Greetings ol chaps, anyone know anything about em?

i compare them to the Knights in Europe. join the military while they were young then became politicians and noblemen when they got older. they quickly lost their power during the shogunates and became mercinaries and bodyguards.

Thats all i can say for sure about them. anything else would be risking accuracy.

The translation of Samurai is "he who serves"

A Samurai is pledged to a life of Service to his Daimyo (Samurai Lord). Daimyos pay lesser Samurai with land and serfs. The Samurai pay an annual tribute of Ko (a bushal of rice) back to the Daimyo. The Daimyo in terms pays another higher ranking Daimyo usually another intermediary or even Area Governor. This chain continues all the way up to the Shogun (who is the emporors right hand man). Depending the period such as Takigawa the Shogun WAS the power, while the emporer served as a figurehead. However since the emporer is a direct descendant of the goddess Amuratsu the emporers word was law. Not even the Shogun could defy him.

All Samurai serve the Samurai above him. The behavior/honor reflects upon the samurai above and below him. If the Samurai disgraces himself he must commit seppuku (suicide) in order to regain his honor if he doesnt he becomes Ronin along with his retainers. A Ronin, a masterless samurai. this is the scum of Japanese society.

A Samurai who lives while his master dies in battle (unless there was a descendant) also ran the risk of being Ronin. This was the punishment for those who failed their service.

Samurai's were akin to Medieval Knights in a feudal system that very closely resembled those of Europe at the time. Samurai did not pay tribute as such to their Daimyo's, more that Daimyo's would bestow upon their vassals a yearly income of Koku (1 Koku was the amount of rice that could feed one family for a year) and other gifts like retainers, horses and armour. These vassals in turn could pay their own vassals out of their own income and so forth until you reached the lowest form of Samurai, the Ashigaru. If he existed the Shogun would be the ultimate samurai in the land, although for much of feudal Japan's history there was no Shogun. And although the Emperor was in theory the highest ranked person in the land, in reality they had little power because although they owned the land they received no income from it, being dependant on ever more tightfisted Shoguns for money to buy food and so forth.

I also wouldn't go as far as to say that Ronin were the scum of Japanese society, this title being reserved for the Eta, Japanese who worked with slaughterhouses and tanning. Many samurai became Ronin through no fault of their own, such as when their Liege Lord died or had become disgraced.

Your right that land was given to the samurai as a gift, but they did have to pay several koku of rice every year as a form of rent or tax. This is ultimaltly how the Japanese Dynasty was funded. While similar to the European Feudal System there was a major difference. All Samurai regardless of regional politics were loyal to the emporer of Japan whereas in Europe Knights were not always obedient to the king.

On the second point I meant Samurai caste. Samurai were prohibiting from learning a trade (other than warrior). So therefore a Samurai couldnt become Eta. Eta itself was caste beneath peasant.

Your right about many Samurai becoming Ronin through no fault of their own. The Parable of the 47 Ronin recounts this. Also Ronin was not always permanent. some would become Samurai again if they were accepted a position with a new Daimyo.

Originally Posted by mmarsh

Your right that land was given to the samurai as a gift, but they did have to pay several koku of rice every year as a form of rent or tax. This is ultimaltly how the Japanese Dynasty was funded. While similar to the European Feudal System there was a major difference. All Samurai regardless of regional politics were loyal to the emporer of Japan whereas in Europe Knights were not always obedient to the king.

On the second point I meant Samurai caste. Samurai were prohibiting from learning a trade (other than warrior). So therefore a Samurai couldnt become Eta. Eta itself was caste beneath peasant.

Your right about many Samurai becoming Ronin through no fault of their own. The Parable of the 47 Ronin recounts this. Also Ronin was not always permanent. some would become Samurai again if they were accepted a position with a new Daimyo.

Good points.

Oh look, lads!!

So do ye all like em samurai and have an interest in em??

some interest at least. The Samurai were very Noble. If they felt they dishonored themselves or others, they would commit Hara Kiri which is a form of ritual suicide. PM me if you want to know the details.

I read they were very brutal to the regular civilians although they were honorable towards their lords and peers. I forgot which book I read.

FullmetalJaket

Say 'Seppuku' the japanese word for it, I hear Japanese dont like hari-kari for some reason, I think it was coined by American GI's

Boobies

Not necessarily. Japanese society (even today in business to a degree) worked with a system of castes. The peasant caste was the most important as they grew the rice. However the Samurai was above the peasants (merchants were in between, and Eta beneath Peasants). To a Samurai a peasant was beneath him. Killing a peasant was to them like swatting a fly. A peasants life was just something insignificant. If a Samurai wanted to test his blade on the neck of a peasant It was their right. It wasnt a question of good vs evil. The Japanese didnt see things that way.