Surely you are familiar with the name of the Samurai, the Samurai is a weapon unique to Japan which was in use for warfare in the days of yore and is a symbol of Japanese society itself.
To know more history about the Samurai, it helps you read the article below that BeZhare write it, which may increase your knowledge.
The term
Samurai (侍), was originally referred to "a person who served the nobility." In the Nara era (710-784), the term is pronounced and then became Saburai saburau. In addition there is also another term that refers to the bushi samurai. The term bushi (武士) meaning "one who is armed / military people", first appeared in the Shoku Nihongi (続 日本 纪), on the note was written "in general, the people and the warriors (bushi) is a state treasure." Then the next term and bushi samurai became synonymous in the late 12th century (Kamakura period). In the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573 - 1600) and early Edo period (1603), the term Saburai turned into a samurai who later changed meaning to "those who serve."
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- Samurai History
In the military historical records in Japan, there is data that describes that the Nara era (710-784), Japanese military forces following the existing models in China by imposing mandatory militer9 and under the direct command of the Emperor. The regulation imposed is every adult male both from the farmers and nobles, except slaves, are required to attend military service. The material is very heavy regulation, because the representatives or the military should equip themselves so much to give up material and does not comply with these regulations. In addition, also at that time the farmers were also burdened taxpayers heavy enough so that they escape from this obligation. Forces are then formed from the draft is known as sakimori (防 人), which literally means "defender", but the army has nothing to do with samurai who is on the next day.
After 794 years, when the capital moved from Nara to Heian (Kyoto), the nobility enjoyed during the past 150 years of prosperity under the reign of the emperor. However, local governments established by the central government put pressure on the majority of the population are farmers. A very heavy tax raises rebellion in these areas, and require small farmers to join the landlords who have influence to obtain a larger income. Due to the unsafe state of the country, looting against landlords ensued both in the region and in the capital that forced the owners shoen (private property), arming families and farmers. These conditions which gave birth to the military class known as samurai.
Toryo Group (warlord) under the leadership of Taira and Minamoto families emerged as a winner in Japan, the West and East, but they each other for power. The central government, in this case the Fujiwara family, unable to cope with this polarization, which resulted in termination of power of the nobility.
Emperor Gonjo known anti-Fujiwara, held a power struggle and concentrate political power of the o-tera, known as insei Seiji. Emperor Shirakawa, emperor replace Gonjo finally made the o-tera as a political headquarters. The wily, he took advantage o-tera as a function of religious and political functions.
Army guards o-tera, souhei (僧 兵) ever he forms, including a donation of land (shoen) on o-tera. Was complete o-tera qualify as "state" in the country. As a result, anti-government groups o emperor who held the resistance-tera by utilizing the Taira and Minamoto groups that are fighting.
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| 2 type of Samurai |
Taira and Minamoto involvement in this dispute background on the unrest that occurred in court concerning the seizure of the throne, between the Fujiwara and the emperor's pro and KOTRA against o-tera. The war between the Minamoto, who sided with o-tera against the Taira, who sided with the court, appearing in two big battles which Hogen War (1156) and the Heiji War (1159).
The battle finally won by the Taira that marks a major change in the structure of political power. For the first time, the samurai emerged as a political force in the palace.
Taira also appoint himself as kuge (公家 - royal kingdom), as well as strengthen its position samurai. Most of his family given the important position and was crowned as royalty.
Taira family pride eventually led to a high-level political conspiracy between the Minamoto family (which has the support of the aristocracy) to the emperor Shirakawa, which eventually led the Minamoto family founded the first military government in Kamakura (Kamakura Bakufu; from 1192 to 1333).
When Minamoto Yoritomo died in 1199, power was taken over by the Hojo family who are followers of Taira. During the leadership of the Hojo family (1199 -1336), the teachings of Zen in and developed among the samurai. The samurai express Zen as a philosophy and guide their lives.
In 1274, the Mongols came to attack Japan. The samurai who are not accustomed to fighting in groups with an effort to anticipate the attacks of the Mongols. To anticipate the attacks of the Mongols of the second (1281), the samurai build defensive walls in Hakata bay (beach landings Mongolian nation) and adopt the tactics of attack tonight. Overall, a tactic to fight the samurai was not able to provide a means for the destruction of the Mongol army, which uses large-scale siege tactics, fast motion, and use new weapons (with the use of gunpowder). In the end, wind topanlah which destroyed the Mongol fleet, and prevent the Mongols to occupy Japan. The Japanese call it kamikaze wind (wind god).
Two things are gained from the invasion of the Mongols is the importance of mobilization of troops on a large scale infantry, cavalry and weaknesses of the bow in the face of an attacker. As a result, samurai gradually replace the bow-arrow with a "sword" as the main weapon of the samurai. At the beginning of the 14th century, swords and spears became the main weapon among warlords.
