The Japanese characters of the samurai, like many others, are a kind of reflection of not only the history of the country, but also its culture. This amazing country with its rituals and unusual life has always been mysterious for Europeans. Especially the researchers who studied Japan were interested in the symbols of the samurai and their meaning. This will be discussed in this article.
Appearance story
With the samurai and the designation of the characters that were present on their weapons and clothes, the western world became acquainted thanks to the movies. Very many people became interested in what kind of mysterious people they were. Samurai warriors "overgrown" with various myths and legends. It is worth noting that they possessed unusual abilities that aroused the respect and envy of ordinary warriors.
The basis of samurai behavior and lifestyle was Zen Buddhism and the Bushido code of honor. Zen Buddhism is a religious teaching followed by samurai. However, Bushido's code was especially revered among them. It laid down absolutely all the rules of conduct in society and in battle. He was a samurai symbol of honor, which all warriors strictly followed.
Samurai
Samurai are Japanese feudal lords, both small nobles and large landowners and princes. Almost throughout the world, the meaning of the term “samurai” is a warrior with long sharp swords (katanas). However, in reality this is not so. A samurai warrior is a bushi, that's what they are called in Japan. In the rest of the world they are called samurai, despite the fact that this is not entirely true. It is noteworthy that the name of the warrior - “bushi” - echoes the name of their code of honor (Bushido). In literal translation from Japanese, this means "the path of a warrior."
Throughout the world, samurai (bushi) are often identified with knights, but this comparison is also not entirely true, since there is a rather big difference between these concepts. The term “samurai” itself came from a very old indefinite form of the verb, which translates as “serve”. In fact, a samurai is a “service person.”
The bushi, for convenience we shall call them samurai, were not only warrior-knights. They were also the bodyguards of their master - overlord or daimy. At the same time they were to him and ordinary servants.
Origin
A samurai culture appeared in 646, after very large political and social reforms in Japan. At that time in the country there were many internal conflicts among the nobility, feudal lords and large landowners. Most often they were solved with the help of weapons.
Influential families for their protection decided to attract professional warriors. Just at that time, an unwritten code of honor and morality of the samurai was formed, which was called “The Way of the Horse and the Bow” (“Kyuba no miti”). It was he who formed the basis of the Bushido code. Large feudal lords attracted samurai to themselves as defenders and servants, thereby protecting themselves.
By the 13th century, the shogunate was formed, after a long and bloody civil war, which became the catalyst for its formation. This is the supreme rule of all samurai classes, headed by the supreme boss, the shogun. At the same time, the symbolism of the samurai was finally formed.
Samurai weapons
The main weapon of the samurai were two swords, called "daisa". From the 14th to the 19th century, they were replaced by Wakizashi and Katana. In addition, the warrior had a long bow, which he owned perfectly. It should be noted that the samurai were very reverent and respectful of their weapons, considering them sacred. On the blades of the sword, its guard and hilt were the symbols of the samurai, which spoke of his belonging to the clan and his status.
In addition to weapons, the samurai had armor. They were a lot of metal plates that were tightly laced together. Authentic samurai armor that amazes with its reliability and beauty has survived to our time. Also in Japanese museums you can see the uniforms of those who served as samurai. These armors are distinguished by expensive finishes and decorations.
The soldiers, in addition to the above weapons, had a special ritual knife tanto (kusungobu), which they used to carry out seppuku, known worldwide as hara-kiri. In fact, this is a ritual suicide, "hara-kiri" in translation from Japanese means "ripping open the abdomen."
The main symbol of the samurai, of course, is his sword. It is worth noting that the warrior did not immediately receive it. When teaching the samurai lifestyle and martial arts, young people had the opportunity to use a wooden sword. And only after they became real warriors, they were handed a metal katana. She was a symbol of their maturity and confirmation that they knew the philosophy of samurai and Bushido.
Characters appear
Studying the symbolism of the samurai of Japan and the importance attached to it, it is also necessary to turn to the hieroglyphs and the history of their appearance. Japanese characters, like most symbolic characters, appeared after they were borrowed from the Chinese. It was from there that Japanese writing and symbolism went.
It is noteworthy that the same symbolic sign can mean completely different things. It all depends on how it is located among others. One of the most common symbols used by samurai is “fortitude”. Its constituent parts are hieroglyphs representing luck, friendship, and several deities.
