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<BR> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">The
Land of the Rising Sun</FONT></B>
<UL><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">The islands of Japan lie hundreds of kilometers
off the coast of China. Mountainous, and with only a few</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">small
areas of farming land, it was at</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">one
time a poor country. The people</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">struggled
to servive frequent</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">earthquakes and
eruptions of it's</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">volcanoes. Rice and
fish being their</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">chief supply of food
the japanese</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">were small, because of
this limited</FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">diet.</FONT></B></UL>
<B><FONT COLOR="#000099"> </FONT></B> <B><FONT COLOR="#000099">Ruled
and Governed by a imperial court they worshipped the Gods of nature and
called there religion "Shinto" (the way of the Gods ) it was one of these
Gods that the emperor clamed decadence from. Then Buddhism arrived, and
eventually the Shinto and Buddhist temples became direct rivals for supramasey
in japan, forming bands of "warrior monks" to rage war appon each other
courseing genrail discord and chaos in the country, the imperial court
was called to take action to counter this consist warfare. It was at this
time, in 10th century Japan, that the rise of the Samurai began.</FONT></B>
<UL>
<UL>
<HR WIDTH="100%">
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099"> </FONT></B></UL>
<B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
<U><FONT SIZE=+2>Who were the Samurai ?</FONT></U></FONT></B>
<P><B><FONT COLOR="#000099"> </FONT></B></UL>
<B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
The Samurai were a fearless, brutal and powe-+rful force of fighting warriors,</FONT></B> <IMG SRC="sitsam.gif" BORDER=1 HEIGHT=187 WIDTH=150 ALIGN=LEFT>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
who came to rule Japan for over 600 years, from the middle of the 12th</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
century. they are revered in Japanese history, their code of honor and
their</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
swordmanship have become world-famous, and their exploits created many
of</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
the greatest stories and legends in japan.</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
The word Samurai comes from the Japanese verb "to serve". It was first
used</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
to describe the personal servants of the rich and powerful landowners of
8th</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
century Japan. Some of these landowners were aristocrats, noblemen who
had</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
left the royal court in Kyoto, the capital, to seek there fortunes. Many
small</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
farmers depended on the landowners for their living, and loyal bonds developed</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
between master and servant. Gradually a network of clans or "families"
grew,</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
each with its landowner and followers. The government of the country was
no longer in control, and law</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
and order was kept by the clans. The clans armed themselves to protect
their own land and people, and</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
so the warrior class of Samurai grew. This elite fighting class was to
later effectively rule and govern</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
the country until the late 19th century.</FONT></B>
<P><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
Eventually due to heavy western interfearions and internal politics the
Samurai class was dissolved</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">
and the Emperor restored to full power in 1868, ending a legacy that
had lasted for over seven hundred</FONT></B>
<UL><B><FONT COLOR="#000099">years. However the Samurai legacy still lives
on in the minds and sprits of many and it is for that reason that I</FONT></B>
<B><FONT COLOR="#000099">have decided to make this web site, dedicated
to all those who have gone before me who believed in the Samurai way.</FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR="#000099"> </FONT></B>
<BR>
<HR WIDTH="100%">
<P><B><FONT COLOR="#000099"> </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000">
For more information on The Samurai, try these other topics:</FONT></B>
<P><A HREF="samurai2.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="samurai2.html">
More about Who the Samurai were.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="origin.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="origin.html">
The Origins of the Samurai.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="daimyo.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="daimyo.html">
Daimyo's the Samurai lords of Japan.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="shogun.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="shogun.html">
A brief history of the Shogunate.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="bsamurai.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="bsamurai.html">
Bushido the way of the warrior.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="femalesam.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="femalesam.html">
Female Samurai.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="seppuku.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="seppuku.html">
Seppuku ritual suicide.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="weapons.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="weapons.html">
Weapons of feudal Japan.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="katana.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="katana.html">
The art of the sword. ( the making and handling of the deadly blades of
the Samurai )</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="tea.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="tea.html">
Art and the Samurai.</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="quotes.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="quotes.html">
Samurai Quotes. ( a collection of Samurai sayings and beliefs)</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="../../samurai2.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="legends.html">
Samurai Legends. ( a few famous stories about and including the Samurai
)</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="../../samurai2.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B><A HREF="literature.html">
Samurai Manuals (including The Book of Five Rings by Manimoto Mushi)</A></B>
<BR><A HREF="../../samurai2.html"><IMG SRC="Button.gif" BORDER=0 HEIGHT=20 WIDTH=20></A><B>
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