Making of a Samurai

To be a samurai one must inhibit strength, wisdom, and loyalty. The fierce looking warrior standing tall, with sword in hand, and ready to battle until death. "The warrior doesn't care if he's called a beast or a dog; the main thing is winning," states Asakura Norikage. Samurai worked for kings and were considered noble. They developed their own culture with ways in dealing with personal life, philosophy, and education.

A samurai was named after his grandfather or father combined with a chosen last name. "Oda Kazusanosuke Saburo Nobunaga" could be a samurai name. "Oda" would be a clan

Once a samurai has a name the next step is education. Samurai were to have vast knowledge in reading, writing, and math. Other popular hobbies of samurai were dancing, poetry, and tea. Ota Dokan

Being educated about many different weapons was also necessary. The most popular known samurai weapon is the katana sword. The katana was made famous by the movie Kill Bill. A movie about a modern female samurai who seeks revenge. Bushido is a teaching based on the katana. The katana was seen as the samurai's soul and often named. Tachi is a longer sword which curves. The tachi sword is the predecssor of the katana and eventually abandoned. The love for the katana could not die. To improve the tachi idea the samurai developed the uchigatana sword. The uchigatana is curved like the tachi, but it's speed on the battlefield had no comparison. This uchigatana was carried in a case on the samurai's belt. This sword becoming so popular it's used as the modern day katana. Two small swords accompanied the katana in battle. The tanto and the wakizashi were used with the katana and was called a daisho. The tanto or the wakizashi sword was used to commit a ritualized suicide.

Bows were also a weapons used by the samurai. The yumi was a long bow made from leather, bamboo, and wood. A yari was soon made to go alone with the bow. A yari is a simple spear for the brave. A spear was easier to use in a charge or against katana combat. The naginata was a pole type weapon used by the samurai class. It can still be seen today and resembles a large wooden stick.

The samurai had many close relationships. Samurai women had to maintain the house, while her husband was out engaged in battle. These powerful homemakers displayed traits of humility, obedience, self-control, strength, and loyalty. Ideally, a samurai's wife would be skilled at managing property, keeping records, dealing with financial matters, educating the children, and caring for other family members. Marriage criteria began to weigh intelligence and education as desirable attributes in a wife, right along with physical attractiveness. Marriage and divorce was arranged by a higher ranking samurai. Reasons for divorce would include the inability to produce a son or if the two weren't compatible.

Shudo was how samurai traditions were past down. The tight bonds between a novice and a seasoned practitioner were called Shudo. This relationship was described as "the flower of the samurai spirit." The choice between his lover and his master could become a philosophical problem for samurai. This leading to many married samurai having a mister on the side. Known as "male love" the practice of shudo was encouraged by the upper class samurai. It was considered beneficial for the youth. Shudo teaching them virtue, honesty, and the appreciation of beauty. Its value was contrasted with the love of women, which was blamed for feminizing men.

Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Shinto religion were the main influences on samurai philosophy. Zen meditation was practiced to calm the mind. After studying Buddhism many samurai practiced nonviolence or became monks. The practice of nonviolence lead to many deaths on the battle field. Bushido's code of conduct was known as "the way of the samurai" and consisted of seven virtues. The virtues are: rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, glory, and loyalty. There was also a creed they followed.

Samurai Creed:

I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents.
I have no home; I make the Tan T'ien my home.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my Divine Power.
I have no means; I make Docility my means.
I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power.
I have neither life nor death; I make An Um my Life and Death.

I have no body; I make Stoicism my Body.
I have no eyes; I make The Flash of Lightening my eyes.
I have no ears; I make Sensibility my Ears.
I have no limbs; I make Promptitude my Limbs.
I have no laws; I make Self-Protection my Laws.
I have no strategy; I make the Right to Kill and the Right to Restore Life my Strategy.
I have no designs; I make Seizing the Opportunity by the Forelock my Designs.
I have no miracles; I make Righteous Laws my Miracle.
I have no principles; I make Adaptability to all circumstances my Principle.
I have no tactics; I make Emptiness and Fullness my Tactics.

I have no talent; I make Ready Wit my Talent.
I have no friends; I make my Mind my Friend.
I have no enemy; I make Incautiousness my Enemy.
I have no armour; I make Benevolence my Armour.
I have no castle; I make Immovable Mind my Castle.
I have no sword; I make No Mind my Sword.

Much is to be admired about the samurai culture. They aren't a bunch of reckless violent gangs. The culture teaches knowledge, strength, loyalty, and many other positive virtues. Today's samurai's are the martial arts experts. They train and battle daily in the gym. Once skilled two fighters enter the battle field and fight to see who's skills are sharper. Humbly bowing to the opponent after the fight. This is a display of a true warrior. A fearless samurai. or family name, "Kazusanosuke" is the title of the vice-governor of Kazusa province, "Saburo" is a name that's denoted to the coming of age ceremony, and "Nobunaga" is an adult name. , who first ruled Edo, was ashamed that he wasn't well versed in poetry. To realize that a commoner had more knowledge than himself was embarrassing.