The Last of Feudal Japan's Deadly Warriors in the late 1800s

1881

IMAGE: UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE/UIG/GETTY IMAGES

The Samurai emerged in medieval Japan as provincial warriors, and later on rose to prominence and even control of the country in the 12th century. At its inception, this military nobility and officer caste was referred to as “saburau” which roughly means “those who serve in close attendance to the nobility.” They evolved into an indispensable enforcement arm of the ruling shogunate, and the samurai were elevated to a position of privilege.

Samurai religiously followed a code of honor called “Bushido”. Informed by Confucianism and Zen Buddhism, Bushido doctrine emphasized martial fearlessness, discipline, loyalty, and general kindness.

Below are Samurai photos taken in the years after Japan finally opened its ports to international trade. Each photo captures samurai in their final days. With the 1868 Meiji Restoration and the end of feudalism, carrying swords was prohibited to all but the new national armed forces.

The samurai class was dissolved, but bushido survived as the national moral code of the new Japan.