The samurai class in Japan began in the 12th century and continued to exist until its abolition by the Japanese government in 1876.
In their original definition, the samurai were intended to protect the public and serve the ruler (the shogun). Above them was the landowner class, and below them the general public (peasants, artisans, etc.).
Similar to the ranks used in every army, there were also different ranks and hierarchy among the samurai.
The samurai was a warrior skilled in a variety of weapons, fighting with his bare hands, and also had a very high social status in Japan.
Among the weapons used by the samurai were:
- The Japanese sword (katana, wakizashi)
- Bow and arrow
- Spear
- Stick
- Shuriken of various types (throwing weapons)
- Naginata
- and more…
Check out our massive page on all samurai weapons
with pictures and extended information
The Samurais used to wear armor when going into battle (not a duel), which gave them significant protection, and accordingly, fighting techniques with swords and other weapons were created with the aim of inserting the weapons into the exposed areas of the armor (at the weak points between the parts).
Many in the samurai class opposed the changes that occurred in Japan in the 19th century, and although there were samurai who gained power and wealth due to the changes, in general the samurai class lost most of its power.
In addition, the samurai saw the changes that modernization brought to Japan (in terms of dress, language and culture) as a kind of betrayal of important values and therefore rebelled against the government.
The last samurai rebellion against the government took place in 1877 and is now called the “Satsuma Rebellion“. *More details about the Satsuma Rebellion in wikipedia
Today, the Japanese samurai in world culture is considered an immortal warrior figure…
The most famous samurai is perhaps Miyamoto Musashi, who apparently fought and defeated many warriors in duels. *More about Miyamoto Musashi
The 2003 Hollywood film “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise did a decent job of portraying the world of the samurais and the changes that occurred with the arrival of the modern era:
If you want to learn how to fight in the samurai style, you may need to learn several methods separately.
In the ancient world, unarmed combat, weapons, and more were taught under one roof (in one JiuJitsu school = “Ryu“), but today, it is usually done in separate training sessions for methods such as:
Iaido
Kendo
Aikido
Japanese Classic Ju-jitsu