Samurai is an emblematic figure in Japan's history, but as with the knight in Europe, the samurai in popular culture is both history and myth, so it's often hard to separate things. What's mythical, what's historical? Very early in history, samurai was idealized, as for example, in the Tale of the Heike, which dates from the 13th century for its first written versions. Today mangas, series, films, video games, many media help to immerse the samurai in a legendary aura. The goal of this video is to present the samurai's figure from an historical angle. Before starting, I want to say you that I worked with the Herald of History on this video, go to see what he does. Without further ado, let's start with this emblematic figure of Japan: the samurai! Several words are used to refer to warriors in Japan, but "all are supplanted by samurai and bushi", as Robert Calvet explains in his book A history of Samurais, which I invite you to read, it's fascinating. Regarding the word samurai, originally it derives from the words "saburau" and "saburai", but the "i" is pronounced quickly so that it sounds sa-bou-raye, saburai... ... samurai. Saburau means "to serve", and "saburai", derived from the first, means "those who serve". First mention of this term is found at early 10th century in a poem from the collection we know as Kokinsho. This word gets the pronunciation we know today around the 16th and 17th centuries: saburai or sabourai. As for the words bushi, it appears for the first time in the Shoku Nihongi, a chronicle on Japan's history from the 8th century. Robert Calvet specifies that from the end of the 12th century, the terms samurai and bushi "became more or less synonymous", but there's a difference between both terms: the word samurai designates a member belonging to the military elite, while the word bushi designates a member belonging to the warrior class, regardless of rank. However, the difference between samurai and bushi remains unclear. From one historian to another definitions may vary. In any case, among both words just presented, bushi it was used the most, but in Western historiography was retained the word samurai. Again, this is what Robert Calvet explains to us. Before continuing, we must also specify this: on a battlefield, plus the samurai there were many others warriors, such as the ashigaru for example. Ashigaru are lightly equipped infantry units which constitute the bulk of an army's troops, especially during the Muromachi period. So don't think that in Japan there were only samurai fighting. Now, what exactly is a samurai? We'll briefly place the historical context to get it. The term samurai refers to a member of Japan's military elite. He's a warrior fighting most often on horseback, but can also fight on foot; he uses various equipment, including bow and saber, but we'll talk about it later. The samurai is in the service of a lord, the samurai who has no lord is a ronin. Before before samurai's appearance, from the Kofun period, so between the 3rd and 4th centuries of our era, there was an aristocratic class of warrior on horseback. We can consider that during the Heian period, from 794 to 1185, the first samurai will gradually appear. From the 9th century, we find riders who excel in handling of the bow. These horsemen have many characteristics in common with the samurai, originally mounted archers. The recurring use of saber only occurs later. As I said when mentioned the etymology of the word samurai, its first mention dates from the 19th century, so during the Heian period. This evolution in vocabulary seems to be the manifestation of an evolution in facts. Gradually, the warrior class will impose itself and seize power, increasing the samurai's influence. The samurai class will continue until the Edo period, which extends from 1603 to 1868. As it's a period of peace, it supposes that the samurai no longer fight. This raises the question of their role: what to do with this military aristocracy which represents about 5% of country's total population around 1600? Knowing that the high estimate for this period is 20 million inhabitants and the low estimate is 12 million inhabitants, that makes between one million and 600,000 samurais. So it's a significant part of the population that the shogunate must manage to avoid reliving the instabilities of the Muromachi period. To deal with this situation, from the moment Tokugawa leyasu becomes shogun, there's a policy that's put in place to convert samurais into servants. Yes, they go from saber to writing. In fact, is more complicated but you get it. Thus, the warlike function greatly diminishes. The samurais are encouraged to engage in the path of letters and culture. Robert Calvet explains to us to summarize that "the new functions of samurai living in an urban environment and in a pacified climate are administrative, fiscal and judicial". Yet even as the samurai no longer fight, warrior values infuse Japanese