Samurai and the Global Warrior Class

 

Part I: The Noble Warrior in a Feudal World

 

 

 

How common is the noble-class warrior?

 

• In 1279, England made it illegal to wear a suit of armor in the houses of Parliament.

  • In the United Kingdom today, the House of Lords still exists for Lord-title holders.

• On March 28, 1876, the Haitorei Edict, or Sword Abolishment Edict, was issued. It “prohibited people, with the exception of the military and law enforcement officials, from carrying weapons in public. Violators would have their swords confiscated.” (Hatiorei Edict)

  • Samurai were not law enforcement officials, but made up the ranks of the shogunate government. This effectively barred them from entering government houses with swords.

     

 

 

The World of Feudalism

 

• Throughout the middle ages in Europe, feudalism was a the system in which economic, political and social institutions were arranged.

• From Spain to Russia and everything in between, feudalism, and knighthood, occurred in it's history.

  • Politically, the King (or other title to sovereign) head and led the state. However, his power was weak and therefore supported by the elites, the noble class. The nobles and everyone below swore fealty to everyone above them: Peasants to their Lords and Lords to their King.

  • Lords had power over their domain and the King over the Lords.

  • Economically, feudal states were overwhelmingly agarian.

  • The state was set up to support the nobles and King. The sources of income was the land, which provided food and material. The King was the “owner” of the fief (land), who leased it to the lords, who leased it to the peasants. The peasants were obligated to provide their goods and services to their lords.

• The King and nobles, therefore had obligations to protect their lands and peoples. The King was the Lord above the lords, who was the top warrior. Therefore, nobles were, theoretically, warriors themselves.

  • Over time, this changed as more and more nobles became concerned with their wealth than their obligations to the people. Knights were still made up of the nobility, but the amount of nobles functioning as knights dramatically decreased. This is best exemplified by the first French Revolution.

• Noble families therefore became warriors, most commonly known as knights

   

 

 

Chivalry – The Way of the European Knight

 

• The code of knighthood

  • The word chivalry is the parent word from which “calvary” is derived

• Training began in youth, young men were graduated to knighthood under fealty to King

• Armies were made up of knights, who constituted what's now know as the soldier

• The position of knighthood was hereditary, therefore only the son of a knight could be a knight.

• Also took part in governance to varying degrees

• Noble class positions

• Richard the Lionheart was even a knight, Kings were first and foremost considered to be warriors.

   

 

 

 

Part II: The Social Stratification in Japan

 

 

 

• Toyotomi Hideyoshi stopped social mobility, permanent social classes

  • VERY fluid and loosely defined class system

  • Only approved clans could be samurai clans,

  • He benefited from social mobility – he was a peasant who rose to Shogun

• This produced a rigid caste system.

  • Emperor was atop

  • Samurai and Daimyo headed the “humans”

  • Samurai lived in different sections of the cities, away from lower castes

• This led to more ronin as only a select few clans were allowed to be “samurai”

  • Many more ronin appear after the opening of Japan

     

 

Part III: The Samurai Class

 

a) The Role of Samurai

 

• “Live by the blade, die by the blade”

• Serve one's daimyo and protect his land.

• Fight for the emporer in army

• After unification, samurai gradually lost their military role, save for minor campaigns

  • They began to take bureaucratic roles in the Tokugawa Shogunate

  • They even took up the arts and crafts – becoming the educated elite

     

 

b) The History of Samurai (very short)

 

 

 

• Samurai have their origins in the earliest times of Japan.

  • Earliest known reference to them is in the Kokinshu – an early collection of imperial poems

• Taika reform – brought Chinese-styled bureaucratic centralization to Japan

  • Conscripted army – 1 in every 3-4 males required to join army with their own weapons – didn't last long

  • Emperor's powers decrease, clans begin amassing power, raise their own soliders

  • Exiles go into countryside, hired by landowners for protection

  • Soon become only armed party in conflicts

    • Some samurai clans started by farmers

  • Develop “The Way of the Warrior”

• Accumulate political and military power for their importance

• During shogunate government, samurai flourished

  

  • Once shogunates collapsed, chaos ensued and samurai flourished

     

 

Samurai under The Three Unifiers (Oda, Toyotomi and Tokugawa)

 

• Oda begins campaign to unify Japan – age of warring states begins to end

  • Toyotomi Hideyoshi completes unification

  • Secures roads, redevelops administration, rounds up weapons from non-samurai

• Samurai have fixed place in society under Toyotomi and Tokugawa shogunates

  • Only samurai could have swords

  • Anyone else caught with sword would be killed by their own blade

• Tokugawa codifies Bushido into feudal law

   

 

Bakumatsu – 1853

 

• Opening of Japan by Commodore Perry

• Shogunate opens its doors to French military expedition, modernize army

• Shogunate collapses, emperor resumes control

   

 

Boshin War – 1868 – 1869

 

 

 

• Between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court.

• Some clans went to shogunate side, others went to Meiji side

• In 14 years, great advancements had taken place

  • Fought mostly with guns, cannons, battle uniforms, and other fixtures of armies of the period

  • Each side fought using Western methods and techniques, mostly from France

• Shogunate side lost – shogunate, samurai and the rest of the castes are abolished

   

 

 

c) The Way of the Samurai

 

 

 

• Bushido Shoshinshu is the code of samurai conduct

  • Developed between the Heian and Tokugawa ages, codified into law during Tokugawa

• Based on seven virtues: Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honor, Honesty, Loyalty

• Rank of samurai is attained and symbolized by daisho, the two swords

  • Katana was the long sword for combat, wakizashi was the short sword used for suicide as well as close combat. Tanto was a dagger that was used when wearing armor.

  • Also skilled with the bow, yari (spear) and later, firearms

  • Used horses

• Kenjutsu is the art of using katana in combat

• In combat, samurai called out family name, rank and accomplishments

• Severed the heads of opponents as proof of victory.

• Ritual suicide – seppuku and hara-kiri, to avoid bringing shame and dishonor to family name

  • Avoiding capture after defeat in battle, atone misdeed and even to admonish his lord

  • If daimyo was killed or otherwise disposed from power, the samurai was expected to commit suicide. Those who did not were ronin

  • Assisted by kaishakunin, the second swordsman who cut the head of the samurai, beheading was a grave offense

  • Jumonji giri – seppuku without assistance, reserved for extremely dishonorable offenses or

• When classes become castes, only samurai could come from approved families

   

 

 

 

Part IV: Notice any similarities?

 

 

 

• The knight and the samurai are almost identical

  • Code of Conduct: Chivalry and Bushido

  • Sword-wielding

  • Suits of armor

  • Hereditary, noble positions

  • Apprenticeship

  • Illegitimates: black knight and ronin

     

 

 

Part V: “The Last Samurai”

 

• The 2003 film is loosely based on the Satsuma Rebellion and Jules Brunet

  • Romanticized portrayal of the uprising, both sides used then-modern technology and tactics

• There are instances of non-Japanese becoming samurai, especially French military officers

  • Jules Brunet

  • Eugène Collache

    • both granted daisho by Shogun, Collache fought in kamino

       

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2007/11/07/noindex/nlaws106.xml

http://hubpages.com/hub/Japanese-Katana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitorei_edict

Medieval Feudalism: http://www.archive.org/details/mediavelfeudalis006821mbp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai

http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/bushido/bindex.html

http://www.win.net/ratsnest/archive-articles21/fog0000000384.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_of_Japan

 

The Great White Samurais:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugène_Collache

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Brunet