Bushido: Did you mean...?

The samurai (also bushi) were a class of warriors that arose in the 10th century in Japan and which performed military service until the 19th century. Elite and highly-trained soldiers adept at using both the bow and sword, the samurai were...

Japan is known for many different things, but one popular image associated with the country is that of the ‘samurai’. Especially, many people admire the idea of the ‘samurai spirit’ encapsulated in the concept of ‘bushido’ – the ‘way of the...

The medieval period of Japan is considered by most historians to stretch from 1185 to 1603 CE. Stand out features of the period include the replacement of the aristocracy by the samurai class as the most powerful social group, the establishment...

War tales (gunki monogatari) is a genre of historical writing that developed in Japan from the Heian Period (794-1185) to the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). They form an important element in the development of the Japanese literary tradition...

Feudalism in medieval Japan (1185-1603) is the relationship between lords and vassals where land ownership and its use were exchanged for military service and loyalty. Although present earlier to some degree, the feudal system in Japan was...

Artist's impression of samurai before their shogun, inside a ceremonial building. Created by Amplitude Studios for the video game Humankind.

Feudal Japan Medieval Regent Figurehead Shinto Clan Court Zen Buddhism Daimyo Samurai Shogun Bushido Ronin Wako Kana system Za Kamikaze

Samurai were elite and highly skilled warriors that arose in the tenth century in Japan. They performed military service using a bow or swords of varying lengths and were essential components of Medieval Japanese armies. The samurai were...

This is a paperback edition of a book that was first published as a hardback in 2019. The author, Constantine Nomikos Vaporis, is a professor of history at Maryland University and has published several academic books on Japanese history...