The Samurai Warrior and the Samurai Class

To be a Samurai warrior in ancient Japan meant much more than how it has been portrayed in countless movies, even those movies actually made in Japan. In truth, the Samurai class was highly respected, as well as feared, despite the fact that they made up less than 10% of the families in the country. Much like certain families in America-those with names like Bush, Kennedy, Rockefeller, Roosevelt-they were granted certain privileges not shared by the rest of the people. This privilege was not only granted, but-as with certain American families-haughtily expected. There is a difference between the Samurai families of Japan and the political and economic dynasties of American however. The Samurai families gained their due of respect courtesy of their warrior abilities obtained through centuries of near-constant fighting. Well, theoretically, there might be one more important difference: Anyone who failed to fall subserviently to his knees in the presence of a Samurai could be executed on the spot. Of course, we have no way of knowing whether anyone has ever been executed for failing to pay proper respect to members of the families mentioned above; we do know several have paid other less extreme prices for failure to pay respect.

The Samurai warriors have long been a subject of cinematic fascination and with good reason. These guys were truly formidable and came equipped with an arsenal of weapons. The typical Samurai warrior carried two different swords, but also a bow and arrow. In addition, they were skilled in the martial arts. To make themselves appear even more frightening, they engaged in battle wearing makeup and used other cosmetic means to enhance their appearance. Hand to hand combat was a necessity and they were absolutely the best, but little known to most people is that the Samurai warrior of the highest class fought mostly atop his horse. Centuries before kamikaze pilots flew their damaged plans into US warships in World War II, a Samurai warrior who faced defeat would take his fate into his own hands and commit ritual suicide. Even if the Samurai could survive battle, but faced disgrace in defeat, he would kill himself.

The Samurai basically maintained their high status until European imperialism raised its ugly head. Progress for the rest of Japan and economic opportunity for the banks of Europe marked the decline of the Samurai class. With the establishment of the Bank of Japan in 1882 and the industrial revolution that followed quickly afterward, the last vestiges of the old Japan quickly began to vanish. The Satsuma Rebellion was, ultimately, the last great stand of the Samurai warriors. The Satsuma Rebellion sprang from the deep-seated feelings of dissatisfaction with the vision of the future that the Samurai had glimpsed. Japanese modernization was viewed with distrust by the Samurai class, mostly because modernization meant the end of the feudal system that had provided the Samurai with their status and economic power. The Satsuma Rebellion provides the basis for the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai though one should definitely not use this film as a historic resource on any paper one might be writing. The term loosely based on fact definitely applies.

The defeat of the Samurai during the Satsuma Rebellion truly was the end. The Japanese government quickly moved to make it forbidden for them to wear their traditional battle makeup as well as to carry their swords. Beyond that, the Samurai families now were then lowered from the level of Bush-Kennedy down to the level of factory worker in America today: They had their pensions unceremoniously taken away from them. In effect, after almost a millennium of power, the Samurai by the end of the century has pretty much ceased to exist. Of course, the Samurai code of respect continues to this day in Japan. It was used to horrendous effect during World War II when the Allied soldiers who had surrendered rather than commit honorable suicide were treated with something far worse than contempt.