What is ...
a Samurai?
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Samurai means "one who serves", so to be a samurai means to be accountable to someone whom you honour and respect, to whom you have given your loyalty.
Samurai warrior training is intended to accomplish this goal, and that is why for a samurai's education to be complete, it must include many types of learning and disciplines, not only martial arts, and the martial arts that are learned must be as comprehensive and effective as possible. A well-rounded, well-educated and culturally literate student is much more valuable than someone who is ignorant of the world and the beauty in it.
A samurai is best able to serve his or her "daimyo" by being well-versed not only in the arts of the warrior, but also the arts of the brush, such as calligraphy, sumi-e, and painting, and the other forms of art from the rich diversity of the Japanese culture. To balance the discipline of the martial training, they must see the beauty of life, and so treasure the gift of life more completely. This is the Way of the Warrior, Budo.
c Donna Murphy 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this web page or site may be reproduced without written permission from the author. For information, see the "Find Us' page.