8 Suicide Rituals
We are familiar with the seppuku (or hara-kiri) is an honorable
way for a samurai to die. It is a voluntary act or can be a punishment. On the
battlefield, the quick version of this suicidal ritual is a samurai slice his
stomach with a small knife from left to right then another warrior will
decapitate him (otherwise it will be a long and painful death). However this
suicidal ritual is far more elaborate when not on the battlefield. The formal
seppuku starts with ceremonial bathing, then the samurai wears a white robe and
given his favorite meal. He will be given his favorite meal and will write his
death note. He then slices his stomach with a small blade then the attendant
finishes the ritual by decapitating him.
7 Physical Appearance
Despite paintings portraying the appearance of samurais as huge
warrior, in truth that is only their armor. Samurais were very slim usually
5’3” to 5’5” in height compared to European knights at that time who were
around 6’ to 6’5” in height.
6 Education
The samurai class were far more educated than other warriors at
that time and were more literate than the people of Europe during that period.
They were skilled in mathematics and art. Bushido (their creed) dictated that
they should strive to improve even in things unrelated to combat. They engage
in cultural and artistic affairs.
5 Weapons
Samurais are famous to
be carrying their swords (or katana)but a samurai may use more than one weapon
depending on his skill. Some of their instruments were the bow, Tanegashima
(flintlock rifle that became popular among Edo-era samurai and their footmen),
cannons and other gunpowder weapons.
4 Number
If you think that the samurai is an elite fighting force like
today’s SAS or Delta Force then you might need to check it again. Samurais made
up 10 percent of Japan’s population before. Though the original meaning of the
word samurai only refers to the warriors who were close security of the noble
it later turned into different classes. As of today, it is believed that every
person in Japan today at least came from a samurai blood.
3 Foreigner Samurai
In history, there were times when outsiders fight along side
with the samurais. There were four Westerners who have been granted the honour
to become a samurai. William Adams, Jan Joosten van Lodenstejin, the Navy
officer Eugene Collache and arms dealer Edward Schnell. Only powerful leaders
like daimyos and shoguns can give permission. Strangely, neither of the four
mentioned above were the inspiration for the film “The Last Samurai with Tom
Cruise”.
2 Homosexuality
Despite the image of a samurai as a tough warrior, they were
open-minded to sexuality. They accepted same-sex relationships in the group
which is usually between an experienced samurai and his student. The practice
is known as wakashudo (the way of the youth) which is actively encouraged by
the group.
1 Female "Samurai"
If you think the Japanese women before were just staying home,
well there are groups of samurai (the Japanese bushi class) that allowed women
to join and receive similar training with men. Their weapon of choice is
usually the nagita which is a spear with a curved blade. The remains from the
site of the Battle of SenbonMatsubaru were DNA tested and they found out that
35 out of 105 bodies were female.
