Samuri

The samurai were the elite military class within the Japanese army.

They used many weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns; but their most famous weapon and their symbol was the samurai's sword.

Samurai lead their lives according to the ethic code of Bushido or the "way of the warrior". They were very Confucian in nature, Bushido had ideas such as loyalty to one's master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behavior.

After being defeated, some samurai chose to commit suicide or seppuku by cutting their abdomen rather than being captured or dying a "dishonorable" death.

Samurai warriors had many privileges. They could wear two swords, a long one and a short one. Normal people were not allowed to wear any weapons at all. At one point samurai warriors were even allowed to behead a commoner who had offended them. That is how much power they had.

The Japanese samurai had different ranks with different privileges. A basic ranking system distinguished three major ranks:

• kenin - housemen. They were the administrators or vassals.
• mounted samurai - Only high-ranking samurai warriors were allowed to fight on horse-back.
• foot soldiers