Questions tagged [samurai]
Questions related to the history of the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan, also known as bushi or buke, until reforms in 1868.
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What was the purpose of the breastplate rings on samurai armor?
In the Royal Ontario Museum, I found this armor, and was perplexed by the two gold rings that appear on the breastplate. While it seem that something ought to be attached to them, no example of ...
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Is the sword stance in Like a Dragon: Ishin where swordsmen place their palm flat against the hilt a style of Tennen Rishin-ryū? [closed]
In the video game Like A Dragon: Ishin, a major plot point is finding information about the Tennen Rishin style practiced by members of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu period (1853-1867) in Japan....
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What is the story of this kamon?
I see that you have a lot of knowledge and I have been looking for information for several years. Do you know the story of this kamon? It is worn by my wife's family. It's Maruni ken Hanabishi; it is ...
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Could someone help to identify this Japanese mon found on what appears to be a late Edo Period Jingasa?
I am trying to identify the following Japanese mon:
My research has hinted that the tortoise-shell shape may be of Shinto influence and that the triune division is a form depiction of the tomoe, but ...
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What are the outer vests/jackets that samurai wear?
What are the outer vests/jackets that samurai wear some sort of jacket, what are they called?
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What did the Edo samurai bureaucracy actually look like?
While researching the Japanese Edo period, the Samurai class are frequently described as bureaucrats and the government is described as a "sophisticated bureaucracy", often with detailed ...
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Are there incidents of ronin travelling outside Japan as soldiers of fortune?
There are time periods where large numbers of ronin flocked to Edo, and roamed the Japanese countryside looking for some source of income; generally during and right after the Senegoku period and ...
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Why would anyone from Japan be in Northern India in early 1900s?
I am trying to write a fictional history novel.
Can someone tell me why a young man from a wealthy, samurai family from Japan would be in Northern India in the early 1900s (after WW1, before WWII).
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Was the Horo Cavalry "Balloon cloak" effective?
Was the Horo Cavalry Balloon cloak effective? and if so is there a European/Non Japanese Variant?
My understanding is to defend against arrowfire positioning armor away from the body is ...
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What is the meaning and history of this Japanese Crest symbol?
What is the history and meaning of the symbol #23 (丸に七曜) in this image from shop.japan.co?
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How did samurai keep their blade effective when away from any sharpening tools?
I was wondering, regardless of the type of blade, how did samurais keep their blade effective when they are away from any sharpening tools / professionals.
Coming from daily using a Japanese chef ...
bluesummers
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How accurate is the fatalistic samurai culture in James Clavell's novel Shogun?
Background: I'm reading Shogun, and enjoying it enormously, but the portrayal of the samurai, their families, and their subordinates as authoritarian and death-obsessed has been setting off warning ...
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Was "Aku Soku Zan" (悪即斬) a real Shinsengumi motto?
In the manga series Rurouni Kenshin, the character of Hajime Saito, who is based on the real historical figure, has a saying or motto, "Aku Soku Zan" (悪即斬), which is translated as "Slay ...
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Did each clan in Sengoku Japan have a specialty or distinctive way of war?
I know that the regions of Iga and Koga bred soldiers that excelled at guerilla warfare, The Takeda cavalry, The Otomo and Oda for their guns.
Were there other daimyo who were known for the way they ...
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What were the effects of Bushido on Japan after the Meiji Restoration?
As part of the Meiji Restoration, the samurai class was abolished and their members enrolled as shizoku under the new regime. While their ancient privileges were lost, the former samurai continued to ...
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How many samurai warriors were there during the Sengoku period?
I was trying to estimate the number of warriors who were part of the samurai class. I am mainly interested in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Trying to search for that, I came across this. It states ...
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What does this Samurai crest mean?
Some years ago I was given something that I believe is called, in Japanese, a jubako. It's a multi-layered box and on the inside of the lid it features this crest:
When searching for information on ...
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At what age did samurai children start going into battles in the Sengoku era?
Exactly as the title says, from what age did a child of a samurai start to join his father in battles? I suspect it is when the child was considered an adult, but what age was considered an adult ...
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Why did Japanese samurai disembowel themselves?
Japanese samurais were known to commit ritual suicide by stabbing themselves in the belly. Why? Why not hang themselves? Cut their own throats? Does Japanese culture view disembowelment differently ...
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What is the meaning of this samurai crest?
From User Jordan Miles Hamanaka Kaplowit's comment to this question: Meaning of samurai crest / symbol
What is the meaning of the sixth crest symbol?
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What became of the last samurai?
During the Meiji Restoration, the previously powerful samurai class was abolished. What did all the former samurai become?
I have heard often that many former samurai joined the new conscription army ...
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What does the eighth samurai crest / symbol in this picture signify?
I would like to ask you all to explain the meaning of the 8-th symbol in this picture*:
I would like to also know what are those symbols? Thank you very much.
* Source: http://www.samurai-store.com/...
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Could rōnin become a samurai again?
Once the samurai lost his master he becomes a rōnin. Could he become a samurai again by acquiring another master?
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Who was Yoshioka Matashichiro?
I am right now reading about the legendary swordsman of Japan, Miyamoto Musashi . It says he ended the rivalry with the Yoshioka school by killing the brothers Yoshioka Seijūrō and Yoshioka ...
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What role did the Ancient Samurai heritage play on Modern Japan during WW2?
Some of the policies adopted by the WW2 Japanese army , seem to be along the lines of the ancient samurai code of Bushido. Policies such as extreme loyalty to the emperor , honor unto death and ...
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How do Tamahagane, Damascus, and Toledo Steel compare?
Has a comparison been made of the qualities of Samurai (Tamahagane), Damascus and Toledo steel (rather than the swords)? I've seen claims for each being better than the others.
If it's on topic, I'm ...
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Were there Samurai equivalents in Korea or China?
Considering that the Samurai class had its distant roots in Chinese political structure, did China or Korea have a similar warrior class?
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How many Samurai killed themselves?
How many Samurai killed themselves compared to the actual number of Samurai and how many Samurai were dishonored but did not kill themselves?
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