The Samurai are member of the Japanese warrior caste. The term samurai was originally used to denote the aristocratic warriors (bushi), but it came to apply to all the members of the warrior class that rose to power in the 12th century and dominated the Japanese government until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
Samurais follow a very strict code of conduct and believe in eight main principles namely, justice, courage, compassion, respect, integrity, honor, loyalty, and self-control. This code of conduct is called Bushido. The word "bushido" comes from the Japanese roots "bushi" meaning "warrior," and "do" meaning "path" or "way." It translates literally to "way of the warrior." Bushido was followed by Japan's samurai warriors and their precursors in feudal Japan, as well as much of central and east Asia. The principles of bushido emphasized honour, courage, skill in the martial arts, and loyalty to a warrior's master (daimyo) above all else. It is somewhat similar to the ideas of chivalry that knights followed in feudal Europe. An unwritten code of chivalrous behaviour, Bushido later became the basis for the teaching of ethics in Japan, with principles that still remain relevant today. The adopted samurai sword is known as the katana. The katanas have now become an iconic symbol of the Japanese Samurai tradition. A samurai’s sword represented his soul. The sword was the symbol of the samurai class and a Samurai carried two of them, the long katana, and the shirt wakisazhi passed down from one generation to the next. Samurais also believe that the soul of every life taken resides in their sword and no dishonour shall be done to them. In the end, samurais believe in the history of Japan and abide by a strong moral code of honor, love and respect.
~Dheeya Shah (Batch of 2020-2021)
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