Shoguns, Samurai and Ninja
The samurai, also known as bushi, were warriors of Japan from the 12th century to the Meiji Resoration in the late 19th century.
The samurai valued their honour above all things and called their code of loyalty and behaviour, bushido which means the ‘way of the warrior’.
A system of government developed which saw the emperor and the shogun at the top, next came the daimyo (lords of noble descent) and affiliated to the daimyo came the samurai who fought on their behalf. The samurai formed their own clans and from their ranks emerged the shogunates (military governments) of the 12th-19th centuries.
There are three famous samurai who unified most of Japan. They are Oda Nobunaga (1534-82), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-98) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).
If a samurai behaved dishonourably or was in danger of being captured, it was expected that he take his own life in the ritual called seppuku or hara-kiri. This was regarded as an honourable form of suicide where the samurai cut his own stomach open in front of witnesses. Once completed a friend or ally would behead them, to allay any suffering.
The allegiance to one’s master was prized above all else and a samurai was always ready to do battle and die on his lord’s behalf.
A samurai without a master was known as a ronin. One of the most famous tales in Japanese history involves an act of revenge by 47 ronin whose master had been unjustly forced to commit seppuku by a corrupt government official. They waited patiently for 1 year before storming the official's mansion in Edo. During the attack, 16 defenders were killed and 22 wounded all with the loss of just 1 ronin! Once their mission was complete, the remaining 46 Ronin all committed seppuku, to honour their code and their master.
The Hollywood film "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanaabe is loosely based on the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion (in particular the Battle of Shiroyama) and the story of Jules Brunet, a French army Captain who fought with the samurai during the Boshin War.
Ninja
 During the bloody clan warfare of the feudal era, a new martial art developed called ninjutsu - ‘the art of stealth’. The ninja practiced 'invisibility' (camouflage and concealment), and could perform amazing feats of strength and agility.
Working as professional assassins they were trained in such subjects as herbalism, medicine, astronomy and they also practiced 'mountain ascetism' (shugendo). Special training enabled a Ninja to slow down his heartbeat, so that they could trick an enemy into believing they were dead!
The ninja used many ingenious weapons such as the shuriken (deadly throwing knives), grappling hooks for scaling walls, lock picks, explosives and collapsible floats for crossing water.
Useful Links
Samurai
Shoguns for Dummies - Excellent website!!
http://uk.geocities.com/rainforestwind/shoguns.htm
The Samurai Archives: Japanese History page
http://www.samurai-archives.com/
Japanese Samurai: Artwork
http://www.artelino.com/articles/samurai.asp
Origins of the Samurai
http://gojapan.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=gojapan&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.judoinfo.com%2Fsamurai.htm
Samurai: Basic Information
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2127.html
Ninja
Touring Famous Ninja Villages
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/travel/ninja/
Japanese History: The Ninja
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/history/q4.html
Ninja Experiences in Japan: Villages and Museums
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/chuburegion4/a/ninja.htm
Iga-Ryu Ninja
http://www.iganinja.jp/english/menu.html
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