What does the word "samurai" mean?

It comes from the verb saburau, "to serve" or "to attend". The first samurai were men who served noble families as court guards before warrior service became a living class of their own.

Did samurai mainly fight with swords?

No. For most of samurai history the bow on horseback was the primary weapon. Swords were sidearms. Spears and, from the 16th century, firearms were the dominant battlefield weapons.

Were there women samurai?

Women of samurai families were trained to defend the home with the naginata (a pole weapon) and were expected to kill themselves rather than be captured. Some, like Tomoe Gozen, fought in battle — though this was unusual.

The word means "way of the warrior." Historians debate how much it existed as a formal code before the modern era. The text most associated with it, Hagakure, was written in the Edo period (c. 1709–16), long after the age of war.

A samurai without a lord — either because the lord died, was defeated, or dismissed him. The word means "wave person," suggesting someone adrift. The most famous example is the Forty-seven Rōnin, who avenged their master in 1703.

When did samurai disappear?

The Meiji government formally abolished the samurai class in 1873 and banned sword-carrying in 1876. The Satsuma Rebellion (1877), led by Saigō Takamori, was the last armed samurai uprising.

CHAPTER SELECT 時代

The Way of
the Samurai

A living library of Japan's warrior class — nearly seven centuries of history, armour and blades, legendary warriors, and the questions people ask most. Pick an era and begin.

Enter the Library Choose your era

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1185–1868WARRIOR GOVERNMENTS

6ERAS TO EXPLORE

[92]LIBRARY ENTRIES

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I · 時代 · ERA SELECT

Choose your chapter

Six chapters, from the first mounted warriors to the Meiji reformers that ended the class. Select an era to begin.

平安

Heian · 794–1185

Heian 794–1185

The rise of the mounted warrior. Armed families served the court nobility as guards and retainers. Their art of the bow and sword led to the idea — borrowed from horseback — the "way of horse and bow".

Fujiwara clan holds regency power
Provincial warriors (bushi) emerge as military class
Genpei War (1180–85) ends the era

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戦国

Sengoku · 1336–1573

Sengoku 1336–1573

As the Ashikaga shogunate weakens, regional lords — daimyō — fight for land and survival. A century of near-constant war reshapes how samurai fight.

The Ōnin War (1467–77) begins the age of warring states
Portuguese matchlock guns arrive at Tanegashima, 1543
Peasant spearmen and gunners change the battlefield

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安土桃山

Azuchi–Momoyama · 1573–1603

Azuchi–Momoyama 1573–1603

The three great unifiers — Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu — end the century of war and reunite Japan under central control.

Nobunaga destroys rival warlords using firearms tactics
Hideyoshi bans sword-carrying by non-samurai (1588)
Battle of Sekigahara decides the next ruler (1600)

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江戸

Edo · 1603–1868

Edo 1603–1868

Two and a half centuries of enforced peace. Samurai become administrators, scholars and artists. The concept of "bushidō" is largely articulated in this era.

Tokugawa shogunate isolates Japan from foreign trade
Samurai class solidifies as hereditary bureaucrats
Miyamoto Musashi writes The Book of Five Rings (c. 1643)

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明治

Meiji · 1868–1877

Meiji 1868–1877

Emperor Meiji reclaims power from the shogunate. The new government abolishes the samurai class and bans sword-carrying. The Satsuma Rebellion (1877) is the last samurai uprising.

Meiji Restoration ends the shogunate
Samurai class formally abolished, 1873
Saigō Takamori leads the last samurai rebellion

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II · 武士 · WARRIORS

Meet the legends

All warriors & clans →

Commander · 1159–1189 Minamoto no Yoshitsune 源義経

A brilliant general who won the Genpei War, then fell out with his brother Yoritomo.

Onna-musha · c. 1157–c. 1247 Tomoe Gozen 巴御前

A warrior of the Genpei War, described in The Tale of the Heike as fearless and powerful.

