Samurai warrior “Bushi” is a soldier whose occupation is to fight a battle. They existed between the 9th and 19th centuries, and their roles changed with the times. Bushi came into existence in the Heian Period (794-1185), and originally took on the role to guard the Emperor and the nobility.

Towards the end of the Heian Period, the Heike Family, who were originally of the samurai class, started to govern the world of politics. During the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), the samurai took over the political power by making the Emperor and nobility step down. During the Sengoku Period (1493-1573), the age of provincial wars, the samurai families who ruled Japan in regional divisions fought for supremacy as Sengoku feudal lords. The fight for supremacy came to an end when a Shogunate was established in Edo (Tokyo).

During the Edo Period (1603-1867), under feudal system placed upon by the Shogunate, several feudal domains called “Han” governed people, and the Bushi who served the lords oh the Han took on the role of regional civil servant. In this era of relative peace, aside from their performance of “bugei” (material arts) – e.g. kenjutsu (fencing/swordmanship), kyuiustu (archery), bajustu (horseback riding)- the Bushi took the role of a civil servant. With the Meiji Restoration (1868), the Edo Shogunate collapsed, and the social rank of Bushi disappeared with this. However, the spirit of the Bushi has influenced the mental structure of Japanese people as “Bushido” (samurai spirit).

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