What was the samurai honor code?

The unwritten Samurai code of conduct, known as Bushido, held that the true warrior must hold that loyalty, courage, veracity, compassion, and honor as important, above all else. An appreciation and respect of life was also imperative, as it added balance to the warrior character of the Samurai.

What was the samurai code and why was it important to the samurai?

Bushido was followed by Japan’s samurai warriors and their precursors in feudal Japan, as well as much of central and east Asia. The principles of bushido emphasized honor, courage, skill in the martial arts, and loyalty to a warrior’s master (daimyo) above all else.

Did the samurai have honor?

The first duty of a samurai was loyalty to his lord. This sense of loyalty and honor was often carried to extremes by the Japanese, who would fight to the death in a hopeless battle to protect their master’s castle, or commit suicide if they felt they had disgraced their lord. Samurai also had a duty of vengeance.

What would a samurai have to do if he failed to uphold his honor?

Tenets. Bushidō expanded and formalized the earlier code of the samurai, and stressed frugality, loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and honor to the death. Under the bushidō ideal, if a samurai failed to uphold his honor he could only regain it by performing seppuku (ritual suicide).

Why did the samurai have two swords?

The main reason samurai wore two swords were social in nature. A brief reminder: katana is already a backup weapon for a samurai on the battlefield. The main weapon is a long-ranged bow, or a powerful weapon like a naginata or a no-dachi (an even bigger katana).

How do samurai show honor?

This honor-bound suicide became very ritualized, taking the form of seppuku. Also known by the more vulgar phrase hara-kiri, seppuku was a way for a samurai to restore honor to his lord and family, and to fulfill his obligation of loyalty even if he had failed as a samurai.