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A samurai in his armour in the 1860s. Hand-colored photograph by Felice Beato. Samurai or bushi (武士, [bɯ.ɕi]) were members of the warrior class in Japan.They were originally provincial warriors who served the Kuge and imperial court in the late 12th century, although it is debated when they became a class. [1]
The following is a list of Samurai and their wives. They are listed alphabetically by name. Some have used multiple names, and are listed by their final name. Note that this list is not complete or comprehensive; the total number of persons who belonged to the samurai-class of Japanese society, during the time that such a social category existed, would be in the millions.
Onna-musha (女武者) is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Japan, [1] [2] who were members of the bushi class. They were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war; [ 3 ] [ 4 ] many of them fought in battle alongside samurai men.
This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans ( gōzoku ) mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian period , during which new aristocracies and families, kuge , emerged in their place.
Ashigaru wearing armor and jingasa firing tanegashima (Japanese matchlocks). Ashigaru (足軽, "light of foot") were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan.The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 14th century, [1] but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), some foreigners in Japan were granted privileges associated with samurai, including fiefs or stipends and the right to carry two swords. Even earlier, during the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), certain foreigners received similar benefits.
Kabuto (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors that, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. Note that in the Japanese language, the word kabuto is an appellative, not a type description, and can refer to any ...
Saitō Musashibō Benkei (西塔武蔵坊弁慶, 1155–1189), popularly known by the mononym Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185). Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, and then a rogue warrior.