Yamauchi Kazutoyo and a group of samurai
The samurai (侍) was the class of military nobles of feudal Japan. They were the prestigious retainers of land-owning lords known as daimyō although there were also masterless samurai known as ronin. From the late 12th century to the 19th century, these lords and their samurai ruled over Japan through a form of military government known as the shōgunate despite the nominal sovereignty of the Emperor of Japan and the Imperial Court.[1]
The most well-known samurai in history was Miyamoto Musashi, a ronin who founded the Niten Ichi-ryu style of swordsmanship and authored the The Book of Five Rings and Dokkodo. [2] Another notable samurai was the Templar Shimazu Saito of the Shimazu clan who was active in the early 18th century.[3] However, due to her mixed heritage, Saito was not recognized as Japanese by most members of the clan and was eventually disowned and branded a traitor following her actions in Macau.[4] Other notable samurai include the Three Great Unifiers, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The age of the samurai came to an end with dissolution of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Boshin War and the subsequent Meiji Restoration, which abolished the caste system and created a Westernized empire akin to Britain and Prussia.[2]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Memories (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
References[]
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