Be a Samurai

The mighty samurai — deadly with a katana, a bow, or a naginata (poleaxe), disciplined to the core, and devoted to their cause. While the Samurai warrior class has been formally disbanded since the 1870s, it's still possible to see echoes of these warriors' sense of duty and their Bushido code in Japan (and elsewhere) today. Being like a samurai in the modern age isn't easy, but with discipline and a strong sense of duty, you can start living according to Samurai virtues and developing your talents to use them for good.

Steps

Living Like a Samurai

1. Practice Gi (integrity.) Traditionally, samurai lived according to the moral and ethical code known as Bushido. While the samurai are gone, the central virtues of the Bushido code still describe an honorable, moral life that is perfectly possible to follow today. The first of these virtues is integrity. A samurai always strives to do the right thing, even (and especially) when it's hard. When presented with difficult decisions, the samurai chooses the path that is best for the greater good — even if it's not the best for him.
   • Modern example: Kate accidentally makes an error when she's applying for college online: instead of giving her correct high school grade point average of 3.5, she absentmindedly types in 3.9. Kate later spots her mistake, but only after she's submitted her application. Though the mistake makes her look like a better candidate and she's pretty sure it will go unnoticed, she emails the department of admissions about her mistake anyway to ensure that she is judged fairly and to preserve her honor.
2. Practice Yuuki (courage.) Samurai don't run away from doing difficult (even impossible) things. Even in the face of grave circumstances and unlikely odds, they present a strong face and do their best to perform their duty. Note that this doesn't mean that samurai never get scared. Everyone gets scared. Rather, when samurai get scared, they still do their best to complete the task at hand.
   • Modern example: Joe is scared to go back out on the football field after halftime — his team is down by four touchdowns, the players on the other team insult him after every play, and he knows his coach will embarrass him in the locker room about the interceptions he threw in the first quarter. After a brief moment of reflection, Joe returns to the field with his head held high — in his mind, his goal is now to have the best second half possible in spite of his fear and the difficult odds he faces.
3. Practice Jin (kindness; benevolence.) While samurai are remembered today mainly for their fierceness on the battlefield, in their day-to-day lives, they were anything but fierce. The ideal samurai was a warm (though always dignified) companion to friends, family, and strangers alike, treating the people he met with love and compassion. Today, you can follow the virtue of Jin by doing your best to live a life full of human kindness — even when you run into people who may not especially deserve it.
   • Modern example: The new kid at school is, by all accounts, a weirdo — he doesn't talk to anyone, he doesn't seem to have good hygiene, and he acts nervously whenever he has to speak in front of others. Shawn sees him sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria and decides to sit next to him and make an effort to start a conversation. Whether the new kid turns out to be a kind soul who was simply shy or someone who's just as odd as everyone has made him out to be, he still deserves the same compassion that Shawn would give any of his friends.
4. Practice Rei (politeness; etiquette.) Believe it or not, samurai strove to be perfect gentlemen in their day-to-day interactions just as much as they strove to be deadly on the battlefield. This virtue differs from Jin (kindness) in that it describes a precise set of social customs and behaviors that constituted "politeness" in Japan at the time. While it may be impractical today to participate in tea ceremonies from Japan's feudal period, for instance, you can still practice Rei by acting according to the modern notions of politeness and etiquette for gentlemen and gentlewomen.
