End of the Samurai

For nearly 250 years, Japan isolated itself from the rest of the world. During this time, and even before it, there was a military-nobility class known as the Samurai. While they had prospered during the Edo Period (1603-1867), the end of Japan’s isolation posed serious threats to the future of the honorable warriors.

Special Treatment

The Samurai were highly honorable warriors among the people of Japan. They served as military forces for the various Japanese clans. These warriors never worried much about foreigners, since Japan had been in isolation for centuries.

Samurai held special privileges in Japan that were otherwise forbidden. One such privilege was the allowance of wearing two swords in public. They also received large stipends upon retirement.

By 1870, Samurai and their traditional ways had made up about 5% of Japan’s population, and most of the Japanese people held these warriors in high regard.

However, also around this time, things were drastically changing in the world, and in Japan.

Enter The West

Modernization would come inevitably. In 1853, U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry brought modern, superior battleships to Japan and forced the country to open its borders to trade. This made many officials in Japan realize that they must modernize, or face conquest.

Unfortunately for the Samurai, this involved leaving behind the ways of old and adopting new Western technology and ideology. Japan’s modernization began in 1854. In the military, firearms replaced swords, and conscripts replaced family ties.

Modernization

When Meiji became the Emperor of Japan in 1867, he proclaimed the importance of using Western ideas. In the following year, he stated:

“Knowledge shall be sought all over the world, and thereby the foundations of imperial rule shall be strengthened.”

Soon after, the Meiji Restoration began. This drastic reform changed many aspects of life in Japan, such as social, political, and military customs. It also created a new, more powerful Imperial Army of Japan to replace the Samurai warriors as the main military force.

Japan recruited conscripted civilians to make up the new Imperial Army. Modern aspects were also introduced: tactics, firearms, rankings, and alliances with foreign powers.

With superior technology and military tactics compared to the Samurai, Japan was finally able to become a growing world power.

Government Intervention

The government of Japan, mainly the Meiji Oligarchy who ruled in Emperor Meiji’s name, desired to drive the Samurai class into extinction. They would not do this swiftly, however, and instead saw to slowly deprive these warriors of their special privileges and integrate them into the new society.

One of the first things to change for the Samurai was their hefty stipends. The Oligarchy saw these as financial burdens, and introduced a tax on them. The next step was to transform the stipends into government bonds, allowing former-Samurai to invest in Japanese land and industry.

Another change came to the Samurai’s privilege of wearing swords in public. The Oligarchy abolished wearing any kind of weapon in public, which came as a huge insult to the Samurai. Former-Samurai were also not allowed to join the new army. Training a Samurai warrior took many years, however training a conscript with a firearm only took a few weeks.

The Samurai were slowly brought down to the same social level as an average Japanese citizen.

Rebellion

These traditional Samurai warriors would not simply stand around and watch their privileges be deprived from them. They would not stand to see Japan seemingly forget about its ancestors who fought to preserve the land.

These warriors would not simply give up their high status and special privileges. Since they had been around for centuries, many saw the radical changes as a crime against Japan. The angered Samurai continued to believe that the ways of the past should remain.

This led to the outbreak of several Samurai rebellions against the new Imperial Army. The most notable of these was the Satsuma Rebellion.

Civil War

In January 1877, Satsuma became a civil war in Japan. The Imperial Army brought forth its new military technologies, including the automatic Gatling gun, to fight back the Samurai. New technologies clashed with the old, traditional ways.

While some of the Samurai warriors did use certain modern weaponry during the civil war, most of them ultimately stuck with traditional weapons such as katanas and bows. These weapons had been used for centuries, and the Samurai had not been quick to adapt to change.

When the civil war ended, the Imperial Army had proved just how superior it was to the traditional warriors. The Samurai class was officially ended following their devastating defeat in September 1877.

Conclusion

The way that these warriors had viewed defeat was another aspect that the Meiji Oligarchy did not wish to uphold. If a Samurai was defeated in battle, he must commit suicide in a ritual known as seppuku, in order to preserve his honor.

In Western ideology, soldiers committing seppuku would only dwindle the army’s numbers. Instead, a soldier was typically only killed by an enemy on the battlefield.

Samurai had focused on their honor above all, while the new Japanese Empire became more concerned with expanding its authority and competing with other world powers. This led to the end of the Samurai, and a new beginning for Japan and the rest of the world.

Check out the film “The Last Samurai” for a dramatized version of this story.