Samurai Training

Samurai Training

By Eric Rubio

​A samurai's education in the art of war included mental training. Samurai had to develop self-control so that they could overcome emotions that might interfere with fighting, especially the fear of death. They also learned to be always alert and prepared to fight.

​

​Replace this with a header

Training in Self-Control To learn how to endure pain and suffering, young samurai went for days without eating, marched barefoot in snow on long journeys, and held stiff postures for hours without complaining.

​Training in Preparednes A samurai could never relax because an attack could come when least expected, even while playing music or dancing. For this reason, samurai had to develop a “sixth sense” about danger and did so through long and grueling training.

Multiple Choice

Samurai had to go through a great amount of training, which modern job do you think requires the most time and training?

• Medical

• Law

• Construction

• Electrician

​By the more peaceful 17th century, samurai had to be students of culture, as well as fierce warriors. They were expected to be educated in both writing and literature.

Samurai practiced calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing. A calligrapher's main tools were a brush, a block of ink, and paper or silk. The calligrapher moistened the ink block, rubbed it on an ink stone until the ink reached the right consistency, and then carefully drew each character with the brush.

​

​Training in writing and Literature

​

Multiple Choice

The Samurai would not only practice writing as a form of art they practiced it to relax, what activity according to science is the most calming for people today?

• Listening to Music

• Drawing

• Reading a Book

• Playing Video Games

​Samurai studied the art of the tea ceremony. The tea ceremony fostered the spirit of harmony, reverence, and calm amongst these warriors, and it served as an important way to form political alliances.

The tea room was very simple, with only a scroll painting or a flower arrangement for a decoration. ​

​Tea Ceremony

Most samurai were Buddhists. Two forms of Buddhism that became popular in Japan were Amida and Zen. Samurai were drawn to both kinds of Buddhism, but especially to Zen.​

​In the 12th century, a monk named Honen founded a popular form of Buddhism, Amida Buddhism.

​

​Training in Spiritual strength

​

The form of Buddhism called Zen appealed to many samurai because of its emphasis on effort and discipline.​

​According to the beliefs of Zen Buddhism, becoming enlightened requires giving up everyday, logical thinking. To jolt the mind into enlightenment, masters pose puzzling questions called koans (KOH-ahnz). Probably the most well-known koan is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

​

​Zen Buddhism

​

Open Ended

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?

Multiple Choice

Which County in California has the oldest living trees?

• Riverside

• Los Angeles

• San Diego

• San Bernardino

​

​Samurai also wrote poetry. One famous samurai poet was Matsuo Basho, who invented a new form of short poetry that was later called haiku (high-KOO). A haiku has three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, making 17 syllables in all. A haiku poet uses imagery to suggest an idea or create a mood. Basho added to the beauty of haiku by choosing simple words. Here is his most famous haiku:

​Samurai & poetry

​