There are many legends about samurai. Their most important feature is their enormous willpower, fortitude, and harsh upbringing. These were the strongest warriors who were not afraid of death.
Who could become a samurai
In feudal Japan, this high title was transmitted exclusively by inheritance. The son followed in the footsteps of his father and later became a professional warrior. From birth, the boy was surrounded by care and love, but no one canceled the harsh upbringing. The birth of a boy in the family was a great holiday. In the early days, all relatives came and brought many gifts to the newborn. Particular attention was paid to the first son, since he was the heir not only to the clan, but also to the entire property of the family.
A few years later, the son received from his father one or two toy swords made of wood, depending on the rank occupied. This is not just a toy, but a kind of amulet. In this way, little boys were taught to love their weapons and take care of them.
If the samurai did not have an heir, then he lost his place in the social structure, and the feudal lord had the right to confiscate his land allotment. There were many such cases in feudal Japan.
Samurai Education Code
The upbringing of future samurai took place within the framework of an unwritten code of honor - Bushido. The code indicates a number of rules and norms that are characteristic of a real samurai, and it is based on the principles of Buddhism and Confucianism.
A warrior who was brought up in the spirit of bushido was clearly aware of his moral duty, personal duties to his overlord. If the samurai violated the norms of the code, then he performed suicide through a ritual - hara-kiri. Samurai personally cut your stomach stomach with a dagger. In this way, the samurai washed away his dishonor.
These rules and norms were not set out in writing, but were transmitted in legends, stories, which are still relevant in our time.
Basic principles of samurai education
From early childhood, the best morals of warriors were imposed on future samurai. They were taught to love and respect their parents, teachers, not to argue with them even if they are wrong. The basis of education was the principle of not only respect for parents, but also for the emperor himself, who was the father of all warriors.
Parents and a mentor are the two main pillars on which the philosophy of samurai education was based. The authority of the teacher was very great: all his instructions had to be followed without strife.
Young samurai strove to grow up courageous, brave in the name of the ruler, whose life was above all.
Education methodology: interesting facts
The image of a strong samurai was formed due to both physical and moral training. Young men were read a lot of stories, stories that told about the military prowess of the famous samurai. Theatrical plays were often staged, in which they clearly demonstrated how strong and fearless a samurai warrior was.
The father often took his son to the cemetery or to a terrible place that was notorious. In addition, the boys were necessarily taken to public punishments, executions, and at night they arranged an inspection of the severed heads of criminals. And most importantly: the future samurai had to put his sign everywhere, as proof that he was there. This approach made it possible to overcome fear and not be afraid of death.
A few more interesting facts about the methods of educating future samurai:
constant hard work;
minimum night sleep;
walking without shoes in winter;
hunger strike.
And the boys also developed fortitude: they had to be able to overdo all their emotions. Fear, panic, tears - all this was not allowed. That is why, it is not surprising that the samurai did not lose their thoughts and common sense even in the most difficult situations.
Future samurai constantly trained: they never stopped on the achieved result. Boys were taught to easily endure any pain and the most difficult trials in life. If the boy suddenly cries, then instead of pitying him, the mother scolded her son for his weakness.
The older the boy got, the more severe the tests became for him. For example, he was left for a long walk in an unheated room or deprived of food. Future samurai had to overcome a long way to the place of training.
And the worst test for boys is the night in the cemetery or near the scaffold among the hanged, beheaded.
Military training of the samurai
The military training of the samurai was at the highest level. From an early age, they were taught the art of owning different types of weapons: a sword, a bow. Additionally, they knew the basics of jujutsu, knew how to sit well in the saddle, and understand the tactics of battle. Already at the age of 5, the boy was getting his first sword.
Training in military skills took place in a separate room. Practicing with weapons, samurai learned to develop instant reaction, flexibility and dexterity. The preparation took place in stages. First, the boy had to learn the basics of swimming, riding, jiu-jitsu (the art of self-defense without weapons). Then the student mastered archery, martial arts, fencing. The young man was constantly developing physically. He had to not only be able to swim, but to swim with various obstacles.
Spiritual development of the samurai
In addition to physical development, samurai also developed themselves spiritually. They studied literature, history, writing. However, it was precisely those subjects that were beneficial to military affairs that were studied, but fiction was not recognized.
How long did the training of the samurai last
As a rule, training began at the age of 8 and up to 16. At the age of 15, the training of the future samurai was coming to an end. It was believed that during this time the young man was able to master military skills, become strong mentally and physically. At the end of the training, the samurai was given real swords, with which he was not to be separated. The girls were given a short kaiken dagger. As a result, young samurai became adults. A candidate for samurai lost his former name and took on a new one. An obligatory ritual is the creation of a new image: a shaved head to the crown and a pigtail in the back. All adult samurai went with this hairstyle.
Today, such upbringing seems very harsh and unacceptable for children, but at that time it was the best method for raising boys. They were taught to control their body, feelings, protect and respect their parents.
Strong character, iron will, the ability to obey strict discipline, not to blame fate - these are the basic principles of samurai training. It was these character traits that helped them to be brave warriors on the battlefield.
See also
-
Nadzima Castle
It is believed that the first structures on this site were built by Tachibana Akitoshi (?-1568), head of the Tachibana clan, a branch family of the Ōtomo clan, as auxiliary fortifications for Tachibanayama Castle. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established control over the island of Kyushu and granted Chikuzen Province to Kobayakawa Takakage, one of the leading vassals of the Mori clan. Takakage began construction of a new castle on the site of the existing fortifications in 1588. The exact date of completion is unknown, but by the time the invasion of Korea began in 1592, the castle had already been finished, as records note that Toyotomi Hideyoshi stayed there overnight on his way to Hizen Nagoya Castle, which served as the headquarters of the invasion forces.
-
Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
-
Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
-
Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
-
Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
