By: Daeshaun Thompson

In the Japanese Feudal system the Shogun ruled over the Daimyo who were head of the samurai. Peasants were farmers with little money.

The title of shogun in Japan meant a military leader equivalent to general, and at various times in the first millennium shoguns held temporary power, but it became a symbol of military control over the county. The establishment of the shogunate (or bakufu) at the end of the twelfth century saw the beginning of samurai control of Japan for 700 years until the Meiji Restoration in the middle of the nineteenth century.

The Daimyo are the great feudal landholders of Japan, the territorial barons as distinguished from the kuge, or court nobles. The Daimyo were wealthy people and second in the feudal system under the Shogun.

Samurai is the word for a Japanese warrior class and for a member of this class. Samurai warriors had several privileges. They were allowed to wear two swords - a long one and a short one. Commoners were not allowed to wear any weapons at all. At a certain period samurai warriors were even allowed to behead a commoner who had offended them.

The Japanese samurai warriors came into existence in the 12th century when two powerful Japanese clans fought bitter wars against each other - the Taira and the Minamato. At that time the Japanese shogunate, a system of a military ruler, called the shogun was formed. Under the shogun the next hierarchy were the daimyo, local rulers comparable to dukes in Europe. The Japanese samurai were the military retainers of a daimyo.

Bushido, literally the way of the warrior (Samurai), was a code of ethics of the warrior that would be analogous to the code of chivalry of the knights during the European feudal period. Bushido was based on the Japanese national tradition and religious heritage: largely Shinto and Buddhism.

2 Important precepts in the Code of Bushido:

1. Loyalty: faithfulness, allegiance to master and cause (Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. 2. Honor: a good name and reputation, self respect (A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.

The Japanese sword is often considered an emblem of the samurais power and skill. It was venetrated by the bushi, or warrior class, and was worn as a badge of the samurai status. The sword was the “soul of a samurai” and no self-respecting bushi would be seen outside his home without his daisho referring to a pair of swords consisting of one long sword “daito” and a shorter sword “shoto” and either sword was referred to as katana, although the shorter sword was sometimes referred to as wakazashi.

"Female Samurai"Linguistic purists point out that the term "samurai" is a masculine word; thus, there are no "female samurai."Nonetheless, for thousands of years, certain upper class Japanese women have learned martial skills and participated in fighting.Between the 12th and 19th centuries, many women of the samurai class learned how to handle the sword and the naginata (a blade on a long staff) primarily to defend themselves and their homes. In the event that their castle was overrun by enemy warriors, the women were expected to fight to the end and die with honor, weapons in hand.Some young women were such skilled fighters that they rode out to war beside the men, rather than sitting at home and waiting for war to come to them.

Hair styles are closely linked to Japanese Culture. When donning a kimono, spending enormous amounts of money on fixing the hair is not unheard of. In Sumo, the wrestler's hairstyle expresses his ranking.

Topknot During the Edo Period this was the hairstyle of choice among the samurai. It is thought that this style was chosen to make wearing a helmet easier.

In 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the beginning of the end for the samurai. The Meiji system of constitutional monarchy included such democratic reforms as term limits for public office and popular balloting. With public support, the Meiji Emperor did away with the samurai, reduced the power of the daimyo, and moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo. The new government created a conscripted army in 1873; many of the officers were drawn from the ranks of former samurai. In 1877, angry ex-samurai revolted against the Meiji in the Satsuma Rebellion; they lost the Battle of Shiroyama, and the era of the samurai was over.