How do samurai prepare for battle

Warriors needed to know the merits of each other before the fight began so they could be properly matched. There was a practical reason for this seemingly fanatical concern with honor. Samurai status could be inherited, but for much of Japanese history, any man could declare himself a samurai.

To actually secure employment with one of the warring factions however, he had to establish a reputation and maintain it. Even the leather armor often worn by the samurai did more than protect them. It proclaimed their presence, this was a warrior to be reckoned with.

Some heroes however, chose to demonstrate their disdain for danger by appearing serene in the midst of combat, with painted lips and rouged cheeks. Battles begun and fought with such style and honor could end in only one way, with a death of one of the fighters. Whether killed outright or committing suicide in acknowledgement of defeat, death on the battlefield almost always entailed decapitation. The concern for severed heads may seem like a grotesque and savage obsession until we discover the reason behind it.

The head was a refutable proof an enemy had been killed. The victorious samurai would be rewarded by his master with land and other gifts. To prepare for battle, the samurai carried a small arsenal of weapons: Bow and arrow, a lethal variety of spears, lances, and knives. Even a fan, so often the very emblem of delicate gentility, was made with iron ribs so that it could be used to parry the thrust of an attacking lance or sword.

Of all this deadly array, it was the sword that eventually became the paramount weapon of the samurai. In part, this was because as warlords became more powerful, they fielded ever larger armies. When the battlefields became crowded, a close-ranged weapon was necessary, and it was a fearsome weapon indeed. Methods of sword making evolved throughout the centuries, but the essentials remain unchanged. Steel heated to the color of the morning sun was folded and pounded repeatedly, each fold doubling the layers.

Four foldings produced sixteen layers. Eight produced sixty-four. The finest finished swords contained as many as 1,, layers. Mastering so deadly a weapon demanded years of training and a lifetime of unrelenting practice. But what happened to humanity and conscious when a man merged his soul with that of his weapon? Many samurai were deeply troubled by their lives of killing. Many were Buddhists, and there inlay a wrenching dilemma. Buddhism preaches cycles or birth and rebirth, with each life depending on the virtues and sins of the life before.

A samurai saying held that their punishment was to be reborn in the next life yet again as a samurai. For many in the West, the very model of the traditional Japanese women is obedient and gentle, but there is another side to her. Women warriors were rare, but there was nothing remarkable about women holding samurai status. Once a man became a samurai, the distinction was usually passed down to all his descendants, male and female.

Women samurai ran a household which was often a large and complex farming operation. However, during the wars which periodically raged throughout Japan, the distinction between home and battlefield sometimes disappeared.

If the man were off on a distant campaign, the women were expected to mount a fierce defense. Defense, household management, and the production of heirs, samurai marriage was largely a practical affair with little romance. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Social studies How did the samurai prepare for battle? Social studies. Ben Davis July 9, How did the samurai prepare for battle?

How do Samurai talk? What would a samurai say after battle? What is the motto of samurai? Samurai warriors emerged as an elite force in Japan's provinces during the early 10th century. Recruited by local chieftains, these fighting forces were maintained long enough to wage a specific war, after which the soldiers would return to their lands to till the soil. With Japan's emperor living in the ancient capital of Kyoto and unable to maintain control of the provinces, the samurai clans established themselves as viable political entities.

By the late 12th century, samurai lords ruled both the provinces and central Japan. They maintained their influence until the mid's when the samurai class was outlawed and their privileged status was dissolved. The rigorous training of a samurai warrior began in childhood. Samurai school was a unique combination of physical training, Chinese studies, poetry and spiritual discipline.

The young warriors studied Kendo "the Way of the Sword" , the moral code of the samurai, and Zen Buddhism. A chief concern of the Bushido code was that of duty: duty to family, employer and fellow warriors. A second concern was that of preparation for death. Samurai were instructed to live as though they expected to die in the next minute, thus ensuring that their present behavior left no room for regret.

Samurai were encouraged to meditate frequently on these principals, preparing themselves for the rigors of service and war. Centuries before the advent of health clubs and charity ultra-marathons, samurai conditioned themselves and proved their physical toughness by battling with the elements. Practices such as standing nude in deep snow or sitting beneath ice-cold waterfalls are two common examples of samurai training practices.