Samourais

The most interesting period of the Samurai-civilization took place from the 12th to the 19th century, when the rivalries between the preponderant families and the fights against the Emperor and the central authorities required a caste of valorous and well-trained soldiers like the Samurais. Those men were generally former peasants who received for their services taxfree grounds they entrusted to the Daimyo, their feudal lord. As against this, the lord employed them as vassal soldiers who integrated little by little the extremely graded nippon society. The Samurais were totally faithful towards their lord and their code of honour, the Bushido. They were heros placed above the other men. The warrior usually compared himself with the mythical flower of the cherry-tree, considered as the most noble among all the flowers.