what would it be like to be a samurai?

Answer 1

You would be on the cutting edge!

Answer 2

It would likely be awful. As a doctorate-level japanese historian I can say that the life of the samurai was dirty, battle was brutal, and the things expected of samurai were harsh and difficult, especially during the era they are most thought of in, the sengoku jidai. Injuries could turn septic quickly, as well, making disease a possibility. For instance, the lord Ii Naomasa, shot at the battle of Sekigahara, died 18 moths later from complications of the same wound. Gritty, unpleasant life.

While the hagakure romanticizes Bushido, the code of the samurai, it is important to remembed that Bushido was never set down in a definitive written sense, and that the author of the hagakure, Yamamoto no Tsunetomo, was a bitter old man who had never seen battle. He was bitter since he had been forbidden from committing Junshi, the practice of ritual suicide at the death of his lord, by the current Tokugawa laws.

Clavell's Shogun, while also entertaining, is a highly fictional account of the life of William Adams, an English sailor that was shipwrecked in Japan with his dutch crew. This is not a great source for samurai history.

Think about the medieval conditions the samurai lived in, the lack of modern medicine, the need for constant warfare. Without a need for warfare, there would have been no need for warriors. The samurai led difficult lives when war was around, and poverty-stricken ones when peace prevented them from earning money in battle. While some daimyo and samurai made the tranisition to the peacetime, the way of true warriorhood was dead by the time Tsunetomo was relating his anecdotes.

Answer 3

Samurai literally means servant. They were servants to the Emperor but also to the people they protected. While the lower classes fed and obeyed their Samurai, the Samurai also served those same people with leadership and guidance.

The Samurai were warriors first and foremost, but they were also aristocrats. They knew many customs and served in many courtly duties. Many were poets, musicians, philosophers, gardners, actors and athletes. Religion was also an essential part of their life, be it Buddhism, Shinto or Daoism, the spiritual life was a very important part of that world.

Daily duties would have included training in the martial arts including Kenjitsu or Kendo and archery. There would be meetings with dignitaries, presiding over local disputes as a judge, communication with the emperor through letters and messengers, overseeing expansion and repair of the villages and towns in his region, as well as time to pursue some of the hobbies I mentioned above.

Ritual was essential and at times viewed as even more important then life itself. I've heard a story of a Samurai who allowed himself to be killed by an assassin rather then stop his meditation because it was tradition to meditate for an exact set amount of time.

Answer 4

much like bieng a catholic preist minus the combat training I would say.

Read hagakure if you really want to get a feel for samurai school of thought.

Hagakure is a collection of actual stories that tell of the samurai mindset as dictated by a former samurai to a monk in his final days. There is no better description of a samurai's mindset than the words of a samurai.

Answer 5

Lots of strict self discipline.

Physical conditioning (martial arts training, aerobic training, strength training).

Intellectual training (academics, rhetoric, fine arts, etc.)

Stoic acceptance of the responsibilities of this class (outwardly, you are never sick, hungry, envious, tired, injured, etc.).

Again, these were the basic ideals of this lifestyle, and there were several samurai who, I'm sure flaked on some of this stuff (we are all human).

Research the Web about Bushido, and you'll get more perspective on this whole lifestyle.

Answer 6

To be a samuraii you live by a strict code of behavior, training and diet and honor. Death is preferable to dishonor.

Read up on the code of Bushido and for a 1st hand description
read the Novel SHOGUN which describes how a westerner becomes a samuraii.

Answer 7

short life to live, honor, strict code, bushido, discipline, training, serve the daimyo, thats all, just a police with a short life unless theres war, ur short life cuts in half.

Answer 8

you'll get to wear a skirt and carry a knife, look all serious and think you're cool

Answer 9

itd be awsome