society. It from the Heian period developed a warrior ideal, it was during the Edo period that it took the name of bushido we know today and it was during this period that it was organized clearly. We'll talk about that soon. The Edo period ended in 1868 with the Meiji Imperial Restoration. In 1871, the seigneurial domains were replaced by prefectures. The next year, conscription system was reinstated, samurai thus lose their monopoly of the military function. In 1876, samurai no longer had the right to wear the sword. In short, all these measures aim to abolish the privileges of this class. In 1877, the Satsuma Rebellion took place. Some samurai don't approve of government decisions regarding their status and "modernization", but this rebellion is put down by the imperial power which sends its army of conscription to fight these samurai. It's the end of the samurai class, but the legacy lives on. Firstly, because the samurai's end doesn't mean the end of the men who bore this title. They're still there and several of them occupy important positions, particularly in administration. Many former samurai join military schools and become officers in the Imperial Army. Robert Calvet writes: "Even though the castes have disappeared and samurai status no longer exists ,the Civil Code of 1898 nevertheless testifies to a certain extension of the values of the samurai to the whole of Japanese society". He adds, "bushido is set up as a set of codes that must apply to the entire Japanese population. The use of this heritage isn't without drift, especially in the 1930s with the rise of nationalism and militarism. We're no longer in the history of samurai, it'll be for another video. Let's now return to the history of this famous samurai's code of honor. Firstly, bushido constitutes an ideal and it should not be imagined that each samurai behaves by perfectly following this ideal. They're warriors, most often only victory and interests matter. Moreover, one should not imagine a strict and immobile code. Bushido has evolved little by little over the centuries. Just like the chivalric ideal, it's a complicated subject of study because history and legend often mix together. That being the case, since when this code exists and what exactly is bushido? The genesis of bushido begins during the Heian period, during which it doesn't yet bear the name of bushido and it's not what it'll be later in the 17th century. From the 10th and 11th centuries, several names designate what will later become bushido. For example, there's the way of the man-at-arms called "tsuwamono no michi" in Japanese. There's also the way of the bow and the horse called "kyuba no michi". Samurai are then above all riders archers, which explains the name of this path. We discover this in particular in the Tale of the Heike, a monogatari (a story) which tells the struggle between the Taira clan and the Minamoto clan in the 12th century. At first it was an oral work, but from the 13th century onwards, written versions began to appear. In these written versions, we discover an idealization of the samurai's figure. These ways can be considered as the ancestors of bushido. They're rather initially rather rules concerning training and real combat. From the 13th century, other dimensions were added. It also becomes a moral code: loyalty is highly valued. Other dimensions are still added, but it's not easy to make a strict chronology. It should also be noted that the code of samurai is influenced by Zen Buddhism, Shinto and neo-Confusionism. Zen Buddhism is helpful in training the samurai mind. It helps the samurai remain serene even in the face of death. Shinto values loyalty and attachment to the country. Neo-confusionism brings an intellectual dimension. In was in the 17th century, more precisely around 1616, in a work that bears the name of Koyo Gunkan, that the term Bushido appeared firstly. Literally, it means the way of the warrior. It was also from the 17th century that Bushido was structured and conceptualized. So, we're at the beginning of the Edo period, which means that the way of the warrior takes the form that we know best only late. This creates a assessment bias. The bias is all the more important since the Edo period is of peace. There is an idealization of the samurai even though he no longer fights. Bushido then becomes not only a code of honor, but also a code of ethics, a code of conduct, a set of military rules and even a way of life, to sum up. The man who follows bushido undertakes to tend towards a physical and mental ideal. The accent isn't only on values, military rules and physical training, but also on spiritual, intellectual and cultural achievement. Several books have helped to the development of Bushido as we know it today. Let's cite for example the Gorin no sho, which is know in English as the Treaty of the five rings or Treaty of the five wheels, written around 1645 by Musashi. There's alsoc Tsunetomo's