   • Modern example: For some reason, the old cashier at the grocery store just doesn't like Kim. Every time she goes through his checkout line, he scowls and says nothing more than a terse "Do you want anything else?" She isn't sure whether he doesn't like the way she looks, whether she said something he disagreed with in the past, or whether the problem is something else entirely. In spite of this, she resolves to greet him with a smile and some polite conversation every day. Maybe, one day, he'll eventually learn to give her the same.
5. Practice Makoto (honesty.) A samurai was expected to be honest in both word and action at all times. The Bushido code dictated that he should always tell the truth, should never knowingly lie, and should never intentionally act in a way to cheat or deceive another person. To do this is to show respect for the laws of the universe nature and the cosmos never act dishonestly, so neither should the samurai.
   • Modern example: After work, one of Sandeep's office coworkers tells him that he will be getting a call from his girlfriend, whom Sandeep has met. He asks Sandeep to say that the two of them went to the local bar for drinks last night and stayed there until closing time. Sandeep, who was at home with his family, apologizes and politely refuses. His acquaintance becomes frustrated, but Sandeep doesn't give in — he won't knowingly lie, especially not to help someone get away with something immoral.
6. Practice Meiyo (honor.) A samurai valued his honor above almost everything else, even sometimes his life. Samurai made lifelong efforts to be admired and praised for their strength, competence, and virtue. To be disgraced was usually out of the question: when put in a position where he was faced with a major failure (like, for instance, if he had lost an important battle for his daimyo, lord), it was not uncommon for a samurai to commit suicide by seppuku (ritual disembowelment) to preserve his honor. Though practices like seppuku are fairly extreme for the modern world, people who want to live like a samurai should be mindful of how the way they live affects their honor and reputation.
   • Modern example: When she gets home from class one day, Isabella finds an invitation to a costume party at the prestigious sorority she's been trying to make friends at. Though she's at first overjoyed, her hopes are dashed when she sees that the organizers of the party have chosen a tasteless racist theme for the party. Though she's dying to make inroads in her college's Greek community, Isabella decides to skip the party for another one at a less-prestigious sorority — she would never want her reputation tarnished by being associated with such trash.
7. Practice Chugi (loyalty.) The samurai were nothing if not loyal to their masters, their clans, and their subjects. A samurai was expected to follow the orders of his daimyo with absolute obedience. Samurai even signed "blood contracts" with their daimyo that swore the loyalty of their entire bloodline to the bloodline of the lord. While, once again, this sort of extreme loyalty is out of place in the modern era, it's still possible to practice Chuugi by sticking by the people in your life that you are honor-bound to in times of difficulty, like your friends, your family, and the people who are dependent on you.
   • Modern example: Tim and his son have always had a difficult relationship. Whenever Tim tries to help his son make the right decisions in life, the two of them always seem to end up in a heated argument. Now, his son is marrying a woman that Tim doesn't care for at all. Despite his extreme reservations, Tim resolves to be there by his son's side at his wedding — he's his son, and he'll love him no matter what.

