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Samurai was governed by a strict ethical code known like the code the Bushido. In him the honor and the fidelity to their gentleman contained the highest values of samurai. They had to be totally faithful to the emperor, although this supposes to give its own life. In fact, one that the emperor to samurais tested of which he distrusted, was to order the suicide to them. Also they followed ways called the “ways of the spiritual sword”. Although the vision of honorabilidad of samurai often enough has been idealizada, since it is not taken into account, that due to the devotion which they had by his code of honor and its sword, fell little in decent acts for a member of the nobility; to mention the case commonest: because samurai considered that its sword was its own soul, if this were touched by another one bushi - although outside accidental way this supposed an inescapable duel. Now, if who committed such error did not belong to the nobility, this meant its immediate death to hands of the owner of the sword. Arms [ to publish ] Samurái counted on an ample arsenal. One always says that the soul of samurái was in the katana that carried. Sometimes, employee of his katana imagines samurái like a soldier totally to fight. Nevertheless, this one is a difference that bears relation to the importance from the crossbow in medieval Europe and what it represents a sword for a horseman: one is rather a status symbol and not about a so important weapon for samurái. When fulfilling the 15 years, a well-known ceremony as Genpuku (??), the boy received an adult name and one became samurái. This gave him right to carry a katana, although it commonly was assured with cords to avoid his pulls out of a scabbard accidental. Katana and wakizashi (sword of so large minor that the katana (60 cm approx.) that they used like secondary armament, that served so much to protect the honor of its carrier, like executing the Seppuku), together were known like daisho, that means, literally, great and small. The fact to be subject with complicated moorings to avoid pulls out of a scabbard accidental had to the belief that a carrier of sabers (katana) was a gentleman giver of life or death; if a saber pulled out of a scabbard it had to use, and it said that the soul of a saber demanded a victim in compensation of “it to have waked up” (pulled out of a scabbard). The weapon commonly used by samurái was yumi or arc and maintained such privilege during centuries, until the arrival of the powder and rifle in century XVI (Despite many samurai refused to the use of firearms, since they considered a deshonor). An arc composed of Japanese style was the most powerful weapon. Its size allowed him to use several projectiles, as arrows in flames or arrows of signaling, with high accuracy in distances from 50 to 100 meters, thus to hit exactly the target were not important. (??), was used generally of foot after tedate that was a wall of movable bamboo and great size, but also could be used to him while it mounted to horse. The favorite weapon of the spouses of samurai was for a long time the Naginata, that was a species of Arab scimitar together with a post of about 2 meters.

In the Heian period, the word saburai was used to talk about to the guards of the imperial palace who carried swords. Saburai, predecessors of which at the moment we know like samurái, counted on the auspice of a gentleman to whom they served and this one provided to them with the necessary equipment. In addition, to saburai it was commited to them to improve its martial abilities permanently. Nevertheless, the true troops of the emperor were hardly groups of conscripts assigned to the different provinces from Japan to face wars or rebellions. They were based on the Chinese continental troops and were conformed by a third of the adult men able to work. Nevertheless, unlike the palace troops, each soldier had to provide by his account with equipment and sustenance. At the beginning of the Heian period, approximately by the end of century VIII and in the first years of century IX, Kammu emperor looked for the consolidation and expansion of its empire in the northern region of Honshu. It sent to his troops to put under the rebellion of the Emishi (preceding of the Ainu), which failed due to the lack of motivation and discipline battle of the soldiers. Then, the emperor presented/displayed the title of shogun and began to delegate the submission of the Emishi to the powerful regional clans. These clans derived themselves from the groups of farmers who, due to the tyranny of the magistrates designated by the empire to govern the territories and to collect taxes, decided to follow the route armed and to protect themselves. With training in equitación and arcade, the emperor turned to them the force that he used solely to put under the rebels, while the imperial troops were dissolved by complete. Already in the middle of the Heian period, they adopted the arms and armors of Japanese style and laid the the foundations of the bushido one. During the later stages of the feudal period, the era in which samurái dominated, the title of yumitori (”arquero”) stayed like a honorary degree for the solved soldiers, in spite of the importance that had acquired the fencing. Kyujutsu, the Japanese Arcade, still is important part of Hachiman, the God of the war.

Samurái (or sometimes) it is a term commonly used to talk about to the soldiers of Japan before this country initiated an industrialization process; its meaning is “to serve”. An suitable term more is bushi (??), that literally means “man military”, whose use dates from the Edo period. Nevertheless, now it is common that the word samurái talks about the military aristocracy and no, for example, to the Ashigaru or recruited soldiers of infantry of between the farmers; the meaning of ashigaru is “light feet”, because they carried a light armor; its main weapon was the Yari (it sends). Samurái that it does not have bonds with a clan or daimyo is known like ronin, “man wave”. One occurred by seated that samurai very was illustrated and cultured, and with happening of the time, lost its military duties during the shogunato Tokugawa. When finalizing the era Tokugawa, samurái happened in civil civil employees of daimyo and their swords only fulfilled intentions ceremonial. The reforms of the Meiji restoration, happened by the end of century XIX, abolished to samurái like military class, tending a westernized army more. In the Japan of our days, still the bushido one, the strict code of samurái survives, as well as many other aspects of its style of life.