It´s difficult to find a person who never heard about the legendary warriors of Japan. But when we hear the word "samurai" only the external image of these characters comes to mind. What is hidden under this image and what traditions did those who had the honor of being called samurai have?

Bushido Code.

In the 10th century, when the samurai culture was consolidated in Japan, a whole set of samurai rules of life were created, which began to become a separate social category, establishing their unique culture. These main elements of the samurai traditions were recorded in the "Bushido Code" composed of seven "virtues", which are "Justice", "Courage", "Benevolence", "Courtesy", "Absolute Honesty", "Honor" and "Loyalty".

Samurai children.

Children who were born in samurai families began their training from a very young age. From childhood, the family that prepared the child instilled a special patriotism. Books and historical poems about the heroes of the past served as a source of inspiration. He sent them to study disciplines such as calligraphy, tea ceremony and meditation.

He sought to strengthen him spiritually, physically and psychologically, with hard tests to turn him into a fighter and defender dedicated to his work, a superman who can handle everything. At the age of 15, he was given the recognition of an adult man.

Samurai women.

They were not necessarily given the same education as men, but they were not underestimated if they demonstrated the vocation of warriors, it was common for daughters and wives in samurai families to learn to fight to defend their families when men were away from home and if necessary, they also went to the battlefield. There are numerous stories of legendary female samurai warriors like the famous Tomoe Gozen, who fought in the genpei wars during the Heian period.

The homosexuality.

It was a practice that was part of their culture that only ceased to be realized when the influence of the West was present.

Relationships between two men or between a samurai and the young man who trained, were common and accepted. In fact, it was an important part of the formation of the bond between warriors as well as the Spartans did. This practice was known as wakashudo.

Harakiri, suicide as an honorable way of dying.

Another mandatory feature of any samurai was to have the highest degree of performance possible. Any order from his samurai master was required to execute immediately, even if the order was suicide. The famous technique of harakiri was practiced by these warriors if they were captured or did not comply with all the instructions of the "Bushido Code". Such a death was considered decent and much better than a life in disgrace.

Cultural and intellectual training.

As mentioned above not only was emphasis on physical training but also culturally and intellectually, every samurai should improve in all aspects. Many of the representatives of the samurai were very educated and wise people who knew the subtleties of poetry, painting, theater, flower arrangements and the tea ceremony. In addition to being strongly influenced by the Zen culture of Buddhism, including meditation in its formation. Very distant aspects of the western image of a warrior.

The samurai tradition left a great contribution to the culture of the world, to this day we continue to admire the great warriors of Japan. Proof of this are the numerous works of art, their presence in film, television, books and video games. This wonderful culture continues to capture the interest of many people around the world.

Sources and references:

Mirando hacia Japón. (2018). 10 Curiosidades sobre los samuráis - Mirando hacia Japón. [online] Available at: https://mirandohaciajapon.com/10-curiosidades-del-mundo-samurai/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].
Louro, L. (2018). Todo sobre el Samurai | GUERREROS. [online] Guerrerosdelahistoria.com. Available at: https://guerrerosdelahistoria.com/samurai/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].
Es.wikipedia.org. (2018). Samurái. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samur%C3%A1i [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].
Images taken from Wikimedia Commons (2018). https://commons.wikimedia.org
Images taken from Pixabay.com (2018). Stunning Free Images: https://pixabay.com/