Looking Like a Samurai

1. Wear traditional samurai armor pieces. Whether you're aiming to recreate the armor of a samurai with precise accuracy or simply looking for a good idea for a costume party, knowing the parts of a samurai's armor will help give you an idea of what you'll need to look for. The most important pieces of a samurai's armor are:
   • Do: Chest armor plate made from iron and/or leather. In later centuries, it was common for samurai to use European-style cuirasses as these provided better protection against gunshots.
   • Kusazuri: Iron or leather plates hanging from the waist like a skirt to protect the waist and upper legs.
   • Sode: Shoulder pads made from iron or leather plates.
   • If you are looking for authentic Japanese armor, try browsing the sites of antique armor dealers or re-creators. Beware — these rare collectibles can be quite expensive.
   • On the other hand, if you are simply looking for a costume, it will probably easiest to sew or glue thin metal pieces to an old, sturdy shirt. See How to Make Costume Armor for more information.
2. Wear a Kabuto helmet. A samurai's unmistakable helmet instantly set him apart from the people around him on the battlefield. The characteristic kabuto samurai helmet typically had a visor, a decorative emblem in the front, and a low brim (called a shikoro) that extended down from the edges of the helmet to the samurai's neck in rows of interlocking metal strips designed to protect the samurai's neck. Helmets also generally had a small hole directly in the top to hold the samurai's "top-knot" hairstyle.
   • If you're making your own helmet, a good idea is to start with an old bike helmet as your base. Coat the helmet in papier-mâché, then paint it a fierce color like black, red, brown, or bronze. Cut a decorative emblem out of cardboard or sheet metal and glue it to the front. Finally, cut many thin strips of paper or metal and hang them from the back and sides of the helmet in a half-circle.
3. Wear a fierce armored Mempo mask. Imagine the terror of a samurai's enemy when he turns to face his attacker and stares into the cold eyes of an iron face frozen in an angry grimace! Samurais generally wore masks into battle not just to protect their face and neck but also to intimidate their opponents it was not at all uncommon for a samurai's Mempo mask to be in the shape of something terrifying like a snarling demon.
   • While real mempo masks were usually made from metal or leather, you can make your own from plaster. Simply form it around your neck and chin up to your cheeks and paint it the color of your armor once it dries. See How to Make a Plaster Mask for more information.
4. Have a non-combat outfit. Outside of battle, samurai often wore a traditional outfit which consisted of a Kimono (a robe which many Westerners are today familiar with) and a Hakama. The hakama is a type of pants or trousers that hang loosely about the legs and are worn over the kimono. Hakama are secured in place with several knots tied about the waist and typically have five pleats on the front: three to the right and two to the left.
   • While kimonos and hakama aren't sold in most modern clothing stores, it's not usually hard to find them online simply browse retail sites like Amazon and Ebay for deals.
   • See this guide for instructions on tying a hakama.
5. Get a samurai Chonmage hair-do. Samurai men typically had long hair which they wore up in a tight bun on top of their head. This bun was sometimes tied in place with decorative fabric or bands, though a simple string was most common. See How to Make a Top Knot Bun for steps on tying your hair in a similar modern hairstyle.
   • If you're very serious about achieving the samurai look, try shaving your pate (the top of your head) and leaving your hair only on the sides and back, which you can then tie in a small bun. This traditional hairstyle was once a sign of high status in Japanese society, but it requires lots of confidence to pull off today.

