COMMANDER TANK'S SAMURAI MAGIC TIME PORTAL

The samurai used various weapons, but the katana is the weapon that is synonymous
with samurai. Bushido taught that a samurai's soul is their katana and sometimes a
samurai is pictured as entirely dependent on the katana for fighting. They believed
that the katana was so precious that they often gave them names and considered
them as part of the living. This contrasted with the swords and crossbows of Europe
at the same time which were, principally, tools for combat. However the use of
swords did not become common in battle until the Kamakura period (1185-1333),
where the

(the predecessors to the katana) became prevalent. The katana itself did not
become the primary weapon until the Edo period.

After a male child of the bushi (warrior)was born, he would receive his first sword
in a ceremony called mamori-gatana. The sword, however, was merely a charm
sword covered with brocade to which was attached a purse or wallet, worn by
children under five. Upon reaching the age of thirteen, in a ceremony called
Gembuku, a male child was given his first real swords and armour, an adult name,
and became a samurai.

A samurai with no attachment to a clan or daimyo was called a ronin. In Japanese,
the word ronin means "wave man", a person destined to wander aimlessly forever,
like the waves in the sea. The word came to mean a samurai who was no longer in
the service of a lord because his lord had died, because the samurai had been
banished or simply because the samurai chose to become a ronin.

Their pay was measured in koku of rice (180 liters; enough to feed a man for one
year). Samurai in the service of a han (feudal lord) were called hanshi.

A legendary ability was the Duel of Wills, a psychological technique to test an
enemy's mental strength without having to engage in actual fighting. Both
combatants (who must be, as samurai, of equal status) lock eyes and remain
staring at each other in silence and without moving a muscle, until one of the
opponents yields (though there are stories of - rare - instances in which both
opponents relent simultaneously).

There are four factors that defined the concept of the samurai:

The samurai was a well-trained, highly skilled warrior.

The samurai served his daimyo, or master, with
absolute loyalty, even to the death. In fact, the word
samurai means, "those who serve."

The samurai was a member of an elite class, and
considered superior to common citizens and ordinary
foot soldiers.

The samurai's life was ruled by Bushido, a strict warrior code emphasizing honor.

The native religion of Japan was Shintoism, until Buddhism replaced it in the 5th
century, A.D. One school of Buddhist teaching, Zen Buddhism, encouraged followers
to attain enlightenment through intense meditation and contemplation of seemingly
nonsensical questions. This discipline was popular with samurai, who understood they
needed to train and practice until their combat skills became like breathing;
something they did naturally, without having to think about it.

The amount and form of a samurai's training depended on the wealth of his family.
In lower-class families, sons were sometimes sent to village schools for basic
education, but they received most of their samurai training from their fathers, older
brother, or uncles. Training in martial arts was considered very important, and often
began at age five. Sons of wealthy families were sent to special academies, where
they were tutored in literature, the arts, and military skills.

The image of the samurai that is probably most familiar is that of a sword master
wielding his curved katana with deadly skill. However, for the first few centuries of
their existence, samurai were better known as horse-riding archers. Firing a bow
while riding a horse was a difficult task, and mastering it required years of constant
practice. Some archers practiced on targets tethered to a pole, which could be
swung to make a moving target.

Swordsmanship was taught in a similarly relentless manner. One story tells of a
master who would strike his students with a wooden sword at random times
throughout the day and night, until the students learned to never relax their guard.

While being a warrior was central to a samurai's life, they were also poets,
politicians, fathers and farmers. They were expected to be well-educated in other
areas, such as literature and history. During the Tokugawa period, a peaceful era,
the samurai were not needed much as warriors, so these academic skills were
especially useful. However, some samurai masters warned their students not to
dwell on words and paintings too much, fearing their minds would become weak

Two factors led to the end of samurai: the urbanization of Japan, and the end of
isolationism. As more and more Japanese moved to the cities, there were fewer
farmers producing the rice needed to feed the growing population. The luxurious
living enjoyed by the shoguns and many daimyos started to wear away at the
economic system. Many Japanese, including lower class samurai, grew dissatisfied
with the shogunate because of the worsening economic conditions.

During the era of the rule of the samurai, the term yumitori ( "bowman") was
also used as an honorary title of an accomplished warrior, even though
swordsmanship had become more important. (Japanese archery (kyujutsu) is still
strongly associated with the war god Hachiman.) In fact, for the first few
centuries of their existence, samurai were better known as horse-riding archers.

The samurai were not mercenary warriors, roaming Japan and fighting for whatever
warlord would pay them. They were bound to a specific lord, or daimyo, and also
bound to their communities by duty and honor.This code of honor was known as
Bushido, and comes from the word "bushi", which means "warrior." The Japanese
word "do" means "the way." So Bushido means, "the way of the warrior." This code
evolved from an earlier period, when samurai were archers and horsemen. The
training and devotion needed to master these skills and bond with a horse led to
kyuba no michi, "the way of the horse and bow."