No other tribe in the history may have accomplished such an epic image that Samurai people got who had been depicted in a large number of comic books, plays and movies. That military people lived in the feudal Japan before hundreds of years are still living in the hearts of hundreds of people today without regard to adults or children.

History of the Samurai art cannot be explained without referring to the history of the Samurai tribe. The ruling system that existed in Japan in 12th century was denominated as Shogunate and the ruler was known as Shogun. At that time, Japan was suffering a lot from frequent struggles between the then existed powerful clans named Taira and Minamoto.

The second powerful rank in the Shogunate was Daimyo, which was much the same as the rank of Dukes in Europe. Samurai were the soldiers of Daimyo. Usually each Samurai had a master and if he misses one because of the compelled martyrdom of his master, he was named Ronin.

The Samurai caste had many privileges which was not allowed for the common people. They were licensed to carry two swords while the common people were restricted from carrying any. They were even allowed to kill any ordinary citizen who came to hurt them.

The Samurai tribe itself was categorized into three classes – the administrators who were known as housemen, soldiers who were allowed to fight on horse back named mounted Samurai and the foot soldiers.

Over the years the role of the Samurai changed as they now became independent farmers who were limited to the citadels. They were also authorized to a certain percentage of the rice tax based on their ranks. The code of ethics followed by the Samurai class was known as Bushido which meant the way of the warrior. It was based around loyalty towards their leader which was the daimyo.

A strange practice of committing suicide named Suppuku existed among them. They considered it as a honourable way of death and was performed at the battle field or outside the battle as a formal function. Gradually, the age of battles came to an end and the Samurai class dissolved in the mainstream of the Japanese life.

The term Samurai needs no clarification because of the fame they accomplished via different kinds of media and fictions. Their history and life arouses curiosity in anyone outside Japan. Their strange customs and the perfect discipline are hard to swallow for the people around the world.

The Samurai tribe not only made impacts on the Japanese history but also made impacts on the art and culture of the country. Their life and culture inspired the artists to illustrate them through various art forms and just like the Samurai fables, these artistic representations also were intriguing to the masses around the world.

Japanese Samurai art is a vital component of the walking the warrior path in Japan. In order to read further on ancient Japanese tattoo art please click on the links.