In the middle period between the 13th to 16th centuries, Japanese literature celebrated reckless courage, extreme devotion to one's family and to one's lord, and cultivation of the intellect for warriors. Most of the works that dealt with what would later be called bushido concerned the great civil war known as the Genpei War from to , which pitted the Minamoto and Taira clans against one another and led to the foundation of the Kamakura Period of shogunate rule.
The final phase of the development of bushido was the Tokugawa era, from to This was a time of introspection and theoretical development for the samurai warrior class because the country had been basically peaceful for centuries. The samurai practiced martial arts and studied the great war literature of earlier periods, but they had little opportunity to put the theory into practice until the Boshin War of to and the later Meiji Restoration.
As with earlier periods, Tokugawa samurai looked to a previous, bloodier era in Japanese history for inspiration—in this case, more than a century of constant warfare among the daimyo clans.
After the samurai ruling class was abolished in the wake of the Meiji Restoration, Japan created a modern conscript army. One might think that bushido would fade away along with the samurai who had invented it. In fact, Japanese nationalists and war leaders continued to appeal to this cultural ideal throughout the early 20th century and World War II. Echoes of seppuku were strong in the suicide charges that Japanese troops made on various Pacific Islands, as well as in the kamikaze pilots who drove their aircraft into Allied battleships and bombed Hawaii to start off America's involvement in the war.
Today, bushido continues to resonate in modern Japanese culture. Its stress on courage, self-denial, and loyalty has proved particularly useful for corporations seeking to get the maximum amount of work out of their "salarymen. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.
Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. During the Heinan period 8th century , Emperor Kanmu introduced the title of shogun head of the army. Each shogun was the chief of an armed clan who could help the Emperor during wars. Around , two of the most powerful clans were Minamoto and Taira, who clashed together to fight for power.
In the Minamotoclan won the battle and Minamoto no Yoritomo established the superiority of the samurai over the aristocracy and established the Kamakura shogunate.
The samurai, organized by Yoritomo, became one of the ruling classes in Japan. During this period, Japanese smiths developed their techniques and started using laminated or piled steel, using layers of steel of different composition and different heat treatments.
This technique was perfected around the 14th century by the famous swordsmith Masamune, and his swords, the katana, became famous all over the world. During the following two centuries, the Japanese war tactics developed greatly, especially thanks to the work of Oda Nobunaga.
The country, after centuries of division and wars, was finally reunited and in , the Grand Minister declared the samurai class as permanent and hereditary, and the only one allowed to carry weapons. They lived in castle towns and were paid in rice by their daimyo feudal lord.
A samurai without a daimyo was called ronin. During this peaceful period, the importance of martial arts declined, and many samurai became courtiers, bureaucrats and administrators. They became scholars, and their behavior became a model for the other social classes.
However, the peace of the Edo period was about to end with the arrival of Matthew Perry, an American commodore, in Japan was forced to open its borders to trade, and the rulers understood the necessity of modernization of the country.
The following years saw a general modernization of the army and by , the Japanese navy possessed eight western-style warships. With the end of the Boshin war, the Emperor regained his full power, and the samurai were abolished. They could no longer carry a katana in public, and they lost their political influence.
Japan established a western-style army, and samurai were employed both as soldiers and as officers. They were still highly motivated and disciplined. As well-learned scholars, the samurai started studying abroad, started private schools, or became reporters, writers, or respected members of the government. The samurai armor is a distinctive feature of these proud warriors.
The first kind of Japanese armor identified as samurai armor was the yoroi , made of small individual scales of iron or leather. They were bound together into small strips resistant to water, and a complete armor weighed around 66 lbs. With the advent of firearms, the samurai needed a new armor. The plate armor was then introduced, with new pieces for the face, thighs and back.
The helmet, kabuto , was an important part, used also to scare the enemy; and it was paired with other parts to protect the head and the neck respectively shikoro and fukigaeshi.
Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Kallie Szczepanski. History Expert. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.
Updated April 02, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Szczepanski, Kallie. The Role of Bushido in Modern Japan. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
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