RESOURCE PAPER - 17

Samurai

by
Suguna Ramamoorthy

Dear Reader,
We are happy to present ‘Samurai’ to our discerning readers. The
bimonthly Resource Paper of IJCCI brings out a number of interestingand informative educational, cultural and economic aspects on Japanand Japan-India relations.
It is always interesting to read the history of a nation. For us, it gives asense of pride and happiness to present the readers the heroes of the past
and appreciate their heroism. Great Men may leave this world but their
heroic deeds remain in the hearts and minds of people for generations.
While understanding the history and the related incidents, one also
learns what and what not to follow. Like India, Japan had to face a lot ofinternal turbulence, face a number of wars and pay a heavy price before
attaining peace at the end.
As Nobuhiro Watsuki says “New eras don't come about because ofswords, they're created by the people who wield them. ” I am sure thereaders will find 'Samurai' very interesting.

01-03-2018

N. KumarPresidentSamurai

Samurai (bushi) are described as patriotic, powerful, disciplined,
highly respected, always carrying with him a tough appearance
and born to torment or kill people. This Resource Paper is anattempt to empathize with the ‘Japanese Samurai’. Before going
through the content, do not judge a Samurai; remember, he
always carries a sword with him .
Samurai, members of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan,
began as provincial warriors before rising to power in the 12th
century, with the beginning of the country's first military
dictatorship, known as the Shogunate. The samurai had
dominated the Japanese government and society until theabolition of the feudal system in 1873. Their teachings can still
be found today in everyday life and in modern martial arts.
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The term ‘samurai’ comes from the Japanese word Saburau,
meaning ‘to serve’, and was first used in A.D. 702 to describe
mid-to-low-ranking court administrators and later, the armed
imperial guards. Some clans were originally formed by farmers
who had taken up arms to protect themselves from the imperial
magistrates sent to govern their lands and collect taxes. Theseclans formed alliances to protect themselves against more
powerful clans. By the 10th century, when provincial governors
began offering heavy rewards for military service, the Samurai as
we know them, came into being.
The Heian Period
In the early 12th Century, the samurai gained a lot of money
power, man power and political power. As a result, the various
clans fought among themselves . Two particularly strong familygroups, the Taira and the Minamoto, stood out from the rest andwent on to influence Japanese politics, took part in the Hogen
Rebellion of 1156, a civil war fought over the disputed imperialline of succession following the death of Emperor Toba. The
conflict resulted in the Taira rising to power to form the firstsamurai-led government in the history of Japan. During the
Heian period (until 1185) samurai adopted characteristic
Japanese armor and weapons and were appointed by the Emperor
and non-warrior nobility. Zen Buddhism spread among thesamurai in the 13th century and helped to shape their standards ofconduct.
In 1274, the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty in China sent a force
of around 40,000 men and 900 ships to invade Japan in northern
Kyūshū. Japan mustered a mere 10,000 samurai to meet thisthreat. The invading army was harassed by severe thunderstorms
6throughout the invasion which aided the defenders by inflicting
heavy casualties. The Yuan army was then recalled and theinvasion was called off. The Mongol invaders are said to haveused small bombs, which was likely the first appearance of bombs
and gunpowder in Japan.
In 1281, again a Yuan army of 140,000 men with 5,000 ships
invaded Japan, which was only defended by a Japanese army of
40,000 samurai. When the Mongol army was still on its ships
preparing for the landing operation, a typhoon hit north Kyūshū
island and the casualties and damage inflicted by the typhoon,
followed by the Japanese defense of the Hakata Bay (Fukuoka
Port) barrier, resulted in the Mongols again recalling theirarmies. These winds became known as ‘kami-no-Kaze’,
