Being a Samurai Samurai means “one who serves”. It refers to the members of a Japanese warrior class. They were noblemen assigned to protect the Imperial Court. With a Shogun or a Daimyo employing them, they followed a strict moral code. This code defined their behavior and clothing. However, education set them apart from most […]
Samurai Armor Here we are going to talk about the Samurai battle suit or armor. What was it like? Is it heavy? Why do some helmets have horns? Or did it mean something else? When we think about Samurai history, the Katana sword always comes to mind. Before you’ve seen a movie or two, could […]
Kendo Most martial arts originated in Japan, but many of them did not rely on weapons. Meanwhile, there were those that are designed to be done with swords. These ascended from Kenjutsu. Hence, it essentially covered all Japanese sword martial arts. One of these subsets was Kendo. It was different from all the others. Particularly, […]
Kabukimono and Ronin What is Kabukimono? What is Ronin? Japanese people are ethnic groups that are native to Japan. They are one of the largest ethnic groups – approximately 129 million people worldwide. Japanese people are divided into different kinds and groups of people. It is also with their various roles and different ways of […]
The Daisho Do you know the importance of Daisho? The Samurai wore the Katana as their life swords. That is true. But what most didn’t know is that Samurai don’t just have one sword with them. There would either be two or sometimes three swords. Daisho is the set of swords that these warriors wield. […]
The God the Samurai Worshipped Also known as Yahata no kami, the name Hachiman can be traced back to a prehistoric place in Kyushu. It means “God of Eight Banners”. These heavenly banners signaled the birth of the 15th emperor of Japan, Emperor Ōjin. Moreover, Hachiman is the syncretic divinity of war and archery. For […]
Culture of the Samurai We know the Samurai as dedicated warriors. As such, their entire lives revolved around the study of and training for military service. It is easy to imagine them practicing swordsmanship and archery most of the time. Then, of course, as their primary duty, they would go to war as well. Outside […]
The Tachi Sword Tachi emerged even before the Katana did. More importantly, it provided the basis for the invention and development of the Katana. Therefore, without this sword, there would not have been Katana. Suppose one asks, “What is the best Japanese sword?” Without much thinking, one can mention Katana right away. It is the […]
Hand-to-Hand Combat When two or more people duel each other in a short range, They are more likely to fight with weapons like swords or daggers. In the absence of swords, some warriors use other Japanese weapons. Many martial arts and techniques have developed in Japan which teach how handle a battle empty-handed. There are […]
The Onin War Who can tell that a dispute between a father and his son-in-law would eventually become a 12-year civil war? This war was known as the Onin War. Ōnin refers to the Japanese era spanning from March 1467 through April 1469. It occurred after Bunsho and before Bunmei. Bunsho marked the history from […]
EN 
ES