You Can't tell a Nippon Clan with out a Mon

In Medieval Nippon, Mon were specific
designs, or family crests, that
were used to identify Lord Clans.
They would be used on clothing
as well as flags.

This hand fan design represented the Satake Clan

Samurai Seppuku Honor through Death

During the age of the Samurai of Nippon, an extremely painful form of ritual suicide was developed Seppuku.  Seppuku was most often used to maintain or regain honor or in the case of obligatory seppuku, a form of capital punishment.  Seppuku (often referred to as "Haha-Kiri" outside of Japan) at its core involved the samurai slicing open his abdomen in a left to right stroke with his short sword, the Wakizashi.  Then an assistant would then decapitate the samurai with a single stroke from
 a katana sword.  The victim's bravery would be admired, his honor intact and his name spoken with respect.

The full ritual was very involved and would include a display platform, special clothing, an audience of witnesses, a death poem written by the samurai and display of the dead man head.   The ritual is thought to have begun in the 12th century and has been practiced by some traditionalist as late a the last decades of the 20th century.

Social Classes of Shogun Era Nippon

LORDS-less than one percent of the population-owned 100 percent of the land

Emperor-one continuous dynasty with little real power

Shogun-Supreme General, Military Dictator of Japan (Seii Taishogun-great general who subdues eastern barbarians) true ruler in Nippon

Daimyos-Powerful Lords/Nobility, large landowners and provincial governors, had private armies of Samurai

Samurai-("those who serve") military vassals and warrior class, followed code of Bushido

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Ronin-master-less samurai, warriors for hire, thought of as bandits and mercenaries

-no longer members of the Lord Class but better than commoners

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COMMONERS-normally your occupation was the same as your parents, but some mobility was possible for those with special skills

Peasant Workers-majority of the people Skilled Artisans/Craftsmen-prized and admired for their skills

Merchants-despised for their use of money

Eta-the untouchables, did all the dirtiest jobs in the country


Under normal conditions you were a member of the class you were born into and not allowed to move into a better class.

Origins of Nippon-Japan

In the early part of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, circa A.D. 670, Japanese scholars who had studied Chinese created a new name for their country using the Chinese phrase for “origin of the sun, sunrise,” because Japan is located east of China. In the Chinese of the time, the phrase was nzyet-pwun. To this the scholars added the Chinese suffix –kwuk, “country,” yielding a "nzyet-pwun-kwuk," “sun-origin-country, land of the rising sun.” The words were not pronounceable in Old Japanese, so the form was simplified to Nip-pon-gu. The form Nippon of today are the same as these, minus the “country” suffix. Japan is the early Mandarin word borrowed from the Malay Japang, which was encountered by Portuguese traders in Moluccas in the 16th century. These traders may have been the ones to bring the word to Europe; it is first recorded in English in 1577, spelled Giapan.

Bushido-the Way of the Warrior

Bushido the Way of the Warrior is the code of honor and rules a true Samurai must follow. Bushido is similar to the code of chivalry followed by true knights of the European Middle Ages.  The code set out seven key principles that the Samurai needed to follow:

Rectitude-follow the straight path
Courage-always be brave
Benevolence-do good deeds
Respect-all according to their class
Honesty-in all dealings
Honor-maintained to the highest level
Loyalty-to your Lord and to the code of Bushido

When Samurai Duel

Samurai-to Serve

Samurai made up the ruling military class and the highest-ranking social caste Nippon. While Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and eventually European style matchlock guns, their main weapon and symbol were the dual swords-the Katana (long killing sword) and the Wakizashi (short sword).

Samurai were supposed to lead their lives according to the ethic code of Bushido ("the way of the warrior"). Strongly Confucian in nature, Bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one's master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behavior.