meaning ‘wind of the gods’, which made the Japanese believethat their lands were indeed divine and protected bysupernatural powers.
Kamakura & Nanbokucho period
This era witnessed dramatic transformation in the politics,
society and culture of Japan. The government by warrior
chieftains (Shogun) or their regents, controlled the country
from their base in Kamakura, near modern Tokyo. While theEmperor remained the titular head of state reigning the country
in his capital in Kyoto (Japan had many national capitals in thepast), the Shoguns ruled the country (binary system ofgovernment). This endured for the next seven centuries. There
was a great deal of renaissance that took place during the period- the warrior class favoured artists, treated their subjects withgreat deal of honesty, resurgence of religious movements,
Kamakura Budhism reached the Japanese extensively and7intensively. This period is considered to be the Golden age forJapanese art - tea ceremony, rock gardens, flower arranging,theatre, painting etc. flourished during the period, until almost
the end of 14th century.
A period of unrest
From 15th century to early 17th century Japan witnessedwidespread conflict, both physical and social, among thedominant samurai clans of Japan. Japan splintered into dozens
of independent states constantly at war with one another.
Consequently, warriors were in high demand. It was also the era
when ninja warriors (belonged to the lower status of the Japanesesociety who followed unorthodox style of fighting) specialized in
unconventional warfare, were most active. The entire country
was engulfed in civil wars. Only the strong would survive, andstrength lay in assembling large armies and the most advanced
weapons. Foot soldiers learned to use traditional samurai
weapons such as the bow, while the samurai became adept withthe famed Katana sword. Although crude Chinese handguns
reached Japan by the early 16th century, the later introduction of
the European arquebus and its armor-piercing bullets caused a
revolution in warfare. The Japanese soon began producing theirown firearms. During the 16th century, samurai Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, through a series of successful political and military
campaigns, asserted control over entire Japan (1591). His power
was greater than that of any previous shogun. Samurai Hideyoshi
stretched himself thin with attempted conquests of China andKorea. Two years after Hideyoshi's death in 1598, a provincial
leader, samurai Tokugawa Ieyasu, defeated Hideyoshi's armies
and took control of the military government. Ieyasu's family line
ruled Japan through the mid-19th century.
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Civil War 1868-1869
In January 1868, the shogunate's army (Japan's military force)
numbering over 15,000 and primarily comprising of traditionalsamurai attacked the troops of Kyoto, the imperial capital. Whenthe pro-imperial troops won the two-day-long fight, several
important daimyos (feudal lords) switched their allegiance fromthe shogun to the Emperor. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu left
Osaka and withdrew to his own capital city of Edo (Tokyo).
Discouraged by his flight, the shogunal forces gave up theirdefense of Osaka Castle, which fell to imperial forces. Saigo
Takamori the ‘Last Samurai’, led the emperor's troops acrossJapan to encircle Edo in 1869 and the shogun's capital city
surrendered unconditionally a short time later. The well-armed
imperial troops under the leadership of samurai Saigo defeatedthe stubborn northern resistance of the shongunal forces and thus
the samurais surrendered and the Meiji Period began. The former
shogunal capital at Edo was renamed ‘Tokyo’, meaning‘Eastern Capital’.
End of the samurai clan
Japan had finally achieved an era of relative peace. The samurai
had no armies to fight, they became Shizoku (warrior families),
the right to wear a katana sword in public was eventuallyabolished along with the right to execute commoners who paid
them disrespect. Emperor Meiji ushered in a new Era, an armed
force in favour of a more modern, western-style, conscripted
army in 1873. The sword-slashing warrior of yore abandoned his
neatly kept ponytail for a partially shaven head and a modern,government-issue uniform , remained the ruling class of Japan.
The samurai were not a political force under the new order. Many9

