Samurai

**Samurai** are the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of Japan. Historically, the samurai were active from the 12th century through the late 19th century when the samurai were abolished, but following the Tokyo Disaster, the young Emperor Akihito reinstated the caste, focusing on magical history as well as historical samurai families. Modern samurai are often magic-based and assist in suppressing magical events throughout the country.

## History

The samurai rose to power in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) as they became entrusted with the security of the estates of the nobility. Originally employed by the emperor and non-warrior nobility, the samurai eventually amassed enough manpower, resources, and political influence to establish the first samurai-dominated government. The two prominent clans in the Kamakura period were the Taira and Minamoto clans.

The Taira and Minamoto clashed against each other in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. Taira no Kiyomori emerged the victor and became the first warrior to attain the position of imperial advisor. He eventually seized control of the central government and relegated the emperor to figurehead status. The Taira consolidated its power by marrying the female members of the clan to a number of emperors and ruling through the emperor instead of expanding its own military strength.

The Genpei War caused the Minamoto and Taira to come into conflict again, and this time, the Minamoto emerged victorious. Minamoto no Yoritomo established the supremacy of the samurai over the aristocracy, and after ascending to the position of *Sei'i Taishougun*, he established the Kamakura shogunate or Kamakura *bakufu*. As a result, he was allowed to appoint *shugo* and *jito*, organize soldiers and police, and collect a certain amount of tax. Initially the *shugo* and *jito* were restricted to arresting rebels and collecting needed army provisions, but they were forbidden from interfering with *Kokushi* officials. However, the responsibility of the samurai, *shugo*, and *jito* expanded, and thus, the samurai class became the ruling political power in Japan.

The samurai clans continued to struggle against each other for power throughout the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates. The samurai played defensive roles during the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty's attempts to invade Japan in 1274 and 1281. Combined with hostile weather, famously called *kami-no-kaze* in 1281, the defense by the samurai caused the failures of both invasions.

This period saw the refinement of laminated steel by Japanese swordsmiths. The technique was perfected in the 14th century by the great swordsmith Masamune, and Japanese *katana* became famous around the world for its sharpness and resistance to breaking.

The "warring states period" or Sengoku period saw the loosening of samurai culture with people born into non-samurai classes making a name for themselves as warriors and thus becoming *de facto* samurai. Japanese war tactics and technologies advanced rapidly throughout the 15th and 16th centuries.

Oda Nobunaga emerged as a powerful samurai during the Sengoku period. He made numerous innovations in the fields of organization and war tactics, making use of arquebuses (matchlock rifles introduced by the Portuguese in 1543), expanding commerce and industry, and treasuring innovation. He oversaw the end of the Ashikaga shogunate and disarmed the military powers of the Buddhist monks.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were loyal followers of Nobunaga. Toyotomi began life as a peasant and rose to become one of Nobunaga's top generals. He defeated Akechi Matsuhide within a month of Nobunaga's death and was considered the rightful successor to Nobunaga's legacy by avenging the treachery of Mitsuhide, which caused Nobunaga's death in 1582.

Toyotomi became a grand minister in 1586 and enacted a law that non-samurai were forbidden from carrying weapons, eventually causing the end of social mobility within Japan. This law was codified as permanent and hereditary. The authorized samurai families after the 17th century were those who had chosen to follow Nobunaga, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa.

Tokugawa rose up against the Toyotomi clan after the failures of two campaigns to invade China through Korea, first in 1592 and again in 1597. The Tokugawa forces and allied *daimyo* formed the so-called Eastern Army, while the Toyotomi loyalists formed the Western Army. The opposing armies clashed most notably at the Battle of Sekigahara on 21 October 1600. Tokugawa and the Eastern forces won the battle, effectively paving the way for the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Most of the samurai families that survived through the centuries to the 19th century emerged during this time. Most claim to descend from one of the four ancient noble clans: Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, or Tachibana; in most cases, these claims are difficult to prove.

The samurai class was reestablished in 1949 by Emperor Akihito. Instead of just military heritage, the new samurai class focuses on magical ability in addition to martial prowess. The This new focus on magical ability allows for people from non-samurai classes to become samurai, though this position comes with new costs and dangers.

## Modern Samurai

The samurai class was reestablished on 2 August 1949 when Emperor Akihito declares the restoration of the class within Japan. The samurai were tasked with the suppression of a variety of magical events, and they are commonly involved in the operations of the Tokyo Exclusion Zone.