana or the samurai’s sword were actually their main weapon as well as soul of samurai. This idea and myth has been growing since samurai first became popularized in media(Misconceptions of the Japanese Sword). Throughout this essay I’ll be talking about the origin of the samurai, the way they lived, talking about their swords, martial arts and explaining the Bushido code or code of conduct that they follow. …show more content…

At this time warriors and fighters such as the samurai were increasingly becoming popular amongst wealthy landowners who were building armies and hiring warriors for their tasks. Eventually the more powerful landowners including the Minamotos used their samurai to battle the government. After the battle was won by Minamoto Yoritomo they set up a new governmental system led by the shogun (Samurai - Japanese Warriors). This system permitted a samurai rule for another 700 years. “During the chaotic era of warring states in the 15th and 16th centuries, Japan splintered into dozens of independent states constantly at war with one another. Consequently, warriors were in high demand” Many movies portraying samurai and some certain misleading facts within these movies were set in this time. Following this time Japan eventually reunited under the Edo period where a long time of peace followed. This caused samurai to stop learning martial defensive skills and many were found even selling their swords for money and to survive. Other found new jobs within or out of the government (Samurai - Japanese Warriors). “ More than a few samurai were reduced to selling their sword blades to survive, or found work as seedy bouncers, hired thugs or highwaymen… the Edo period was largely one of peace and the sword saw little use outside circumstances of petty revenge or crime.” (Misconceptions of the Japanese Sword). With the decline of the samurai caste and the holding peace within the Edo period, the samurai caste eventually stopped being what it was meant to be and eventually diminished as a whole in 1868 where samurai eventually ceased to

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