of the samurai went on to become administrative bureaucrats.
However, the rule of the state by the military class was notcompletely ready. The Imperial Japanese Armies wereconscripted, but many samurai volunteered as soldiers, and many
advanced to be trained as officers. Much of the Imperial Army
officer class was of samurai origin, and were highly motivated,disciplined, and exceptionally trained. Many samurai took pensinstead of guns and took to journalistic field while some others
entered governmental service and some became businessmen.
For example, Iwasaki Yatarō, who was the great-grandson of asamurai, established Mitsubishi. In defining how a modern
Japan should be, members of the Meiji government decided tofollow the footsteps of the United Kingdom and Germany. Thus
the samurai cult came to an end, almost after 1000 years. Whatremained was the samurai ideal of unwavering devotion to one's
lord, which survives even today in the great value that theJapanese place on loyalty.
Wages of a Samurai
Samurai stipends were paid in Koku, a measurement of volume,the equivalent of about 180 litres. In theory, 1 koku of rice (about
150 kilograms) should be good enough to feed 1 man for a year.
The ashigaru (foot soldiers) were paid 4 koku annually. Where
rice could not be grown, the economy was still measured in termsof koku, with other crops and produce converted to theirequivalent value in terms of rice. Well paid samurai would
receive anything from 100 koku and above. Influential ones were
given land and if they received land (in place of rice) then 50% of
the rice harvested from that land would be expected as a form oftax. Still, 50 koku was considered a large stipend. The samurai
10and the feudal lords also received Ryou (Japanese currency during
pre-Meiji period ), one ryou was equal to four koku of rice. The
feudal lords (daimyo) were rich with the support of the shoguns
and the influential daimyo was pampered and made to stay close
to castle. The samurai who won the confidence of their masterdaimyo lead a wealthy life. Also there were Ronins (master lessheads) employed by the shoguns. Depending on the potential andthe performance, the sects were given a number of privileges
from time to time.
Weapons of Samurai
The samurai originally carried a sword called a 'chokuto',
essentially a slimmer and smaller version of the straight swords.
Bushido (the samurai code) states that the samurai's soul is in hissword, making it the most important weapon he carried. Katana(sword), usually paired with a smaller blade Wakizashi and thisarrangement was known as Daisho. As sword-making techniques
progressed, the swords that the samurai used became morecurved, possibly one of the most famous swords in the world. A
man's honour was said to reside in his sword, and thecraftsmanship of swords including carefully hammered blades,gold and silver inlay and shark skin handgrips became an art in
itself. Spears also came into use and they commonly used a
Yumi, a long bow with which they practice extensively.
Essentially, the further away you can be when killing someone,
the better.
The make of a Samurai
Samurais were style-makers, influencing the fashion of the era.
Although their clothing was elaborate, every aspect of it was
11designed to fit their needs as warriors. Their regular outfit
consisted of wide Hakama trousers and a Kimono or a Hitatare, a
two-part vest which left the arms free and could quickly beremoved in case of a surprise attack. The samurai fashion sense
was just as sharp as their swords. The most distinctive part ofsamurai fashion was the topknot hair style , partially shaven head
to wear a helmet comfortably. Kabuto helmet, the mostcomplicated part of a samurai's armor, is a bowl made of riveted
metal plates, the face and brow were protected by the armor that istied around, behind the head and under the helmet, and the neckguard protected the wearer from arrows and swords. Many
samurai helmets featured ornaments and attachable pieces
including masks with demonic features that both protected theface and frightened the enemy. The US army based the design ofthe first modern flak jacket on samurai armor.
Code of Samurai
The samurai followed a code known as bushido, which means 'theway of the warrior'. It is said 'the way of the warrior is to befound in dying'. If a samurai failed to follow the code or was
captured by the enemy, they were expected to commit ritualsuicide in a process known as Seppuku or Harakiri that involved
self-disembowelment by his own hand and then decapitation by
an attendant. This was considered an extremely honourable,
albeit a rather messy way to die.
Samurai committed seppuku for a number of reasons inaccordance with bushido. While battlefield seppuku werecommon, motivations could include personal shame due tocowardice in battle, shame over a dishonest act, or loss ofsponsorship from a daimyo (feudal lord), defeated but not killed12in battle, when the samurai would be allowed to commit suicide
in order to regain their honour. Seppuku was an important act not
only for the reputation of the samurai himself but also for his
entire family's honour and standing in society. Also, sometimes it
is performed as a judicial punishment too. A more painful
version, called Jumonji Giri, involved both a horizontal andvertical cut and the performer of jumonji giri then waited stoicallyto bleed to death (rather than being despatched by a second). It is
one of the most excruciatingly painful ways to die.
Planned Seppuku
Planned seppuku had elaborate rituals. This might be either ajudicial punishment or the samurai's own choice. The samurai ate
a last meal, bathed, dressed carefully, and seated himself on his
death cloth. There, he wrote a death poem. Finally, he would open
the top of his kimono, pick up the dagger, and stab himself in theabdomen. Sometimes, a second would finish the job with asword. Seppuku were usually performed in front of spectators,
who witnessed the samurai's last moments.
Women of the samurai class often committed seppuku if theirhusbands died in battle or were forced to kill themselves. Also,
when their castle was besieged and ready to fall, so as to avoid
being raped. To prevent an unseemly posture after death, women
would first bind their legs together with a silk cloth. Some cut
their abdomens as male samurai did, while others would use ablade to slit the veins in their necks.
Multi-faceted Samurai
Samurai clan are well educated, good at reading and math, thebushido code also dictated the warriors to be well versed in arts,
13and they participated in a number of artistic endeavours including
poetry (haiku), rock gardens (bonsai), ink paintings (calligraphy),flower arranging (ikebana), and tea ceremony (chanoyu),
theatrical performance (noh, kabuki) etc.
Hard to digest
In Japanese, ‘Tameshigiri’ literally means to ‘test cut,’ andalthough it wasn't practiced exclusively by samurai, it was often
done on their behalf. It involved testing the sharpness and qualityof a newly forged blade on a straw mat. Sometimes, when theclient purchasing the sword was particularly wealthy or of highsocial standing, the sword would be tested on a live, oftenscreaming, condemned criminal. Depending on the severity of
the crime committed, the criminal could lose a limb or be cut
completely in half, with the ease with which this was done, being
used as a selling point for the weapon.
The Female Samurai Warriors ‘Onna-Bugeisha’Japanese history was dominated by powerful female samurais.
They were trained to use weapons and martial arts long before theexistence of the established samurai class. They were known as
the Onna-Bugeisha, and they were highly educated in science,
mathematics and literature. Female warriors were in the noblestclass of feudal Japanese society, and would fight alongside men
during warfare.
The weapon often used by the female warriors was known as the
Ko-Naginata. This was smaller than the male O-Naginata,
allowing a better balance for women given their height andstrength and the Kaiken dagger - a double-edged blade with a14

