---
id:"kb-2026-00484"
title:"Samurai History"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"history"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"A Brief History of the Samurai (Jonathan Clements)"
    type:"book"
    year:2010
    url:"https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/jonathan-clements/a-brief-history-of-the-samurai/9781849019811/"
    institution:"Robinson"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Knowledge-Intensive NLP Tasks"
    authors: ["Lewis", "Perez", "Piktus"]
    type: "academic_paper"
    year: 2020
    doi: "10.48550/arXiv.2005.11401"
    url: "https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.11401"
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Samurai were the warrior class of feudal Japan (~1185-1868). Bushido ('way of the warrior'): loyalty, martial arts mastery, honor unto death. Seppuku (ritual suicide): preferred over capture or dishonor. Katana: curved sword, 'soul of the samurai.' Meiji Restoration (1868) abolished the samurai class.

## Core Explanation

Bushido (formalized 17th century): Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honor, Loyalty. Ronin: masterless samurai (Forty-Seven Ronin, 1703 — avenged master's death, then committed seppuku). Miyamoto Musashi: greatest swordsman, author of The Book of Five Rings (1645, strategy). Hagakure ('Hidden by Leaves'): 'The Way of the Samurai is found in death.' Last samurai rebellion: Satsuma (1877, Saigo Takamori).

## Further Reading

- [A Brief History of the Samurai (Jonathan Clements)](https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/jonathan-clements/a-brief-history-of-the-samurai/9781849019811/)