Samurai

History of Japan, China and Korea XI – XIX centuries represents in toy soldiers.

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late XII century to their abolition in 1876. They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords. They cultivated the bushido codes of martial virtues, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles. As modern militaries emerged in the XIX century, the Samurai were rendered increasingly obsolete as very expensive to maintain compared to the average conscript soldier. Their memory and weaponry remain prominent in popular culture.

China, Japan and Korea were radically different from European states. Their military history developed more slowly, therefore, a broader historical period is concentrated in this section.