length of up to to 10 inches. Usually, these daggers would be used
for self-defence in small and confined spaces, where the wielder’smovement is limited. The other primary function of the weapon
was in the act of ritual. They were expected to protect the family
household in days of unrest or war and far from subordinate to any
male patriarchal figures. These warriors were ready and able todefend themselves and their family against any attack. Empress
Jingu was one such woman skilled and fit to lead a battle, which
she did. She personally organized and led a conquest to Korea in
200 AD.
Tomoe Gozen and the battle of Awazu
Tomoe Gozen was described as a woman of incredible beauty,
intellect and battle skills. She was a perfect archer and horserider, a master of the katana and a very competent politician. Her
abilities in combat were equal to those of the greatest samurai ofher time, and her prowess as a General was renowned throughout
the country. The master of the Minamoto clan always pointed
Tomoe Gozen as the first true General of Japan. She proved
herself in combat on numerous occasions. Leading only 300
samurais, she fought more than 2,000 warriors and was one of thelast five survivors. In 1184, in the Battle of Awazu , she defeated
and then decapitated Honda no Moroshige, a famous warrior of
the Musashi clan.
Nanako Takeko
Highly skilled, extremely intelligent and a master of martial arts,
Nakano Takeko was picked as commander of the new fighting
force of onna-bugeishas. They were to join the male samurais in
the Battle of Aizu in 1868, northern Japan, part of the civil war.
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Their army was treated as an independent one due to the gender
restrictions of the era, and was named the Joshitai, or Women’s
Army. She died in the ensuing battle, shot in the heart, but not
before she had used her ko-naginata to deadly effect, killing a
number of male samurai warriors in close combat. Before herlast breath, the last of the great female samurai warriors asked hersister Nakano Yuko to behead her, so that she would not be taken
as a trophy for the enemy. Her head was buried in the roots of apine tree in the temple Aizu Bangemachi, where a monument waserected in her honour. That battle, which marked the beginningof the Meiji Restoration Period, was the end of the shogunate, andthe last stand of the female samurai warriors.

It is with great privilege the author dedicates thisResource Paper to the Japanese heroes and heroines
who are still worshipped in Japan for their heroism.

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