The word Samurai means ''those who serve in close attendance to nobility.'' Samurai worked for nobles, and they had sharp weapons for killing. They were also called Bushi. Bushi meant warrior or arms- man; it is the name given to Japanese soldiers. The Bushi class made strong clans and fought against the noble family.
You had to be born to, or adopted into, the Bushi class to become a Samurai. Training began when a boy was very small. He carried a wooden sword until he was five. After that, he carried a dull steel sword until he was fifteen. The wives and daughters of Samurai were trained to fight too, so they could defend their homes.
Bushido was the unwritten code of conduct that Samurai followed. There are seven Tenants of Bushido: Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honor, and Loyalty. Justice means doing the right thing for the right reason. Courage is doing what's right, even if it is life-threatening. Benevolence is showing kindness and earning respect. Honesty was so important that written contracts were offensive to Samurai; his word was truth with no exceptions. A Samurai's honor was his reputation and the reputation of his family. The Samurai was loyal to his master first and the family came a close second.
The Samurai had weapons like: the Katana, Tanto, Wakizashi, Kanabo, and Bow and Arrow. A Katana is a single-edged curved Samurai sword. The Katana sword is made up of LOTS of different parts: Tsuka (handle), Saya (scabbard), Habaki (blade collar), Kojiri (scabbard tip), Koiguchi (scabbard mouth), and Kashira (butt-cap). The Tanto was a small blade, perfect for close quarters combat. Samurai armor was made of small scales called Kozane. Kozane was made of iron or leather and were melted together to small strips. The strips of Kozane were sewed with lace, and made into a complete set of armor. The armor was sometimes thickened and laced with Kozane sleeves.
The way a Samurai would prefer to die was in battle. If a Samurai lost too badly though, they sometimes killed themselves with a ritual called seppuku. The Samurai would cut his stomach open with his own wakizashi or tanto to commit suicide. Seppuku was supposed to restore the Samurai's honor.
