Samurai

Samurai (侍, Samurai? or, more rarely, 士) was a term for the military nobility in pre-industrial Japan. The word 'samurai' is derived from the Japanese verb 'samorau', meaning 'to serve'.

History

Origin
Iron helmet and armour with gilt bronze decoration, Kofun era, 5th century. Tokyo National Museum.Whilst the origins of modern samurai are contentious, it is believed that mounted warriors, archers and foot-soldiers in the sixth century may have formed a proto-samurai. [1] Following a disastrous military engagement with Tang China and Silla (part of modern Korea), Japan underwent widespread reforms. One of the most important was that of the Taika Reform, issued by Emperor Kōtoku in 646 AD. This edict introduced Chinese cultural practices and administrative techniques throughout the Japanese aristocracy and bureaucracy[1]. As part of the Yōrō Code,[2] and the later Taihō Code, of 702 AD, the population was required to report......

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Title: Samurai
Approximate Word Count: 7434
Approximate Pages: 30 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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