Fighting Like a Samurai

1. Fight only for honorable causes. Legendary samurai like Minamoto no Tametomo, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and others earned their reputation as powerful, fearless, and cunning fighters through many years of excellence on the battlefield. However, this excellence never came at the expense of a samurai's honor. Samurai never sully their reputation (or, more importantly, the reputation of the people they are loyal to) by using their great power for cowardly, selfish, or shameful reasons. Below are just a few examples of when and when not to fight.
   • Good reasons for a samurai to fight:
   • Protecting innocents from danger
   • Trying to prevent a dangerous situation from occurring
   • Defending the honor of a friend or family member
   • Bad reasons for a samurai to fight:
   • Beating people up for their money
   • Defeating someone else to make yourself feel better
   • Picking fights over petty grudges and slights
2. Condition your body. To be able to fight like a samurai, you must start by reaching for the raw materials of strength and endurance. Samurai cannot fight to defend their loved ones if they are too weak or out of shape to offer much of a challenge. Ideally, samurai should practice excellent physical fitness habits, exercising at least several times per week to build muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance. In addition, samurai should closely monitor their diet and work towards a lean but powerful physique.
   • For a comprehensive fitness guide, see How to Exercise. Here, you'll find tips on aerobic exercise, strength-building routines, and much more.
   • For dieting tips, see How to Diet. In general, aspiring samurai will want to eat a diet that is rich in protein, whole grains, and healthy fats while maintaining a calorie intake that will put them on course for a lean physique.
3. Learn a martial art. An ideal samurai didn't need weapons to fight — he would be willing and able to fight armed and armored enemies with his bare hands if needed. Learning a martial art will make you a formidable opponent even when unarmed. In addition, the inner strength and self-discipline that you'll develop from striving for excellence in your fighting style will serve you well in difficult and dangerous situations.
   • Traditionally, samurai were expected to learn a form of the martial art today known as jiu jitsu as part of their training. This fighting style emphasized throws, grapples, and pins, which allowed samurai to effectively defeat armored opponents against whom punches and kicks wouldn't be effective.
   • Today, in addition to jiu jitsu, a wide range of martial arts from a variety of cultures around the world are available to those who want to learn them. These include:
   • Boxing
   • Kickboxing
   • Taekwondo
   • Krav maga
   • Judo
4. Consider learning to fight with traditional samurai weapons. Samurai were proficient killers with a wide variety of weapons. These include the naginata, a long poleaxe or spear, the bow, and the famous katana sword. While these weapons may be ineffective (or at the very least impractical) in most modern settings, you may still want to learn how to use them for ceremonial or traditional purposes.
   • A good resource for those looking to find out more about the naginata is the U.S. Naginata Federation website. This site has information about various naginata fighting styles as well as a directory of links to the webpages of various regional naginata associations.
   • The Japanese art of archery is called Kyudo. A good place to start learning about Kyudo is at the website of the International Kyudo Federation. Here, you'll find information on equipment, techniques, upcoming events and seminars, and more.
   • Unfortunately, in most Western countries, it's much easier to find organizations dedicated to European sword fighting than it is to find katana-centered organizations. Various regional organizations are your best bet here for those in the U.S. and Canada, try starting with the Classic Katana Owners of North America website.
5. Alternatively, learn to fight with modern weapons. The modern battlefield is a very different one than the warriors of feudal Japan were familiar with the prevalence of firearms, artillery, air power, and many more modern inventions, a samurai's traditional weapons aren't often effective today. However, a modern-day samurai can still adopt the devotion and focus of samurais from the past when learning to fight with modern-day weapons.
   • The topic of how to fight in the modern world is unfortunately too broad for the scope of this article. However, when it comes to guns, it's important to be clear that you should not buy or start carrying a gun until you are absolutely sure that you can use and store it safely (and have the required legal certification to do so.) See How to Handle a Firearm Safely for more information.
   • Serious about learning how to fight in the modern age? Try joining your country's armed services or national guard. Here, you'll learn up-to-date tactics for how to function effectively in modern battlefield situations, including how to use and maintain firearms.
6. Fight without fear of defeat. The most respected samurai warriors were said to fight as if they were already dead that is, they fought fearlessly because it truly did not make a difference to them whether they lived or died in battle. Today, it's not considered wise or honorable to have little regard for your own life. However, you can still apply the spirit of this samurai principle by fighting without fear of the consequences you may suffer. In other words, when you fight, try not to worry about the danger to yourself or the likelihood of failure. Instead, focus totally on your goal: victory.
   • This, of course, only applies when fighting for honorable purposes. This advice is not meant to encourage aspiring samurais to have no regard for the law or the fundamental principles of common decency.

Tips

• Remember you don't have to be a guy to be a samurai! Though nearly all historical samurai were men, female warriors called onna-musha exist in both the annals of history and traditional Japanese literature like the Heike Monogatari.
• Honor is the first step on the road to being a good samurai. Always think about how your actions will make other people view you and do your best never to act in ways that will make you look sleazy, cheap, cowardly, or otherwise "bad."
• If you'd like to learn more about the samurai lifestyle, try doing independent research using books, articles, and websites at your disposal. Tsunetomo Yamamoto's Bushido: The Way of the Samurai, for instance, is available in print and e-reader form for fairly cheap.

Warnings

• Even though samurai are warriors, don't fight unless you absolutely have no other choice. True samurai don't use their power lightly.

Related Articles

• Handle a Japanese Sword
• Make a Paper Samurai Hat
• Learn Japanese
• Be Honest Without Being Harsh

Sources and Citations

See also

• Be a Ninja
• Learn Ninja Techniques
• Train to Be a Ninja Easily
• Be Stealthy Like a Ninja
• Ninja Fight
• Disappear Like a Ninja
• Be a Modern Ninja
• Make a Ninja Star
• Move Like a Ninja
• Be a Ninja Spy

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