Subjects:
Becoming a Samurai is a selective process that begins as an infant growing into
a man and forming into a warrior. The traditional Samurai warrior first
appeared in 646A.D. It lasted until 1867A.D. The word "Samurai" is taken from
the verb samurau, which means, "to serve". The word, Samurai, was used in the
early Middle Ages in Japan to indicate the soldiers on guard duty at the
emperor's palace. The Samurai made up a leading class in Japanese society. The
Samurai consisted of about 6% of the population. The Samurai went through a
grueling training process. They were trained in "the way of the bow and horse".
They were skilled archers who fought on horseback. The Samurai were Japan's
central source of power. It was continuous for hundreds of years. Towards the
1800s, the Samurai's power began to decline. They were without jobs, homes, and
even their most prized possession, the sword. They had to sell all their
possessions to make enough money to feed themselves each day. Poverty had
struck the Samurai and Japan as a whole. The reason behind this is that buying
weapons and making armor for Japan's warriors was costly. Enough to put Japan
. . .
This set of rules guiding a samurai's thinking and conduct emphasized personal
honesty, reverence and respect for parents, and consideration for other
people's feelings. Next the blade was tempered and a clayey
material, for which each master had his own recipe, was applied to the whole
blade apart from the very edge. The bow was also an important
weapon. He
started by taking a bath and combing his hair and sprayed perfumes all around
himself. He then put on a pair of stout boots on his feet. The girls received their
first kimono, which was a loose fitting robe with short, wide sleeves. Fathers had their sons practice in matches against other sons. (Plitnik)
The samurai's life is a long and tiresome process. It didn't end
until the girls were six years and the boys, seven. They followed the
Shinto faith, and the teachings of Confucius and Buddha. He then dressed in a loincloth, over a short-sleeved kimono and a pair
of baggy pants. 19)
Around this time the Japanese suit of armor gained the characteristic
shape. A full suit only weighed 25 pounds, and the
wearer was very agile.
The samurai believed that the best swords possessed supernatural powers, and so
they insisted that they should be made only by the most skilled craftsmen, and
under special conditions. This marked the end of the Samurai's military role
in Japan.
Essay's Topics
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