Samurai - The Honourable & The Treacherous

The Japanese Samurai were warriors. Highly trained, skilled and efficient killers. Indeed, for many years the Samurai were the law of the land, a class of citizens above all except their Daimyo and the imperial Shogun. The samurai inhabited and roamed a land which was governed by the sword, and the samurai were masters of the sword.

Samurai are generally written about and thought of as an honorable, humble class of people which upheld an extremely rigid and almost impossible-to-imagine or mythical-like set of rules, code of conduct and belief system and would give his life rather than break Bushido (Way of the Warrior - the Samurai's belief system). This is half true, for many samurai were this honorable warrior most of us hear about. But not all of them were this way. Many Ronin samurai (Masterless) were merely amoral crooks which used their deadly skills for wrongdoing and lining their own pockets. They had no loyalty to anybody but themselves and would betray you in a heartbeat if it was in their monetary interest to do so.

Many of these samurai were once good samurai which may have even served under a Daimyo once upon a time but later became corrupt. Been a samurai is more than simply been good with a sword, its a way of living to which you dedicate your life, so these so called samurai were looked down upon by the moralistic samurai as nothing more than crooks. History is filled with Good guys and Bad guys, and it seems Japans Samurai class were no exception!

Article by Nick Johnson, visit his website for more on the samurai warrior and for information on samurai swords and the history of the samurai sword http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

---

Tae Kwon Do As A Means To Stay In Shape

Becoming a martial artist is a fanatastic method of fitness.... Read More

What To Expect When You Least Expect It

The time you will be attacked you will most likely... Read More

Is Aikido a Martial Art ?

Sensei Henry Ellis Co-Author of the new book Positive Aikido.-... Read More

Its Not a Matter of Who is Right

"People here may belittle sports arts...."Who?Almost EVERY "combatives" man of... Read More

The Best Martial Art

It is a very difficult task to determine which martial... Read More

What Can We Learn From What Has Already Been Done?

Pre-WWII Judo was a far different thing than what we... Read More

Generating More Power from Hip Rotation - Lessons from Martial Arts

One of the important lessons of Martial Arts training is... Read More

By-Rote Combinations

Do not believe that practicing "by rote" 1-2-3,etc. type "responses"... Read More

Samurai - The Honourable & The Treacherous

The Japanese Samurai were warriors. Highly trained, skilled and efficient... Read More

The Shocking Truth About Stun Guns

If you are outside the world of law enforcement, chances... Read More

The Test

"Will this work so that I can use it instinctively... Read More

Strategy as Applied to Warrior-citizens

After years of study, I have come to a small... Read More

British Aikido Board National Nepotism Seminar

For many years The British Aikido Board (BAB) have shown... Read More

Interesting Facts on Samurai Sword Manufacture

A samurai's sword is his most sacred and prized possession.... Read More

Basic Drills

We all have a good foundation in the basic blows... Read More

Dermot Michael (Pat) ONeill

Dermot O'Neill was born in 1905 in County Cork, Ireland.... Read More

Applying Law of Gravity to Judo

In judo it is important to throw your opponent by... Read More

Fight Simulator Theory for Reality Based Street Defense

This is such a powerful tool that it should leave... Read More

John Styers

Most people have only been exposed to John Styers work... Read More

Why Every Cop Should Study Judo Part 1

Up until 30 years ago, JUDO was the martial art.... Read More

New Book: Positive Aikido

A new book with a practical look at Aikido and... Read More

Martial Arts

Traditionally, people trained in Martial Arts in order to utilized... Read More

Elements of Unarmed Combat

Custom build your own personal "system":Useful areas of training and... Read More

Tai-Chi for the Masses--and Others

Kuang Ping was the T'ai-chi set favored by Yang Lu-Chan,... Read More

Fairbairn on the Fairbairn Method

Something for our shooting "enthusiasts" -PRELIMINARY STATEMENTBackground:"Prior to my association... Read More

Nuts & Bolts of Self Defense

Fundamental "Nuts & Bolts" training for close combat should be... Read More

Have No Misconceptions

I just received an Email from a woman who has... Read More

Safety Awareness & Self Defense: Circle of Safety

Safety Awareness & Self Defense is the responsibility of each... Read More

Benefits of Martial Arts Training For Kids

Admit it. When the going gets tough at home, we've... Read More

Samurai Swords ? Choosing a Sword to Buy

It's undeniable that a well placed and mounted samurai sword... Read More

Fun Games for Children Training in Martial Arts

Keeping children interested in their Martial Arts training requires an... Read More

Choosing a Self Defense / Martial Arts School: A Parents Guide

"Daddy, I want to take Karate!""Mommy, Jimmy on the bus... Read More

Historical References to W.E. Fairbairn, E.A. Sykes AND Dermot Pat ONeill

FROM THE BOOK: "PIERCING THE REICH" AUTHOR: JOSEPH E. PERSICOThey... Read More