Interesting Facts About Samurai History & Culture [Updated]
Samurai are some the most recognizable fighters in world history. Thanks to movies, shows, books, and other entertainment, most of us know at least a few facts about samurai and the famous katana.
There is much more to samurai than what you can see in media. The history of samurai in Japan is long and complex. The influence of the samurai on Japanese history, politics, and culture is immense and continues to this day.
Because of this, it is well worth diving deeper into the truth of the samurai, especially if you are curious about swords, swordsmanship, and the influence of Japan on these topics.
Here’s a roundup of some of the most interesting facts about samurai history and culture that you might not know.
1) The samurai class was established after the Taika Reforms.
The samurai first formed after 646 during the Taika Reforms. These reforms introduced new taxes and redistributed lands, which helped wealthy lords and landowners amass power.
The Reforms were based on the Tang dynasty of China and helped organize Japan into a hierarchy that would exist for centuries.
2) Samurai made up approximately 5% of Japan’s population.
During the Middle Ages, the samurai made up around 5% of Japan’s population.
Samurai served as the private armies of regional lords, protecting the lords’ vast lands while they served the emperor.
3) Samurai organized into clans, which fought each other for power.
The samurai of early periods formed warring clans. Two of the most prominent were the Minamoto and Taira clans who battled each other several times.
The defeat of the Minamoto clan by the Taira during the Heiji Rebellion established the first samurai led government in Japanese history.
4) The samurai followed a strict honor code called bushido.
The samurai held to the bushido (way of the warrior) code throughout their careers. The code was largely influenced by Chinese Confucianism and also by Zen Buddhism.
Bushido emphasized honor, bravery, discipline, respect, loyalty, and other characteristics. Samurai lived and died by this honor code.
5) Samurai may have been descended from the Ainu people.
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The samurai were some of the most highly respected people in society, but they may have descended from one of the most lowly people groups in Japan.
The Ainu ethnic group was largely discriminated against in Japan and may be the ancestors of the samurai. Many samurai shared the same physical characteristics as the Ainu people.
6) Samurai had intimate relationships with their students.
Wakasudo was the official term for the sexual relationships that commonly formed between teacher and student in samurai culture.
This practice was common and widely encouraged throughout the history of the samurai. While samurai always married women, they often continued other relationships throughout their lives.
7) Mass suicides were so detrimental to the samurai class, they had to be outlawed.
As part of their honor code, samurai often committed suicide after defeat in battle or a loss of honor. The death of a lord could also cause suicides to occur, but on a much larger scale.
Mass suicides, also called junshi, involved the samurai who worked for the lord and their wives. This practice proved so detrimental to the ranks of samurai that it had to be outlawed several times in history.
The bans on junshi proved largely unsuccessful, with samurai continuing the tradition regardless of changing rules.
8) Some samurai rebelled against the traditional hierarchy.
Most samurai served one lord for their entire lives. Some samurai, however, chose a more rebellious career path. Samurai who chose to work for themselves, or who refused to serve another lord after the death of a previous one were called ronin.
These samurai were still well respected and sought after for their services, which they exchanged for money. Some of the most famous samurai in history worked as ronin.
9) Samurai of a certain rank carried two swords at all times.
Much of Japanese history is defined by strict and complex hierarchies. The samurai lived in a society that was very stratified and they earned special privileges based on their rank.
Elite samurai were allowed and required to have two swords on their persons. The katana is famous and was the longer, primary weapon. The wakizashi was a smaller, back-up sword.
10) Samurai fought with more than just the katana.
While the katana is the most famous weapon of the samurai, these fighters were highly advanced and kept up with changing military technology.
Besides swords, samurai utilized long bows, spears, canons, and firearms depending on the time period. The flintlock rifle became the weapon of choice for samurai living in in the 17-19th centuries.
11) Wives and daughters of samurai could take care of themselves.
The wives and children of samurai often managed entire households while their husbands were away fighting. Not only were wives well educated like their husbands, they also knew certain martial arts styles.
One style often taught to samurai wives was naginatajutsu, which used a long spear to injure opponents from a distance. This meant that a woman could defend her household without getting too close to an intruder.
12) Japanese women were fighters too.
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Some Japanese women became female samurai, or onna-bugeisha. Evidence from many archaeological dig sites show that around 30% of all fighters in samurai battles were women.
Other women participated in samurai culture as the wives and daughters of samurai.
13) Miyamoto Musashi is the most famous samurai in history.
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While Japan is known for its many master swordsman, the most famous swordsman by far is Miyamoto Musashi. He was a ronin, or wandering samurai whose story and skills have reached legendary proportions.
Musashi went undefeated in over 60 duels throughout his lifetime and did so while serving only himself. He won his most famous duel using only a wooden training sword.
14) Samurai wore their hair in top knots.
The top knot may be simply fashionable for men and women today, but it had a specific purpose when worn by samurai.
Samurai shaved the sides of their heads and pulled the rest of their hair into a bun at the top of their heads to help keep their helmets on during battle.
This hairstyle was called chonmage and was one of the defining features of a samurai fighter.
15) Darth Vader’s helmet was inspired by the samurai.
Fans of samurai and Star Wars will be happy to know that Darth Vader’s helmet was modeled after those of the samurai. The iconic neck guard on the helmet is similar to those of traditional kabuto helmets worn by samurai warriors.
The neck guards helped protect samurai from the arrows and the blow of swords. Because samurai decapitated their enemies, this feature of the helmet was highly beneficial.
16) Dragonflies are one symbol of the samurai.
Samurai are most often associated with their sword, the katana, but another symbol of these warriors is the dragonfly. Dragonflies cannot fly backwards, just as a samurai was expected to face enemies head on without retreating.
17) Four European men became samurai.
Japanese culture is fascinating to many, and the samurai are one of the reasons the culture is so well-known to people around the world. However, not all samurai were actually Japanese.
To become a samurai, one needed to be bestowed the honor by a regional lord or shogun. Four European men in history were given this honor: William Adams, a sailor; Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn, his colleague; Eugene Collache, a Navy officer; and Edward Schnell, an arms dealer.
We know about these European samurai because we have surviving evidence. More foreigners may have become samurai, but this should be considered a rare phenomenon in Japanese history.
18) The samurai tradition continued into the 19th century.
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When we think of the samurai, most of us probably picture fighters of 12th-16th centuries. But samurai actually continued to work well into the 19th century.
The era of the samurai officially came to a close after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The newly established constitutional monarchy disbanded the samurai due to societal reorganization. The services of these warriors simply were no longer needed.
Samurai suddenly found themselves out of work. Some became conscripted soldiers in the new government’s army, while others worked as police officers in major cities.
19) Many samurai became newspaper reporters after the Meiji Restoration.
The Meiji Restoration led to the disbanding of the samurai. Since their fighting services were no longer needed by elites, many samurai used their reading and writing abilities to find new jobs.
Surprisingly, one of the more popular career paths for former samurai became newspaper reporting and journalism more broadly. Samurai either found jobs with existing companies or created their own.
Since most samurai dabbled in writing literature or poetry, writing for newspapers and other forms of media seemed a good fit.
20) The samurai helped create the Japanese culture we know today.
The samurai are remembered for their impressive fighting skills and serious code of honor, but they get credit for creating much of the Japan we know and admire today.
The samurai were highly educated and cultured thanks to their high rank in society. As essentially nobility, samurai learned to read, write, and appreciate the arts.
Parts of Japanese culture influenced by the samurai include the tea ceremony, rock gardens, flower arranging, poetry, and ink paintings.
While skilled at the art of war, samurai also contributed to art, for art’s sake.