To be considered Samurai meant that you were the warrior nobility of Japan, private troops of landowners (at first), and the ruling class of society. They held a position in which they served the Emperor and served as a type of ‘militaristic’ force that protected the borders of Japan. Samurai rose to power in a manner like climbing a mountain. They first started by protecting one manor’s area and then eventually ended up protecting the Imperial Palace of Japan. Samurai lived by a code known as ‘Bushido.” The Bushido code, or Samurai code of honor and ethics, is centered heavily around an all-encompassing set of virtues and rituals that impacted decision making. These rituals influenced how a Samurai was to conduct his everyday behavior and affairs within Feudal Japanese society. Furthermore, modern day Japanese society holds onto a similar Bushido type of mindset, which can be seen in Japanese working culture as well as the society, holistically. For instance, there is a term called ‘karoshi’, or death from overwork, and it may show that the Samurai’s ‘self-sacrificing’ ideologies could still stand true within Japanese culture to this very day.
Considering that we have went over some of the background history of the Samurai/Bushi, it’s important to go over their armor the significance of it. Not only was matter of conduct an important element of Samurai culture, so was their demeanor of appearance. From the History Channel Documentary, entitled “The Samurai”, the armor was made from various sections of leather that was “layered and covered in lacquer to protect from the humid Japanese climate.” The weight of the Samurai armor made it so that it was much easier to navigate and move around, due to the armor’s material design. From the documentary, Samurai armor was a “costume to die in,” which could possibly emphasize the desire for the Samurai to be ‘self-sacrificing,’ yet, intricately beautiful warriors simultaneously. Miura Hiromichi, the man who maintains and replicates Samurai armor and possessions, mentions that he believes that “Samurai armor was designed so beautifully, because it wasn’t an armor meant for battle, but instead, for the after-party of the battle.” This quote is very intriguing, because it brings up the artistic beauty that surrounded the Samurai. Samurai could be considered artists of the battle field, just as Geisha translates to ‘artists’ or ‘performers’ in Japanese. Both Geisha and Samurai are iconic parts of traditional and modern day ‘Nihon Bunka,’ or Japanese Culture, and it made me think that Samurai were more than just great warriors, but instead represented Japan’s strength and influence on the world with their art, religion, and culture. In fact, many Noh plays are set around Samurai. When you watch the performance, and interpret it, it’s more a simple and impactful story. In a way, Noh helps bring the tales of the Samurai to fruition.
One of the dominating clans, Minamoto Clan, reigned supreme in victories during the 12th century. The Minamoto clan was mentioned in the documentary to be a “force that kept the rebels in line.” One of the greatest archers in Samurai history is Minamoto Tametomo, who was part of the Minamoto Clan. When he was faced with the reality of losing during battle, Tametomo committed ‘Harakiri,’ or belly-cutting, and he did this to show that he was protecting his honor by not dying at the hands of the enemy. Eventually, ‘seppuku’ and ‘hara-kiri’ became associated with a type of “honorable death.” From my own knowledge, Japanese culture associates one’s ‘tamashii’ (spirit) and ‘kokoro’ (true feeling and heart), with the navel/belly. Therefore, many Samurai aimed straight for this area when ending their own lives, because it held one of the most intimate parts of the human being, (their spirit and heart). From class discussions, not allowing one’s enemy to defeat them in battle was part of the Samurai Spirit. After Minamoto Tametomo’s death, he was succeeded by his nephew, Minamoto Yoritomo, who was eventually deemed as “Shogun.” To be considered Shogun was a very strong title to carry for Samurai leaders/ heads of clan. The term had existed long before Samurai came to exist, but it still was part of the Samurai culture during the 12th century. The documentary had also mentioned that “Yoritomo had made the traditionally temporary Shogun position a permanent one,” and he aimed at protecting Japan’s safety and existence diligently. Yoritomo set up Samurai watch at Kamakura, and he did this with the aid of the Emperor. It’s mentioned that Yoritomo understood the importance of the Emperor’s influence on the political affairs that affected Japan, and he had decided to include the Emperor in the militant affairs and work together equally with him. This quote was mentioned in the movie and truly captures the Samurai mindset and spirit that emanated from them: “After victory, tighten your helmet chords.” I believe this shows that a Samurai needed to always be prepared and ready for battle, nothing remains calm and still for long, and that personal affairs could very well be second to the duties of the Samurai.
