Japanese samurai symbols, like many others, are a kind of reflection not only of the country's history, but also of its culture. This amazing country with its rituals and unusual way of life has always been mysterious to Europeans. Especially researchers who studied Japan were interested in the symbols of the samurai and their meaning. This will be discussed in this article.
History of Appearance
With the samurai and the designation of symbols that were present on their weapons and clothes, the Western world met through movies. A lot of people wondered what kind of mysterious people they were. Samurai warriors "overgrown" with various myths and legends. It is worth noting that they had unusual abilities that aroused the respect and envy of ordinary warriors.
The basis of the samurai behavior and way of life was Zen Buddhism and the Bushido code of honor. Zen Buddhism is a religious teaching followed by the samurai. However, the Bushido code was especially revered among them. It laid out all the rules.behavior in society and in battle. He was a samurai symbol of honor, which all warriors followed strictly.
Samurai
Samurai are Japanese feudal lords, both petty nobles and large landowners and princes. Almost all over the world, the meaning of the term "samurai" is a warrior with long sharp swords (katanas). However, in reality this is not the case. 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). Literally translated from Japanese, this means "the way of the warrior."
Throughout the world, samurai (bushi) are often identified with knights, but this comparison is also not entirely correct, since there is a rather big difference between these concepts. The very term "samurai" comes from a very old indefinite form of the verb, which translates as "serve." In fact, a samurai is a "service man".
Bushi, for convenience let's call them samurai, were not only warrior-knights. They were also the bodyguards of their master - overlord or daimyo. At the same time, they were his ordinary servants.
Origination
Samurai culture appeared in 646, after very large political and social reforms in Japan. At that time, there were many internal conflicts among the nobility, feudal lords and large landowners on the territory of the country. Most often they were solved with the help of weapons.
Influential families fortheir defense decided to attract professional soldiers. 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 as protectors and servants, thereby securing 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 highest board of all samurai estates, headed by the supreme chief, 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 "daise". 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 to perfection. 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 family and his status.
In addition to weapons, the samurai had armor. They were a set of metal plates that were tightly laced to each other. To our time, authentic samurai armor has survived, which amaze with its reliability and beauty. Also in Japanese museums you can see the uniforms of those who were served by the samurai. This armor is distinguished by expensive finishes and decorations.
The warriors, in addition to the above weapons, had a special ritual tanto knife(kusungobu), which they used when performing seppuku, known throughout the world as hara-kiri. In fact, this is a ritual suicide, "hara-kiri" in Japanese means "ripping open the stomach."
The main symbol of a samurai, of course, is his sword. It is worth noting that the warrior did not immediately receive it. When teaching the samurai way of life and martial arts, young people had the opportunity to use a wooden sword. And only after they became real warriors, they were given a metal katana. She was a symbol of their maturity and a confirmation that they had learned the philosophy of the samurai and Bushido.
The appearance of signs
Studying the symbolism of the samurai of Japan and the meaning that was attached to it, it is also necessary to refer to the hieroglyphs and the history of their appearance. Japanese hieroglyphs, like most symbolic signs, 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 denoting luck, friendship and several deities.
This symbol was applied by samurai on their clothes and weapons. It could be found on belts or long kimono collars. On weapons, he met depicted on the guard or katana handle. It was believed that this symbol helps the samurai not to deviate frombushido code of honor, to be a good warrior and a devoted servant to your daimyō. For clarity, the article shows pictures with the symbols of the samurai.
Hara-kiri or seppuku
The rite of hara-kiri is as follows. The samurai sits in the lotus position, then exposes his stomach and cuts it open, inflicting a wound in the form of a cross. This ritual was adopted among the Japanese samurai class.
A person was obliged to take his own life in such a painful way if his honor was affected. Performing this ritual, the warrior showed a sign of loy alty to his master (daimyo). Such a death was severe enough even for that difficult time, so it was later changed. Then, after the samurai stabbed himself in the stomach, another warrior cut off his head.
There was also a version of seppuku, 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.
Committing 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 in the abdominal cavity are the most painful in comparison with similar wounds in other parts of the body.
Heraldry and symbols of the samurai and their meaning
Heraldry and symbols in Japan played a very important role, as well as in European countries during the Middle Ages. That is, the emblem or symbol helped to identify exactly which family the samurai belongs to and which master he serves.
Samurai symbols (mons) were an important element in life, andespecially on the battlefield. If medieval European knights put their coats of arms and symbols on their shields, then the samurai, unlike them, wore them on their armor or clothing.
These samurai symbols also helped identify the 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-jirushi (sign, symbol) bring proof of victory to his master.
Uma-jirushi or "horse signs" are the standards of various commanders. They were in the hands of the rider and were attached to a long pole. These insignia were used by the commander in order to command the army during the battle. Japanese insignia were simpler than European ones and therefore more understandable. Due to this, it was possible to quickly issue commands to the soldiers.
Other symbols of Japanese samurai
The meaning of the distinctive element in military equipment called "horo" is very interesting. A horo was a cape made of fabric 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 the back.
It was intended to be able to recognize the rider from afar. The thing is that when the samurai rode a horse, the wind currents 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 an assignment from the master.
Sashimono and nobori
Continuing to consider the symbols of the samurai and their designation, we should mention the sashimono and nobori. These symbols appeared immediately after other warriors and peasants joined the samurai army. The fact is that the civil wars were very bloody, and there were heavy losses among the fighters. Even combat-ready peasants were attracted to replenish the detachments.
So, for example, the powerful commander W. Kensin, who lived in the middle of the 16th century, at one time had about 7,000 soldiers. 6200 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 an L-shaped shaft. This form was very practical, it did not allow the banner to curl in the wind, covering the symbols of the soldiers.
There were very large nobori that were attached to the back of the warrior, while four others helped the first one, holding and controlling the banner with the help of special stretch marks (most often these were cigars - peasant warriors).
Sashimono
Nobori helped identify a large unit, but there were samurai symbols that made it possible to find out who a particular warrior belonged to. For the personal "marking" of the samurai, small flags were used, called "sashimono".
The flag was on a special structure behind the back of the samurai, which in turn was fixed thanks to chest plates. Was on sashimonothe coat of arms of the daimyo who owned the samurai is depicted. Sometimes, instead of the coat of arms, the name of the daimyo clan was depicted.
Samurai Rangers
The popularity of the samurai has led to the emergence of various books, cartoons, films and TV shows about their lives. This is how the television series "Samurai Rangers" appeared, which is designed for a children's audience. It has very little in common with real life, but is popular in certain circles.
Like the real ones, the samurai rangers have their own symbolism, which has its own meaning and meaning for each character in the film. The Samurai Rangers' symbols are water, earth, fire, light, wood, and sky (heaven).
However, films and books about real samurai only partially reveal the truth about their lives. Warriors and everything connected with them have a lot of secrets and taboos that are not open to a wide audience. In all likelihood, these warriors, having centuries of history, customs and rituals, will remain a mystery to the rest of the world.