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| Samurai Warrior |
In the Muromachi period (1392 - 1573), stained with the Kyoto palace splitting into two, namely the North Palace in Kyoto and the South Palace in Nara. Over 60 years of bitter dispute between the North Palace against the South Palace (nambokuchō tairitsu).
This contradiction gives the impact of the stronger position of the farmers and local landowners (Shugo daimyo) and the weakness of the Ashikaga shogunate in central government. At this time, Ashikaga can not control the local daimyo. They reinforce each other's position and power in their respective territories.
Each Han13 as if bound in a small states threaten each other. This situation gave birth to the long crisis in the form of war between local landlords or Sengoku jidai (1568-1600). But this long crisis is really a crystallization screening or national unifying figure, the figure who could subjugate local landlords, as well as unite Japan as a "national state" under a strong central government. These figures are General Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Nobunaga Oda, a descendant of the daimyo of Owari region and an expert on military strategy, begin to destroy their enemies by means mastering Kinai region, ie Osaka as a commercial center, Kobe as a gateway of trade with foreign countries, Nara which is the "rice granary", and Kyoto is the center of the Muromachi Bakufu government and the imperial court.
The most important strategy is Oda Nobunaga engaged with the involvement of religion to achieve his ambition. Portuguese traders who brought the Christian religion, was given the freedom to spread the religion throughout Japan. Oda strategic objective in this case is that he is freely able to obtain firearms are bought and sold in a Portuguese trading ships, as well as monopolize trade with foreign parties. With the possession of firearms (the most sophisticated in those days), Oda will be able to subdue its enemies more quickly and maintain the territory that they have learned and formed a solid central government.
Oda Nobubunaga Azuchi Momoyama castle built in 1573 after successfully dropping the Muromachi Bakufu. Oda Strategy by protecting the Christian religion brought heartache for Buddhists. In the end, he was murdered by his own followers, Akechi Mitsuhide, a Buddhist fanatic, in 1582 in Honnoji, before he managed to unify all of Japan.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who is a loyal follower Oda, continue the unification of Japan, and its task is completed in 1590 by conquering the Hojo family in Odawara and family in Kyushu Shimaru three years earlier.
There are two important rules issued by Toyotomi: taiko kenchi (land ownership regulations) and garirei katana (sword disarmament regulations) for farmers. Both these regulations are strategically intended to "control" the wealth of the landlords and the control of the farmers not to engage in armed resistance or rebellion.
The success of Toyotomi conquer all landlords to bring its own problems. The spirit to win the war with forces that are not channeled energy to bring the internal threats that lead to the disintegration of military families who are not satisfied with the victory Toyotomi. In this the Toyotomi channel these powerful forces to invade Korea in 1592 and 1597. Unfortunately this attack failed and Toyotomi's death in 1598, marks the beginning of the destruction of the Muromachi bakufu.
The tendency of subordinates to their superiors have behavior that is known gekokujō has emerged when Toyotomi Korean attack. At that time, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to strengthen its position in eastern Japan, especially in Edo (Tokyo). This crisis sparked a major war between the groups who sided with Toyotomi daimyo daimyo sided against the Tokugawa at Sekigahara battlefield in 1600. The victory was in hand after another with the establishment of the Tokugawa bakufu in Edo in 1603.
- Samurai in Edo era
Samurai in the Edo period that obligation to serve the feudal landlords each with two ways. First, run the task of soldiering in peacetime, the daimyo castle keep, guard daimyo when he went to Edo and back from Edo16, and provide troops that can use the daimyo to maintain their land.
However, after successfully realize the order in Tokugawa Japan in the 17th century, the samurai were mostly administrative duties, in this case is the financial administration such as raising revenues in the form of rice or cash to pay allowances, home care official in Edo, and pay cost of travel to Edo every year.
Because the samurai no longer be relied upon to fight, shogun and daimyo did not want to eliminate the value of loyalty and courage samurai, but fighting and revenge from generation to generation, often occurs and merupakanbagian of samurai life that do not fit in a safe and peaceful society was being erected. Bakufu then take firm action against perpetrators of fights and prohibits retaliation. To push for the samurai willing to accept change, then the benefits provided. In the 18th century, officials receive additional allowances to supplement salaries. Good work becomes a consideration for a promotion, which opens the possibility for increased office.
In addition, moral education, ethics, and general knowledge began to be introduced. Until then most of the samurai, especially high-ranking samurai getting an education on an individual basis. Education, among others, knowledge of ethics in addition to using the weapon skill, following knowledge of reading and writing. The role of bureaucracy in life has become the norm, the bosses want the values of more than a samurai. As the nobility in the Nara and Heian era, they must have a moral attitude that "true" if they want to get a role in government. Especially need to understand the teachings of Confucius classics, therefore bakufu and the daimyo began to establish education places where these things can be learned. There are fifteen places of education which was established in 1700.
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