1. Samurai 侍 or さむらい Tyler Merit - Jap10 - December 2012

2. Who were they?  Samurai were the military elite of ancient Japan. They made up less that 10% of Japan’s total population. Being a Samurai was hereditary – you were born into a family of Samurai’s and trained to become one.

3. History Samurai were created in 646 AD to protect their feudal lord’s land.

4. Philosophy of the Samurai The philosophies of Buddhism, Zen, and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture

5. Culture & Influences The Samurai influenced Japanese culture with things like: - Tea ceremonies -monochrome ink painting - rock gardens - poetry

6. Weapons - Katana

7. Weapons - Wakizashi

8. Weapons - Tanto

9. Weapons - Yumi

10. 切腹 or Stomach-cutting Seppuku Seppuku was a samurai suicide ritual. It was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honour or as a form of capital punishment

11. The 47 Ronin The story of the 47 Ronin is the most famous and well known battle involving the samurai code of honor, bushido

12. Women of the Samurai Class The primary duty of women in the Samurai class was to take care of the household