# Samurai History
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: ai_assisted


## 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/)