What was the significance of the samurai to the history of Japan.?

Answer 1

Well since someone just copy and paste the wiki article for you I will tell you that most of what we think of the the samurai today is BS.

The proto-samurai can be traced back to the the Taika reforms in 646. What this reform did was set up a bureaucracy that allowed for an elite group of individual to develop outside of the capital. The earliest warriors did NOT fight with swords but rode on horseback and used a bow. To skillfully ride a horse, shot a bow and hit a target requires a lot of skill and practice. Only the newly established elite class had the sort of resources and time to develop these sorts of skills.

Leading up to the first Warrior government in the Kamakura period, many noble families where entrusted with different skills. Hence some families focused on being warriors. The conflict between the Taira and Minamoto, two warrior families, is what leads to the establishment of the first warriro government by Minamotot no Yoritomo.

The samurai were anything but the loyal honor prevailing people we think of them today. They would constantly switch sides in battles depending on who was winning. Only kill two or three people takes there heads and then leave or may not even show up to the battle at all. It is in the Tokugawa period (1600-1867) when you have a warrior government with a distinct warrior class that has no battles to fight, that they start to discuss the morals of fight. These views are highly influenced by Neo-Confucianism that also helped to establish the class structure as well. This Can be seen int eh popular literature of the time like in Haga Kure.

The ideas of the Samurai and Bushido are popularized in the West and Japan during the early 20th century. Inazo Nitobe's book Bushido, it what popularizes this beleif in the West.

So why are they significant?
They represent a political force that is separate from the Imperial family that is able to assert itself throughout the 10th-19th century, often able to consolidate power under its own system.

This is unlike any other system that existed in World, and has nothing to do with Feudalism. Feudalism, under the Western notion, never existed in Japan. It is a term we apply to the Tokugawa period that does not fit.

I hope this helps


In answer to the post below this. Samurai were VERY opportunistic in the periods before the Tokugawa. Ronin is a term that comes into existence during this period and is not found in ANY literature previous to this period. Its unfortunate that so many people have bought into this misunderstanding of what the samurai in essence were. I suggest reading some scholarly works on the subject. In English I recommend The Taming of the Samurai: Honorific Individualism and the Making of Modern Japan by Eiko Ikegami
and Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 by Wayne Farris.

Both of these works demonstrate who and what the samurai were.

Answer 2

Samurai began having impact on the politics of Japan (and thus history) in the mid to late Heian Period (9th-13th Century). Aristocratic officials found themselves frequently relying on warrior clans to settle disputes and keep the peace.

The two most prominent clans were the Taira/Heike and Minamoto/Genji. Eventually the Taira replaced the aristocrat officials and began ruling directly - in the Emperor's name whom they controlled and replaced at will.

The two families fought for several years for control with the Minamoto clan winning the war. The permanent position of Shogun (military general) was established in Kamakura in 1192. The samurai became the dominate force.

The Kamakura government was overthrown by loyalists to the Emperor. A short span of Imperial rule followed but dissastified samurai soon drove the Emperor out and quickly set up another Shogunate under the samurai warlord Ashikaga Takauji in 1336.

A hundred years later samurai would fight in the streets of Kyoto in the Onin War (1467-1477) which saw alot of the city destroyed and looted. The Shogunate crumbled while samurai servants to the great overlords overthrew their masters and became the Sengoku daimyo - the Warring Era Lords.

The Sengoku was the time of the fighting samurai. Treachery was rife particularly amongst the various leaders. The above answerer makes it out that samurai were not loyal but were disloyal opportunistic scavengers. This is not entirely true. He is thinking of Ronin (masterless samurai) and samurai leaders who would choose to change sides. Most regular samurai were loyal to their leaders and would follow him even if he changed sides.

During the Sengoku you had one lowly samurai rise from a servant to the basically the master of all Japan: Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

In the Edo Period, society was strictly regimented with the samurai at the top. However many began to slide into poverty while the merchant classes rose.

The most famous samurai incident during the Edo Period was the vendetta of the 47 Ronin against their late master's enemy.
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=201954&rel_no=1

This incident had a huge culturally impact and numerous plays and movies have been done on this subject.

The last time samurai had direct significance on Japanese history was at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Samurai loyal to the Emperor fought against samurai loyal to the Shogunate.

Saigo Takamori who fought for the emperor led a failed rebellion against the changes to samurai culture. After his death the samurai were no more but their legacy continues to inspire to this day and some Japanese salarymen like to think themselves the office equivalent of a samurai.

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Just say NO! to wiki-pasting!

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To the above I suggest that you understand that history is ever open to intrepretation so don't bother trying to tell us what the samurai "WERE" in such absolute terms. Neither you nor your sources can speak for all samurai. There are other accounts that disagree. Try understanding historiography - the study of history itself - to understand that the tenuous nature of the intrepretation of history often hinges upon the time and politics when they are intrepreted as well as the personal biases of the historian.

And besides your bit about their opportunistic nature in no way answers the Question which was the impact of samurai on japanese history. You're trying to describe them whereas I listed specific examples where samurai directly influenced Japanese history.

Answer 3

Samurai (侍, Samurai) was a term for the military nobility in pre-industrial Japan. The word 'samurai' is derived from the archaic Japanese verb 'samorau', changed to 'saburau' , meaning 'to serve'; a samurai is the servant of a lord.

The Taiho Code classified Imperial bureaucrats into 12 ranks, each divided into two sub-ranks, 1st rank being the highest adviser to the emperor. Those of 6th rank and below were referred to as "samurai" and dealt with day-to-day affairs. Although these "samurai" were civilian public servants, the name is believed to have derived from this term. Military men, however, would not be referred to as "samurai" for many more centuries.

Ultimately, Emperor Kammu disbanded his army, and from this time the emperor's power gradually declined . While the emperor was still the ruler, powerful clans around Kyoto (京都) assumed positions as ministers, and their relatives bought positions as magistrates. To amass wealth and repay their debts, magistrates often imposed heavy taxes, resulting in many farmers becoming landless. As the threat of robbery rose, the clans began recruiting these exiles in the Kanto plains. Because of their intense training in the martial arts, they proved to be effective guards. Small numbers would accompany tax collectors and, merely by their presence, deter thieves and bandits from attacking. They were saburai, armed retainers, yet their advantage of being the sole armed party quickly became apparent. Through protective agreements and political marriages, they accumulated political power, eventually surpassing the traditional aristocracy.

Some clans were originally formed by farmers who had taken up arms to protect themselves from the imperial magistrates sent to govern their lands and collect taxes. These clans formed alliances to protect themselves against more powerful clans, and by the mid-Heian period they had adopted characteristic Japanese armor and weapons, and laid the foundations of Bushido, their ethical code.

The last showing of the original samurai was in 1867 when samurai from Chōshū and Satsuma provinces defeated the Shogunate forces in favor of the rule of the emperor. The two provinces were the lands of the daimyo that submitted to Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara (1600).

Answer 4

The Samurai were the feudal lords of Japan. While they received power from the emperor, the emperor also needed them to remain in power. Each samurai commanded a series of lesser nobles who owed him their allegience. When samurais fought amongst themselves, they called upon their vassals to aid them.

Answer 5

Simply put the samurai was the high tech warrior/milita that kept the british from taking over for many years. The acceleration of firearms tech. at that time plus the USA's (nothing changes, does it) political and financial influence (and 10000 american soilders) eventually lead to the end of japan's fuedal era and the samurai

Answer 6

They were a symbol of great courage and hope to the Japanese people, and still are today.