Editing Samurai (section)

== Myths and facts ==
The samurai are not quite as bad as the Ninja in this regard but there are still a lot of myths generally believed as facts. It is worth noting though that unlike the Ninja, these myths often have at least some basis in reality, problem is that they are applied to Samurai throughout history even though in reality they emerged during the two and half centuries of peace of the Edo Jidai (1600-1868). Here is some of them:

1. Bushido was not practiced throughout Japanese history. As mentioned above, it mostly came about during centuries of peace and was quickly forgotten about once the peace had passed. During the periods of war, Samurai were quite pragmatic and did plenty of things which people today say samurai didn't do because it is dishonorable. Some Samurai might have had their personal honor codes but until the Edo government started pushing Bushido (or rather, neo-confucianism, with the term bushido being used after the fact), there was more or less only one thing all Samurai could agree: Nothing is more honorable than bringing victory to one's lord, no matter what one must do to achieve it.

2. Katana was not the main weapon of the Samurai. It was primarily a backup weapon, to be used when one had lost their main weapon, typically a bow or a spear. The reason we have this myth is that during the Edo Jidai, katana carried together with a wakizashi (practice known as daishou) became a symbol of the Samurai, as only they were allowed to carry them. When you are carrying a weapon more as a symbol than as an actual weapon, it simply makes more sense to carry an easily carriable sword, rather than something like a bow or a spear. Also worth noting is that katana did not exist throughout Samurai history but started becoming common around the 14th century when tactics started to switch from cavalry-based tactics more towards infantry-based tactics. Before this, the Samurai used the longer and curvier tachi, which was made to be used from horseback.

3. A common myth is that Samurai did not use guns because they were dishonorable. Reality is that guns were used in Japan to such an extent that Japan was the by capita biggest user of guns in the world in the late 16th century. Oda Nobunaga was particularly fond of these and Takeda Shingen is quoted roughly saying "less spears, more guns". Likely reason for this myth is that during the Edo Jidai, (yeah we told you that many myths come from Edo Jidai things being applied to the entirety of Samurai history) Samurai fought each other not on the battlefield, but in duels and in such cases, swords were generally the preferred weapons. Another reason is that guns were more commonly used by Ashigaru rather than Samurai but honor had nothing to do with it; guns are simply easy to use and one can be trained to effectively use them in weeks, while Samurai trained their whole lives to use weapons that take years to master. As a result, it simply made more sense to give guns to Ashigaru than Samurai.

4. "Samurai were so honorable that they would commit seppuku rather than do something dishonorable" yeah you already know where we are going with this: to the Edo Jidai. It is during this period when seppuku as a ritualistic suicide became a practice. But it was not something made out of honor but a capital punishment which honors the fact that the one doing it is a Samurai, allowing them to have a last supper and a relatively painless death. A commoner accused of similar crimes would never have been given such an honor but instead a much more gruesome punishment, such as being [[grimdark|boiled alive]]. Seppuku was certainly practiced long before this time but back then, it had more practical purposes, such as killing yourself to avoid capture and torture, lacking all the ritualistic meanings people now associate with the act.

5. Another common myth is that Samurai and Ninja were arch-enemies, though despite this, Samurai would hire Ninja to do things which they couldn't do because it is dishonorable. Of course you already know this shit about honor is complete bullshit. Many Ninja were in fact Samurai, as Samurai is not just a type of a warrior but a social class. Reason for this myth that Samurai and Ninja were arch-enemies comes from Oda Nobunaga leading a brutal campaign into the Iga Province, slaughtering hundreds if not thousands. The tactics used by the Iga against the Oda army is what gives us many of the things we know about the Ninja today.

6. Many believe that Samurai practiced Karate. Karate is not in fact of Japanese origin but of Ryukyuan (now known as Okinanawa in the modern age) and influenced by Chinese Kung Fu, which was vassalized by the Satsuma Domain in the early 17th century and formally annexed by the then Empire of Japan in 1879. As the Japanese rulers did not allow Ryukyuans to have weapons, they took to practicing unarmed martial arts and martial arts making used of improvised weapons, now known as Karate and Kobudo. So naturally, Samurai did not practice Karate. A Samurai who ''did'' practice unarmed martial arts probably would have done [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu jujutsu].

7. Many also believe that Samurai simply always existed throughout history. Reality is that they started to emerge during the mid Heian Jidai (794-1185), had been properly established during the late Heian Jidai and ended the period by seizing power, starting the Kamakura Jidai (1185-1333) and Japanese Feudal Period (1185-1868) in general.