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
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Sunomata Castle
Oda Nobunaga, as part of his “final solution” to the conflict with the Saitō clan, conceived the construction of a fort in the Sunomata area, which was intended to serve as a forward base for an attack on Inabayama Castle (later renamed Gifu). Sunomata was a swampy area located between Ogaki Castle, a stronghold of the Oda clan, and Inabayama, the main fortress of the Saitō clan. Earlier attempts to build fortifications in this area, carried out by Oda generals Sakuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie, had all ended in failure. After that, the task was entrusted to the young vassal Kinoshita Tokichirō, who later became known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
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Shibata Castle
The exact time when structures first appeared on the site of the present-day castle is unknown; however, it is generally believed that the first fortified buildings were constructed here during the Muromachi period, when these lands were controlled by the Shibata clan.
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Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
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Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
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Ikeda Castle
In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
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Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is located in the central part of the former city of Maruoka, which is now part of the city of Sakai. This area lies in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture. The castle was built on the bank of the Kuzuryu River, on the side opposite Fukui City, which once served as the administrative center of the former Echizen Province. Thanks to its location, Maruoka held significant strategic importance, as it controlled two major routes at once: the Hokurikudo highway leading from Kaga Province and the Mino Kaido road connecting these lands with Mino Province.
