From the latter part of the Heian era (794-1185),the warriors of Japan were called bushi (buu-she), a term that had been introduced from China. In earlier times, court officials who waited upon the emperor were known as saburo-bitto, from the word saburo, which means "to serve" or "wait upon." Bushi assigned to guard the emperor came to be known as saburai. By the thirteenth century, hereditary warriors, as well as officials serving princes, court ministers, and other persons of high rank, were called saburai.

Saburai originally referred only to higher class warriors and court officials. Eventually it was changed to samurai just to make it easier to pronounce. Japan's famous class of samurai warriors was further strengthened by an institution established in 1185 by Minamoto Yoritomo , a few years before he set up the country's first shogunate government.
War played a central part in the history of Japan. Warring clans controlled much of the country. A chief headed each clan; made up of related families. The chiefs were the decendents of Japan's imperial family. The wars were usually about "land." Only 20% of the land was fit for farming. The struggle for control of that land eventually gave rise to the Samurai.

The Samurai rose out of these continuing battles for land among three main clans: the Minamoto, the Fujiwara and the Taira. The Samurai eventually became a class unto themselves between the 9th and 12th centuries A.D. They were called by two names: Samurai (knights-retainers) and Bushi (warriors). Some of them were related to the ruling class. Others were hired men. They gave complete loyalty to their Daimyo (feudal landowners) and received land and position in return. Each Daimyo used his Samurai to protect his land and to expand his power and rights to more land.

Achieving military success in the country, Yoritomo obtained permission from the emperor to establish a system of shugo (shuu-go) or "guards". for all of the districts and provinces as a means of keeping order.

The position of shugo gradually became hereditary and consolidated the development of an elite class of professional warriors. As the generations passed, these warrior families became clans and grew to be more powerful than the hereditary lords they served (most of whom were descendants of noble families from Kyoto). These shugo gradually came to be known as samurai (which is another reading for "guards"). They developed a code, based on Confucian and Zen Buddhist principles, that came to be known as bushido, or the Way of the Warrior. This code was to dictate virtually every aspect of their lives and influence the total culture of the country until modern times.

The essence of the samurai code of bushido was total loyalty to the feudal lord; a willingness to give their lives in the defense of their lord , his honor, and their own; a strict regimen of martial training; and a sternly refined etiquette that governed their actions and behavior in all things.

Part of the code of the samurai was to commit suicide rather than be captured in war or dishonored by failure those who did fail became known as ronin (masterless samurai) and were shunned by socailty for there failer and dishonour They became beggars, drunks, and assassins, shunned and feared. Many committed ritual suicide. Many others threatened to do so at the houses of wealthy lords, embarrassing the lords into giving them money or food. The code of the samurai applied to the women, as well as the men, in this elite class.

One special category of samurai were the hatamoto (hah-tah-moe-toe), the higher ranking warriors who were the shogun's personal guard. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1867), the hatamoto were direct vassals of the shogun, and their annual revenue was fixed at a minimum of 10,000 bushels of rice.

Ancient Yayoi warriors developed weapons, armor and a code during the ensuing centuries that became the centerpiece for the Japanese Samurai. Early weapons included bows, arrows and swords. Armor included a helmet that protected head and neck, a breasplate that protected the chest, arm and shoulder protectors, and a belly wrap. Later armor included protection for the legs and thighs. Armor changed as the type of battles changed. A big change occured in the 5th century when horses were introduced to Japan. Another change occured in the 15th century because of the constancy of war and the introduction of guns into battle. The code developed from the Chinese concept of the virtues of warriors doing battle with the Samurai. The samurai called their code of chivalry Kyuba no michi ("The Way of Horse and Bow") and Bushido ("The Way of the Warrior").

The Samurai became expert in fighting from horseback and on the ground. They practiced armed and un-armed combat. The early Samurai emphasized fighting with the bow and arrow. They used swords for close-in fighting and beheading their enemies. Battles with the Mongols in the late 13th century led to a change in the Samurai's fighting style. They began to use their sword more and also made more use of spears and naginata. The Samurai slowly changed from fighting on horseback to fighting on foot.

In the late 16th century, it became common for the Samurai to wear two swords (daisho). One was long; the other short. The long sword (daito - katana) was more than 24 inches. The short sword (shoto - wakizashi) was between 12 and 24 inches. The Samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the "soul" of their warriorship. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China. The Samurai's desire for tougher, sharper swords for battle gave rise to the curved blade we still have today.

The sword had its beginning as iron combined with carbon. The swordsmith used fire, water, anvil and hammer to shape the world's best swords. After forging the blade, the sword polisher did his work to prepare the blade for the "furniture" that surrounded it. Next, the sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle).

Samurai came to have strong influence in the central political offices by the end of the 11th century, taking the place of the noble class. During the Japanese feudal era, the military government was headed by the Shogun, the supreme seigneur of Samurai. The Samurai's highest priority was loyalty to the Daimyos who ruled under the Shogun.

After the privileged class of samurai was abolished in 1868, the word shizoku, which is the Chinese pronunciation of the same word, was substituted and extensively used until 1945, so that formal samurai families were still distinguished from the common people.

Even today, in some rural areas of Japan, the descendants of samurai feudal lords are treated with special respect reminiscent of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which officially ended in 1867.