Samurai applied this symbol to their clothes and weapons. It could be found on belts or long collars of a kimono. On weapons, he met depicted on the guard or hilt of a katana. It was believed that this symbol helps the samurai not to deviate from the Bushido code of honor, to be a good warrior and a devoted servant to his daima. For clarity, the article contains pictures with the symbols of the samurai.
Harakiri or seppuku
The harakiri rite is as follows. The samurai sits in the lotus position, then exposes his stomach and cuts it, causing himself a wound in the form of a cross. This ritual was adopted among the Japanese samurai class.
A man was obliged in such a painful way to take his own life if his honor was affected. Performing this ritual, the warrior showed a sign of loyalty to his master (daima). Such a death was severe enough even for that difficult time, so it was later changed. Then, after the samurai pierced his stomach, another warrior chopped off his head.
There was also a seppuku option, without the use of a ritual knife. In this case, the samurai brought a fan to his stomach, after which he was deprived of his head.
Performing hara-kiri or seppuku, the warrior showed the purity of his thoughts, courage and courage in the face of death. It should be noted that penetrating wounds into the abdominal cavity are the most painful in comparison with similar wounds of other parts of the body.
Heraldry and symbolism of samurai and their meaning
Heraldry and symbolism in Japan played a very important role in the same way as in European countries during the Middle Ages. That is, the emblem or symbol helped to identify which particular samurai belongs to and to which lord he serves.
Samurai symbols (monas) were an important element in life, and especially on the battlefield. If medieval European knights placed their coats of arms and symbols on shields, then samurai, unlike them, wore them on armor or clothing.
These samurai symbols also helped identify a warrior if he died on the battlefield. The victorious samurai or soldier could cut off the head of the fallen, and together with the mind-dzirushi (sign, symbol) bring proof of victory to his master.
Uma-dzirushi or “horse signs” are the standards of various generals. They were in the hands of the rider and fastened on a long pole. These insignia were used by the commander to command the army during the battle. Japanese insignia were easier compared to European and therefore more understandable. Due to this, it was possible to quickly give commands to the soldiers.
Another symbolism of Japanese samurai
The value of the distinguishing element in military equipment, called "horo", is very interesting. Horo was a cloak made of fabric that was stretched over a special frame woven from elastic bamboo twigs. The cape was an obligatory attribute of the military equipment of the samurai, located behind.
It was intended to be able to recognize the rider from afar. The thing is that when the samurai rode on a horse, the currents of wind lifted his cape, and it could be seen and identified. It was convenient in those cases when the warrior went somewhere with important data or the order of the master.
Sashimono and Nobori
Continuing to consider the symbols of the samurai and their designation, mention should be made of sashimono and nobori. These symbols appeared immediately after other soldiers and peasants joined the army of samurai. The fact is that civil wars were very bloody, and there were big losses among the fighters. To replenish detachments, even battle-worthy peasants were attracted.
So, for example, the powerful commander W. Kenshin, who lived in the middle of the 16th century, at one time had about 7,000 soldiers. 6,200 people belonged to the infantry, and 400 of them were standard bearers. It was they who had the Nobori - a cloth that was laced to a pole with a L-shaped shape. This form was very practical, it did not allow the banner to curl in the wind, covering the symbols of warriors.
There were very large nobors that were fastened behind the back of the warrior, while four others helped the first, holding and controlling the banner with the help of special stretch marks (most often it was a cigar - peasant warriors).
Sashimono
Nobori helped identify a large unit, but there were samurai symbols that let you know who the particular warrior belonged to. For personal “labeling” of the samurai, small flags called “sashimono” were used.
The flag was on a special design, located behind the samurai, which, in turn, was fixed thanks to breast plates. Sashimono depicted the coat of arms of the daimyo, which owned the samurai. Sometimes, instead of the coat of arms, the name of the daima clan was depicted.
Samurai Rangers
The popularity of samurai has led to the emergence of various books, cartoons, films and series that tell about their lives. So there was a television series "Samurai Rangers", which is designed for children. It has very little in common with real life, but is popular in certain circles.
Like real ones, samurai rangers have their own symbolism, which has its own meaning and significance for each character in the film. The symbols of the Samurai rangers are water, earth, fire, light, tree and sky (paradise).
However, films and books about real samurai only partially allow us to reveal the truth about their lives. Warriors and everything connected with them have a lot of secrets and taboos that do not open to a wide audience. In all likelihood, these warriors, having a long history, customs and rituals, will remain a mystery to the rest of the world.