THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

The civil wars that swept Japan during the 12th century brought in a new age of strength and steel. Men ( and women) from all over Japan joined the ranks of the warlike Taira and Minamoto clans in their battle for control of the country. A fierce new breed of armed noblemen  (and noblewomen!), the samurai, began to emerge. Artisan turned their talents to the productions of superb swords and armour, which combined beauty with deadly practicality.

It took more than just a sword and a metal suit, however, to arm a samurai. Part of their equipment was moral and psychological--an austere unwritten code of personal courage and loyalty roughly parallel to the rule of  fealty in medieval Europe. The code known as bushido,or "The Way of theWarrior", demanded an almost religious commitment to military life, in which physical hardship was the order of the day, and  heroic death in battle the most honourable goal.
 

 
Not to borrow the strength of another, nor to rely on  one's own strength; to cut off past and future thoughts,and not to live within the everyday mind...then the Great Way is right before your eyes.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo
 
 
 

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