Over time, there were tales written about the “Gempei Wars (1180-1185),” which occurred a little before the 12th century. Even though the Minamoto Clan had been a very strong dominating clan, it is noted that the Taira Clan (Heike), were strong contenders to deal with. Not to mention, the Taira Clan wasn’t appreciated at all in the Imperial Court of Japan from what I gathered. The Insei system, a Heian system of government that saw retired Emperor’s ruling in the background from their monasteries, had stood strong for many years. Eventually, with the rise of the Samurai, we saw that the Insei system was abolished by the Taira Clan. Prince Mochihito of the Imperial Family lived in the capitol of Japan (Kyoto) during these Gempei Wars. He asked for aid from the Samurai because he felt that he was being betrayed by the Taira Clan, and didn’t like the Insei System at all. The Gempei Wars were won by the Minamoto Clan, and then the Shogunate was established. Minamoto no Yoritomo became Shogun during the Kamakura period and created the Shogunate, his own ruling government. It was during the rise of the Shogunate that the Samurai were at their strongest. After Minamoto no Yoritomo passed away, then the Hojo Clan regents took partial control alongside other Shogunate clans. There were many other legends and stories that took place about the Samurai rise to power, but the “Tales of the Heike” stands out as a pivotal element of their rise to power story. One of the advantages that the Samurai/Bushi had was that they used horses, swords, archery, their armor was lightweight and flexible, and they also traveled and fought on foot as well. This shows that the Samurai had various defense strategies, which very well could have aided in their eventual rise to power and their demand with the Imperial Court. One could even argue that the Samurai was almost like the “perfect warrior.” Since Samurai were paid with land or rice for their services, having these resources to train helped them become the strongest warriors they could. The ‘Tales of the Heike’, written during the 14th century, discusses the construct of the morale and ethics of Samurai culture. It also addresses the battles and wartime affairs of both clans, as well as the influence of various Buddhist ideals. The main reason as to why the “Tales of the Heike” is included with the Samurai’s rise to power, is because the breakdown of the stories show Samurai culture as being one that was influenced by Buddhism. Within the essence of the Samurai culture and the Buddhist ideals, the constant focus on “impermanence,” in which it discusses how everything is constantly changing, is prevalent. Buddhism in Japanese culture associates with the afterlife, whereas Shintoism, associates with the spirit of nature and how everything has energy and life force. The breakdown of the “Tales of the Heike” is as follows: Gion Shoja, The Death of Tadanori, Death of the Imperial Lady, and the Death of Atsumori. Each helps tell of the Samurai rise to power. In Gion Shoja, we see a very important element described in the power point from class made by Dr. Pham: “ Gion Shoja bells echoes the impermanence of all things…” There was more to this quote, but the emphasis I am placing is on “impermanence of all things,” which is an extremely important aspect of Buddhist values. Buddhism, and very much Samurai culture, was centered around the idea that nothing remains the same and everything is always changing. Following the Gion Shoja, there is the Death of Tadanori, which resulted in the practice of Pure Land Buddhism and mentions that the world will never be not corrupt. Instead, people should aim for the afterlife and the “next phase of life.” Karma would fit in here, because essentially, our actions would affect the experiences that we could face again if we reincarnated. The importance of the Death of the Imperial lady is that she wanted to be admitted to the Pure Land and focused on how her life would be better in the next realm.
The Tale of the Heike is one of Japan’s most imperative tales, because it discusses how the Taira and Minamoto worked diligently to gain notice and control of the Imperial Court and family. Atsumori of the Taira Clan died around the Taira Clan’s fall from power to the Minamoto Clan, and the importance of this story is that the death of Atsumori saw that Kumagai, friend of the Taira Clan, eventually becam a monk. Kumagai had wanted to fight Atsumori when he saw him retreating because most of the Taira Clan was defeated. In fact, Kumagai had thought that Atsumori was a commander-in-chief and tried to fight him. Kumagai was moved by the fact that Atsumori was so young looking and was reminded of his own son. Atsumori said prayers to Kumagai and allowed him to take his head. This, in turn, led Kumagai to turn toward becoming a monk. This is important, because it shows that Samurai weren’t just warriors, they were people with emotions and feelings, and therefore I chose to include this into my paper as well. Samurai couldn't rise to power by simply killing and taking over land alone, they had some spirituality and strong culture behind them, which aided in their eventual rise to power.
Samurai had many battles and situations that they needed to contend with during their gradual rise to strength. Art and storytelling helped to keep their history recorded in a manner that was strong and powerful, just as the Samurai are often depicted as being.
References
Heike Excerpts PDF
Samurai and Religion Powerpoint 2
The Death of Atsumori PDF