Hagakure, written at early 18th century but only revealed at early 20th century because it was kept secret for a long time. A more recent work has greatly influenced our view, it's Bushido, the soul of Japan by Nitobe Inazo. This work was published in 1900. It was specifically intended for a Western audience. In this book, we finds in particular the famous 7 virtues that samurai is supposed to follow: uprightness, courage, benevolence, politeness, honesty, honor and loyalty. As we said before, hard to say how much Bushido is followed by samurai and hard to separate legend from history, but the fact that bushido is truly structured during the Edo period is significant. The idealization of war and warriors is done in times of peace. The feather replaces the saber. Imagination embellishes the story. The Tokugawa imposed by the war, so the regime justifies itself by magnifying battle and warriors. And then, what is an ideal, if not a horizon that one never reaches? The further we go, the further it goes. An ideal is a direction given to humans. Even today, most of us have an ideal, but does this mean that each moment we live by confirming perfectly to this one? Keep in mind that war remains war. The warrior must be pragmatic to win. Interests of the clan, or even special interests, often come before the rest. Sometimes, even within a clan there are several rival branches. In the history of Japan, several episodes show that there have been betrayals, even though in the samurai ideal, loyalty is paramount. For example, in 1582, Oda Nobunaga even though he dominated practically all of Japan, was betrayed by Akechi. Nobunaga, aware that he can't counter this betrayal and he'll be taken by the enemy, commits seppuku. Seppuku is a ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by samurai. It appears around the 12th century. Seppuku evolves over time, but it was banned in 1868. When a samurai felt dishonored, he could commit seppuku to restore his honor. Most often, this is done following a military failure. It's as Robert Calvet says: "an honorable way to assume a great failure". Others reasons can push a samurai to commit seppuku: it can be a punishment that obliges him to do so, perhaps to accompany his lord in death, or perhaps to pay a debt. The list isn't exhaustive. From the 17th century the ritual is very precise: it's done in public, samurai wears white clothes, he sits in seiza position, i.e., on his knees with his buttocks resting on his heels. In front of him, there's a small table on which rests the blade with which he'll disembowel himself, there's a cup of sake and also a sheet of paper as well as brushes. Before starting, the samurai must drink the cup of sake in two sips, for a total of 4 sips. In Japanese the number 4 is pronounced "shi", like "death". Then, the samurai must write a short poem, then he grabs the blade and he should, in theory, inflict two slashes on himself: a first from left to right and a second from bottom to top. Do I need to clarify how excruciating the pain must be? Unbearable. Behind the samurai doing seppuku, there's an assistant called kaishakunin whose role is to shorten the suffering of the samurai, for that he must cut off his head, but not completely. It's a partial decapitation, the head must remain connected to the body by a thin piece of flesh. In short, samurai shows his courage by committing seppuku. He faces death by inflicting himself a mortal and very painful wound. When he has proven his courage, his assistant puts an end to his suffering. The samurai's honor is washed away. It should be noted that some samurai refuse to commit seppuku and are then considered as people without honor. Depending on the period the ritual may be different; moreover, depending on the context the ritual setting up isn't possible and it can be done without an audience, the main thing being the disembowelment. Seppuku was officially banned in 1868, but there are cases beyond this date. For example in 1912, General Nogi and his wife, following the death of Emperor Meiji decided to commit seppuku. There are also some at the end of the World War II: some soldiers refuse to surrender and prefer suicide. Sometimes there are also protest suicides like in 1999. Masaharu Nonaka protests against his forced retirement and he decides to commit seppuku. Finally, some make the difference between seppuku and hara-kiri, but in fact it's hard to distinguish. In the West, we hear more often about hara-kiri, but in Japan the term seppuku dominates. Some say it's the same thing, other say seppuku is the ritualized version and hara-kiri the non-ritualized version, or even a version says hara-kiri is a more vulgar way of referring to seppuku. Hard to decide with certainty. Sorry, the pun is really not good. What is the life of a samurai like? Obviously, each individual has a unique life trajectory, but let's present some common traits in the life of a samurai. Firstly, it