Samurai Influence On Japanese Culture

One of the biggest warriors in history come from feudal Japan during the Twelfth century CE. The samurai are known for their strength, skill, and strategy in combat. Similar to knights in the European feudal era, these warriors were sworn to protect their daimyo, powerful and wealthy lords, in return for money and honour. This funding allowed them to acquire large expensive pieces of armour and many of the world’s finest weapons, including katanas and yumi. With powerful weaponry and high education they easily dominated on the battlefield. As lavishly as they lived, the Samurai were a lot more than wealthy, educated, and skilled warriors, but also were cultured followers of many different beliefs, practices and religions. Shintoism is one

Founded by Confucius, Confucianism mainly focuses on filial piety, or the respect and loyalty to those above you. This forms the basis for the Five Relationships, which are the relationships between a ruler and the ruled, a father and the son, a husband and the wife, older brother and younger brother, and a friend and another friend. As Judith A. Berling says “If we consistently and wholeheartedly realized our potential to be the very best friend, parent, son, or daughter humanly possible, we would establish a level of caring, of moral excellence,that would approach the utopian.” This clearly shows the beliefs of confucianism. Confucianism blended well with Shintoism and ended up working well for the Samurai. Dailyhistory.org describes this relationship as “Shinto gave the samurai something to fight for and Confucianism established many of the rules in which they lived their lives.” While important, Shinto and Confucianism are not the only large religions in

Similar to the knight's chivalric code, Bushido is a code of honour and gallantry that consists of Eight virtues. These Eight virtues are rectitude or justice, courage, benevolence or mercy, politeness, honesty and sincerity, honour, loyalty, and character and self-control. Elements from Shintoism, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism can clearly be seen in these virtues. One of the most widely known practices from Bushido is seppuku. Seppuku is a ritual suicide that involves taking a tantō and cutting across the abdomen. It was performed when Samurai considered themselves dishonoured, which would usually happen when a Samurai failed to protect his daimyo or family. This practice was heavily drawn from Confucianism and Shintoism due to their emphasises on filial piety and loyalty to