The word samurai translates as “one who serves.” A samurai shared many similarities with the medieval European knight. One had to be born into a samurai or knightly family; only infrequently, as in the case of Toyotomi Hideoyoshi, was one made a samurai. A samurai was part of the ruling elite and had many privileges afforded him. These warriors held land or fiefs given to them by their lords in exchange for service. Tax revenue and the produce from the land enabled the samurai to devote their time to martial training. Some samurai, especially during the unification period, did not have lords. These samurai were known as ronin, “wave men.” Frequently, these men turned to banditry to make money, a not so honorable profession. Like European medieval knights, samurai had a strict code of conduct on how to lead their lives. Chivalry was the code for knights, while Bushido was the code of the samurai. Honor and the upholding of it was very important to the samurai. If one lost honor through defeat in battle, the code expected the samurai to kill himself. However, Bushido and Chivalry were the ideals, but not the norm. Sometimes these warriors would commit acts not allowed by their code but would not be punished. During the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled Japan, samurai no longer needed to train for war. Instead, they concentrated on running the government and on gentlemanly pursuits like calligraphy or painting. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogun rule came to an end and the samurai disbanded. The emperor of Japan, who was only a figurehead during the shogunate, reasserted his power. One of his acts was officially dissolving the samurai as a class in Japan. Although the samurai are gone, their code and way of life are still admired to this day.