must be noted that according to the period, the way of life changes. The samurai of Muromachi period constantly faces war while the samurai of the Edo period lives in peace. Samurai status is passed down from father to son. Children born into a samurai class family are educated and trained to become samurai at an early age. They receive not only a physical and military education but also a moral and cultural education. The samurai pursue an ideal of cultivation of body and mind. During the Edo period, the samurai continue to train physically but, as it's a period of peace, the emphasis is on culture, arts and ethics. Around 12 years old, but the age can vary greatly from 12 to 20, or even less or more according on the case, the young son of a samurai becomes an adult during the ceremony called genpuku. At the same time, the young man officially becomes a samurai. During samurai's adolescence, the practice of wakashudo, also abbreviated to shudo, without being systematic, is encouraged and highly esteemed. This practice is, in some ways, similar to the pederasty found among ancient Greeks. A young man places himself under the tutelage of an older man, the two lovers are united by mutual duties towards each other, the younger learns from contact with the older. This type of relationship includes sexual relations between the two lovers, when the youngest becomes an adult often the sexual intercourse stops and the relationship becomes a platonic friendship, but sometimes the sexual relations may continue. Finally, the daily life of samurai is built around physical and military training, but also intellectual and spiritual development. He must be ready to go to war if his lord calls him. He takes care of the management of his domain, if he has one. He can do another job like teacher, if his financial situation requires it. It must be noted that according to the period, all this varies. In times of peace, so during the Edo period, samurai also occupy non-military positions. It must also be noted that there are very rich samurai poor samurai. So, they don't have the same lifestyle, they don't occupy the same places and they don't have the same concerns. Now let's talk about the samurai's equipment. Initially, during the Heian period, samurai were cavalry archers; thus the bow, yumi in Japanese, is the favored weapon of the samurai. Samurai wear armor to protect themselves. During this period, from the 10th century, o-yoroi type armor dominates; it weighs between 20 and 30 kg and allows good protection while retaining a certain flexibility. Another lighter armor offering greater mobility appeared from the 11th century: it's the do-maru type armor, which weighs between 10 and 20 kg. Later, around the 15th century, do-maru armor supplanted the o-yoroi armor as combat tactics evolve. There's a greater use of infantry which requires less heavily equipped soldiers for more mobility. Around the 14th century, saber replaces the bow as the favored weapon of samurai. Samurai carry the daisho, this term literally means "large-small". It means that samurai carry two swords, usually a katana and a wakizashi. The katana has a blade of more than 60 cm and the wakizashi a blade between 30 and 60 cm. If today we mainly retain the sword, this doesn't mean that all samurai are experts in its handling. In adittion, samurai often use other types of weapons such as naginata, yari or even firearms. Yes, firearms. Naginata is a kind of polearm, this weapon consists of a long handle surmounted by a curved blade that can measure up to 2 meters. As for the yari, it's a spear. Finally, for firearms, in 1510 the Japanese import arquebuses of Chinese design, then in 1543, arquebuses of Portuguese design. Several warlords understand the interest of it, like Oda Nobunaga, and decided to use it. So it's not should imagine samurai equipped only with a sword, nor to imagine that all samurai are experts in kenjutsu. Kentjutsu is the art of swormanship. Rather, we have to see the pragmatism of these warriors who can use a great variety of weapons to achieve victory. The use of firearms isn't considered dishonorable. You also have to think about the fact that weaponry and military tactics evolve over time. Also remember that Edo period greatly contributed to the development of the myth of samurai armed with a sword. Thus ends our great journey through samurai's history. Remember that for each historical subject, reality is always more complex than the stereotype we have of it, so be careful not to take our stereotypes for absolute truths. I especially hope this video help you to see clearer in the legendary mist surrounding the samurai. It's over for today. Thanks to Will who edited this video, you have to go see his channel, he makes art. And thanks to the Hérault de l'Histoire, who wrote this video and did a wonderful job; go see what he does. I'm Laurent Turcot from History will tell us and I'll see you next time. Bye!