Japanese samurai have always evoked feelings in Europeans, mixed between fear and admiration. This is understandable: Japan's long-term isolation contributed to the fact that the samurai class was formed on principles incomprehensible to the rest of the world.
Suicide for the soul
The ritual suicide of hara-kiri ("seppuku") through ripping open the abdomen was common in the samurai environment until the 20th century. The samurai firmly believed that the belly is the repository of the human soul, and therefore they made an incision so that the insides would fall out, thereby freeing the warrior's soul.
If for some reason the samurai refused to perform seppuku, or was not trusted, instead of a ritual dagger, he used a fan, which he symbolically held over his stomach - at this moment a special assistant decapitated the condemned with a sword.
Hara-kiri was committed not only by men, but also by women from samurai families. Given that abdominal injuries are one of the most painful, the weaker sex was allowed to kill themselves by cutting their throats or stabbing them in the heart. At the same time, the legs were previously bandaged so that the posture of the woman who had killed herself remained unchanged.
Despite the fact that the Japanese government officially banned seppuku in 1968, crime bosses continued to take their own lives in this savage way. No wonder they say: "More than killing each other, the Japanese only love to kill themselves."
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Equal with men
We are accustomed to using the word "samurai" in relation to men, but the Japanese class "bushi" made it possible to get involved in samurai art and women. "Onna-bugeisya", as the women-samurai were called, without any indulgences studied the military craft on an equal basis with men.
The main weapon of the onna-bugeisha was the naginata - a long and light spear with a blade resembling a curved sword. In the hands of skilled warriors, it was a truly deadly weapon. Traditionally, the naginata was placed above the front door, which allowed the onna-bugeisha to instantly react to the appearance of intruders in the house.
In addition to the spear, samurai women willingly used a dagger with a short blade - "kaiken". The warlike Japanese women never parted with these weapons: hidden behind a belt or in a sleeve, the kaiken made it possible to strike the enemy with lightning speed.
Japanese chronicles allow us to conclude that there were few female warriors in the samurai environment. Still, the traditional role of a woman assigned her a place in the household. However, recent studies by Japanese geneticists have shown that onna-bugeisha fought more often than expected. DNA analysis of the remains of participants in one of the largest battles involving samurai revealed that 35 out of 105 belonged to women.
For pleasure
The samurai's lifestyle did not fit well with the ideas of the average European. This included the sexual life of Japanese warriors, for whom same-sex intercourse was the absolute norm. In contrast to the West, sex in Japan has never been morally evaluated, but defined only by criteria of pleasure or displeasure.
The original centers of homosexuality in ancient Japan were Buddhist monasteries. Although the monks adhered to the vow of chastity, they believed that this did not apply to homosexual relationships. Through the Buddhist environment, same-sex love spread to the military class: the relationship of a young samurai with his senior teacher became common there. This practice, known as wakashudo (the path of youth), persisted among the samurai until the 19th century.
The practice of "shudo", considered obligatory for novice warriors, reached its heyday in the Tokugawa era (1603-1868), adjacent to such traditional disciplines as fencing ("kendo"), archery ("kyudo") and swimming in armor ("sueido").
The samurai were confident that shudo had a beneficial effect on the younger generation, instilling in young men such qualities as honor and dignity and forming a sense of beauty. Same-sex love was contrasted with the union of a man and a woman, which, according to the beliefs of the samurai, only contributed to the softening of the man.
For all occasions
The arsenal of a samurai warrior consisted of dozens of types of weapons, taking into account any combat situation. Among other things, there were also non-lethal weapons. For example, a “fast” rope with a sharp hook. Its owner, intending to capture the enemy alive, stuck a well-sharpened hook into his arm, neck or cheek, and then wrapped the prisoner with a strong rope.
Another means of capturing the enemy is the combat grip, which is a set of three long poles with various attachments. With the help of such weapons, a samurai could grab an opponent by the leg or clothing, and then press him against a wall or ground. The presence of sharp spikes on the shaft of the grip deprived the poor fellow of the opportunity to somehow free himself.
Some samurai swords or daggers have a thin thorn on the scabbard. There are various versions of its application. According to the canons of the Natori-ryu school, this thorn was used to pierce the ear of a decapitated enemy in order to attach a tag with the victim's name to it. Sometimes the thorn was used to push the tongue of the deceased back into the mouth, as it was considered indecent.
Taras Repin