Samurais

Samurais were around for a long time in history.  Their traditions existed from 660 B.C. until 1876 A.D.  Samurais changed a lot during all those years.  Here is a timeline of what happened. 

     

• 660 B.C. --- Legend says Jimmu Tenno became Japan's first emperor and set up the ruling Yamato State. Weapons and armour develop.
• 400s A.D. --- Horses were introduced into Japanese fighting.

• 500s A.D. --- Buddhism arrived in Japan, and became a powerful philosophy for rulers and warriors.

• Late 1200's A.D. --- Mongols invaded Japan. The Samurai defeated the Mongols after many years of fierce fighting. The Samurai developed a style of formation combat and depended more on the sword as a primary weapon in battle.

• 1318 A.D. --- Go-Daigo became the 96th Emperor of Japan. He attempted to overthrow the Hojo regents, but gave rise instead to a new dynasty of Shoguns, the Ashikaga family, who set up their government in the capital city of Kyoto.

• 1400 A.D. --- Master swordsmen established schools to teach their style of ken-jutsu.

             

• 1467-77 A.D. --- The Onin War saw the decline of the Shogun's power and began the Sengoku Jidai ("The Age of the Country at War") which lasted 150 years.

• 1542 A.D. --- Portuguese guns were introduced into Japan.

• 1630 A.D. --- Japan cut its ties with the outside world.

• 1876 A.D. --- Emperor Meiji declared a new law that ended the wearing of swords. The Samurai had lost their profession and their right to wear swords. Their position as a special class ended after almost 1,000 years.

     

These are not nearly all the details that happened in this time.  
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