Emperors of Nippon

Emperor Jimmu, the mythical 1st Emperor of Nippon (660-585 BCE)


From the dawn of the culture of Nippon the ruling dynasty has provided an unbroken line of Emperors. The earliest six are often referred to as the Emperors of Japanese Mythology while the current Emperor Akihito is an active participant in current World affairs. Until 1945 the Emperor of Nippon was seen as Divine in the Shinto Religion.

Showa (Known as Hirohito in the US, but in Nippon the Emperor is given his "official" name after he dies), 124th Emperor of Nippon and last emperor believed to be Divine by the Japanese people. (1926-89)

The current emperor is Naruhito, 126th Emperor of Nippon. (2019-present) is the eldest son of former Emperor Akihito. By law the Emperor of Japan is "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people," in other words the emperor is now a ceremonial figurehead with little real political power but immense prestige.

Japanese Theater

Japanese theater comprises three main styles. Noh the traditional aristocratic and oldest form of Japanese theater (dating from the early 1400's). Bunraku, the puppetry theater and Kabuki the highly stylized classical Japanese dance-drama. > The Minamiza Theater is the oldest Kabuki theater in Nippon. Noh masks demonstrate the emotions of the actors much like those that were worn in the plays of Ancient Greece. In Bunraku-puppetry, the actor is present on the stage but is "hidden" from view by their dark costume.

Kabuki theater originated in the early 1600's and is still extremely popular. The actors wear elaborate make up, hair pieces and costumes as they tell traditional stories of Japanese life in the age of the Samurai.

Tokugawa Ieyasu-the Greatest Shogun

At the end of the 16th Century, Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa Shogunate that was to last past the mid-nineteenth century. Credited with ending the age of constant civil wars, Ieyasu's reign began a golden age in Japanese culture. Yet at times he was as ruthless as any enemy, at one point he ordered his own son and daughter-in-law to kill themselves to please an enemy. In the end he was a complex man with a strong vision for a peaceful, united Japan and the skill and willpower to accomplish this goal.

The War Helmet of Tokugawa Ieyasu with his family crest.

Katana-the Soul of the Samurai

The Katana was the "killing sword" of the Samurai. By the age of Tokugawa, the sword was referred to as the "soul of the warrior" as the concept of personal battle embodied the spirit of "Bushido" and the "Five Rings."

Two swords were the hallmark of the samurai-the Katana and the shorter Wakizashi.

Shinto-The Way of the Kami

For more than 25 centuries Shinto has been the main religion of the people of Nippon. Shinto is a nature religion in which the Kami are the Shinto deities and natural spirits.

This is a traditional Shinto Shrine Gate (or Torii in Japanese). These symbolize the transition from the day-to-day world to the entrance to the world of the sacred.
There are "Four Core Structures "in Shinto:

1-Tradition and the family: The family is the main structure by which traditions are preserved. Ancestors are deeply revered and worshipped.
2-Love of nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
3-Physical cleanliness.
4-"Matsuri": The worship and honor given to the Kami and ancestral spirits.


Today most Shinto followers also hold strong Buddhist beliefs.

Daimyos Fortesses of Security-the Castles of Nippon

The standard castle design of Nippon was a stone foundation topped with a wood and stucco superstructure.

The sloping stone walls gave greater stability during earthquakes, a common occurrence in Nippon.

Gates contained smaller doors called sally ports that offered greater security when only a small force of samurai were entering or leaving the castle.

The gates were wood, reinforced with iron bands. This was expensive but greatly improved the overall strength of the gate.

Tile roofs were both water and fire proof.

Nippon-Land of the Rising Sun and Samurai

Himeji Castle, note the solid foundation for strength in earthquakes and the less ridged upper works for flexibility. Sunrise over Mount Fujiyama Sacred Mount Fujiyama has been a important fixture in the Shinto religion since the latter's creation. The Crest of Chrysanthemum is the Imperial Seal of Nippon. The full armor of a samurai was both functional and a statement of wealth. The two swords were the mark of the samuari and restricted to only members of the samuari class. These three samurai show both the traditional armour and weapons of their class.