Warlord · 1534–1582 Oda Nobunaga 織田信長

First of the three unifiers, known for his bold use of firearms in battle.

Shōgun · 1543–1616 Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康

Founder of the Tokugawa dynasty that ruled Japan for over 250 years.

Swordmaster · 1584–1645 Miyamoto Musashi 宮本武蔵

Undefeated duelist and author of The Book of Five Rings.

Last Samurai · 1828–1877 Saigō Takamori 西郷隆盛

A leader of the Meiji Restoration who later led the last samurai rebellion.

III · 七徳 · THE CODE

Seven virtues,
one circle

These seven virtues come from Nitobe Inazō's 1900 book Bushido: The Soul of Japan. Select a virtue on the ensō to read it — and its source.

Gi — Rectitude

Doing what is right without hesitation — the backbone of the warrior's character.

Source: Nitobe Inazō, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, 1900. Note: historians debate how much this code existed before the modern era.

IV · 書庫 · THE LIBRARY

Pull a volume from the shelf

Every collection opens as a calm, book-like reading page — chapters, timelines, footnotes and sources.

History & Eras 6 entries Warriors & Clans 12 entries Arms & Armour 8 entries Bushidō & Belief 5 entries Daily Life & Culture 7 entries Myths vs Facts 6 entries Dictionary 48 entries

V · 読書 · A VOLUME

The front gate is a battlefield.
The library is quiet.

Inner pages trade motion for content. Calm paper, 62-character reading lines, a chapter contents list, quick facts in the margin and a reading progress ribbon.

CHAPTER III · 戦国 · HIS · 03

The rise of the mounted warrior

In the provinces of Heian Japan, armed families served the court nobility as guards and retainers. Their art of the bow and sword led to the idea — borrowed from horseback — the "way of horse and bow."

1. Origins 2. The clan wars 3. Arms and tactics 4. Daily life 5. Sources

↗ mounted from horseback — the "way of horse and bow"

VI · 問答 · COMMON QUESTIONS

What people
ask most

Short, sourced answers. Every reply ends with the primary source it rests on.

Browse all questions →

: It comes from the verb saburau, "to serve" or "to attend". The first samurai were men who served noble families as court guards before warrior service became a living class of their own.
: No. For most of samurai history the bow on horseback was the primary weapon. Swords were sidearms. Spears and, from the 16th century, firearms were the dominant battlefield weapons.
: Women of samurai families were trained to defend the home with the naginata (a pole weapon) and were expected to kill themselves rather than be captured. Some, like Tomoe Gozen, fought in battle — though this was unusual.
: The word means "way of the warrior." Historians debate how much it existed as a formal code before the modern era. The text most associated with it, Hagakure, was written in the Edo period (c. 1709–16), long after the age of war.
: A samurai without a lord — either because the lord died, was defeated, or dismissed him. The word means "wave person," suggesting someone adrift. The most famous example is the Forty-seven Rōnin, who avenged their master in 1703.
: The Meiji government formally abolished the samurai class in 1873 and banned sword-carrying in 1876. The Satsuma Rebellion (1877), led by Saigō Takamori, was the last armed samurai uprising.

VII · 道具 · LEARNING TOOLS

Tools to learn by doing

Era Timeline Scroll 1,083 years, drawn to scale. Katana Anatomy Tap each part of the blade — name, kanji, function. Clan Crests Explore the family crests of the great clans. Warrior Trials A short quiz that tests each era. Score stored locally.

The Way of the Samurai

Choose your chapter

Sengoku 1336–1573

Meet the legends

Seven virtues,one circle

Pull a volume from the shelf

The front gate is a battlefield.The library is quiet.

The rise of the mounted warrior

What peopleask most

Tools to learn by doing

The Way of
the Samurai

Seven virtues,
one circle

The front gate is a battlefield.
The library is quiet.

What people
ask most