People the world over are fascinated by the samurai, medieval Japan's warrior class. Fighting according to the principles of "bushido" - the way of the samurai, these fighting men (and occasionally women) had a profound influence on Japanese history and culture. Here are images of the samurai, from ancient illustrations to photos of modern re-enactors, plus pictures of samurai gear in museum displays.
- An 1869 Print of a Ronin (Masterless Samurai) Being AttackedRonin (Masterless Samurai) Fending off Arrows by Yoshitoshi Taiso, 1869
- Tomoe Gozen, the famous female samurai (1157-1247?)Print of an actor portraying Tomoe Gozen
- Samurai Warriors Board a Mongol Ship at Hakata Bay, 1281Samurai warriors attacking a Mongol Ship at Hakata Bay, 1281
- Excerpt from Takezaki Suenaga's Scroll
- Samurai Ichijo Jiro Tadanori and Notonokami Noritsune fighting, c. 1818-1820Samurai Ichijo Jiro Tadanori and Notonokami Noritsune fighting, c. 1818-1820.
- Portrait of samurai warrior Genkuro Yoshitsune and monk Musashibo BenkeiPrint of samurai Genkuro Yoshitsune and monk Musashibo Benkei by Toyokuni Utagawa, c. 1804-1818
- Samurai Warriors Attacking a Village in JapanSamurai Warriors Attacking Japanese Villagers, c. 1750-1850
- Fighting Inside the House | Samurai Raid a Japanese VillageA homeowner defends his household from an attacking samurai warrior, Japan, c. 1750-1850.
- Actors Bando Mitsugoro and Bando Minosuke portraying samurai, c. 1777-1835Two samurai warriors, portrayed by actors Bando Mitsugoro and Bando Minosuke (c. 1777-1835)
- A man uses a magnifying glass to examine famous samurai Miyamoto MusashiMan holding up a magnifying glass to examine famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi, c. 1847-1850
- Two samurai fighting on the roof of Horyu Tower (Horyukaku), c. 1830-1870Samurai warriors fight on top of the Horyukaku (Horyu Tower), c. 1830-1870
- Photo of a Tokugawa-era samurai warriorPhoto of Tokugawa-era samurai in full armor
- Graphic Index
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