SAMURAI – More than just Warriors

Christina here. Last month I went to see a fascinating exhibition at the British Museum. It was called Samurai and although I’m not particularly fond of warfare, I wanted to check it out as I used to live in Japan and love everything about that country. Besides, samurai were so much more than just warriors living in fancy castles.

When we hear the word samurai most people think of formidable fighters, possibly wearing this strange-looking type of armour and wielding their lethal swords. In reality, only the leaders would have looked like that, although many of the ordinary soldiers also wore some kind of protective gear.

Samurai first appeared as a social class in the mid-900s AD during a string of civil wars. They were organised into bushidan (warbands) of full-time mounted archers and part-time foot soldiers. They served the aristocracy, mighty clans led by a daimyo (lord) who each ruled a domain. Although Japan had an Emperor, these powerful clan leaders held the real power and in 1185 AD one of them established a so-called ‘shogunate’ (warrior government). He became the first Shōgun.

From then on, various clans fought to be the supreme leaders and this continued until 1603 when one clan emerged as the strongest – the Tokugawa. Their leader, Tokugawa Ieyasu (in Japan you put the surname first) established peace in the country and led a new shogunate that lasted 250 years under successive generations of his family. He was based in Edo (present-day Tokyo) while the Emperor lived in Kyoto. I’m sure many of you have seen the recent TV series Shōgun based on a book by James Clavell (or perhaps you remember the original one featuring Richard Chamberlain?). This is set during the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu and is based on the real-life story of an Englishman, Will Adams, who ended up in Japan. It’s a fascinating tale and you can read more about him in Samurai William by Giles Milton. The new TV series has been praised for its historical accuracy.

Although tales of heroic warriors lived on, with no need for warfare the samurai simply became the ruling class. The country was divided into about 260 domains, each one ruled by a lord who pledged allegiance to the Shōgun. He didn’t quite trust them though so he established something called ‘alternate attendance’ whereby the lords had to live in Edo for a set period every two years. This way the Shōgun could keep an eye on them. The only problem was that the lords brought thousands of retainers so Edo was filled with men who had nothing much to do. They spent the time socialising and playing games, like this card game.

There was also a pleasure quarter for those who could afford it – Yoshiwara – with music, dance and courtesans.

There were varying ranks of samurai and a distinct hierarchy which decided what position you could have. They filled lots of roles, mainly administrative, and held positions in government as ministers and councillors. Lower-ranking samurai had other functions like collecting taxes or being in charge of fire prevention. They were supposed to be cultured and patronised the arts, sometimes they themselves were the poets and artists. Some studied science and nature.

Their homes were sumptuously decorated in order to show off their wealth and status at social gatherings. High-quality porcelain, lacquerware objects and works of art were displayed. Walls and folding screens were beautifully painted and often featured gold leaf to make them glow in the light of lanterns. Gatherings sometimes included a ritual tea ceremony and some of the samurai became masters at it.

There was no longer a need to wear armour for fighting purposes, instead suits of armour became status symbols. A powerful lord had to own one, the more elaborate the better. They also owned a set of swords. Japanese sword-makers were superb craftsmen who had produced amazing weapons for centuries. The distinctive curve of the single-edged swords is one most people recognise and they would originally have been very lethal.

Helmets worn by the clan leaders were not just for protection – they were meant to make them stand out and be visible on a battlefield.

There were some amazing examples in the exhibition that were beautiful works of art but must have been extremely uncomfortable (and heavy!) to wear!

 

At home there was no need for ostentation and a samurai man would be dressed in simple but still formal clothing, including a silk robe, wide pleated trousers (hakama) and a wide-shouldered sleeveless jacket.

All their clothes were decorated with their clan motif. The Tokugawa one is this distinctive triple hollyhock, while the Emperor has a stylised chrysanthemum.

 

Samurai women were married off to form political alliances and they played an important role in the home. They were taught how to run a household and educate their children properly, and they were supposed to be culturally accomplished as well. During the civil wars they had often ‘held the fort’ to defend their husband’s domains and some took part in the combat.

They wore beautiful kimono (see my earlier post here) and cosmetics – rice flour to make their skin white, rouge, and charcoal for painting fake eyebrows – hence the need for dressing sets like this one.

When travelling, ladies would be carried in palanquins like this stunning example of black lacquer. It doesn’t look very comfortable to me but presumably there would have been lots of cushions inside.

Just like in Europe, children were dressed like little adults. Girls were expected to make a good marriage and boys were taught everything necessary for them to take their place within their class.

During the 250 years of Tokugawa rule Japan was closed to international trade and foreigners were only allowed to come to one port – Nagasaki. However, in the 1850s American armoured steamships arrived in Edo harbour and demanded entry. People had begun to be dissatisfied with the shogunate anyway for various reasons, and after over a decade of infighting Tokugawa rule collapsed and samurai status was abolished. A new government took over and ruled in the name of the Emperor, and foreigners were allowed in.

The samurai ethos, called bushido, was eventually used as motivation for soldiers and held up as a chivalric way of life. These days, samurai are often portrayed in books, films, TV series, video games and manga as supreme warriors. Fascination with them continue.

My 17^th century Japanese-set Kumashiro series featured a samurai lord who fell in love with an Englishwoman, something that would never have happened in real life as foreign women weren’t allowed. I had fun imagining it though and I thoroughly enjoyed the research for those books.

 

 

Have you come across samurai in any shape or form? What does the word conjure up for you?