S A M U R A I

S A M U R A I

1000-1499

CENTURIES OF

SAMURAI

This is a timeline on how the values of Samurai evolved from the 11th through the 15th century.

11th Century

EARLY WARRIORS

and the Imperial Court.

12th Century

WAR

reaches Kyoto.

13th Century

POWER SHIFT

Kyoto v.s. Kamakura

Early 14th Century

ZEN KYOTO

and discipline.

Late 14th Century

KITAYAMA CULTURE

and refinement.

15th Century

THE ONIN WAR

brings devastation.

By: Sylvie Zubaty

12th Century

WARS

Kyoto became a battlefield during the Hōgen Rebellion and Heiji Rebellion, culminating in the Genpei War. Kyoto becomes the stage where samurai identity is forged through war.

Values:

• Yū (courage)
• Meiyo (honor): Fame gained through combat.
• Chūgi (loyalty)

14th Century

Zen Kyoto + Discipline

Kyoto regains political importance under the Ashikaga shogunate. Zen temples flourish, including Shokoku-ji. This period was influenced by monks like Muso Soseki, and in this era, mental discipline became just as important as fighting.

Values

• Honesty (makoto): Inner sincerety, the idea of "mastering ones self."
• Respect (rei): Formalized through Zen discipline.
• Courage (yū): "the way of the samurai is found in death"

13th Century

Kyoto v.s. Kamakura

Political power shifts to the Kamakura shogunate, but Kyoto remains the symbolic and cultural center.

Values:

• Rectitude (gi): Samurais act as law enforcement around Kyoto estates.
• Loyalty (chūgi)
• Honor (meiyo)

11th Century

Kyoto was dominated by the imperial court and aristocrats like the Fujiwara clan. Samurai were still provincial guards and enforcers, not rulers.

Values:

• Rei (Respect)
• Honor (Meiyo)
• Loyalty (Chūgi)

Late 14th Century

Kitayama Culture

Under Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Kyoto becomes a cultural capital again. During this time period, he builds the famous Kinkaku-ji, also known as the golden pavilion. Samurais now prove status through taste, patronage, and refinement.

Values

• Benevolence (jin): This is expected of rulers and patrons.
• Respect (rei): Expressed through art, tea, and architecture.
• Honor (meiyo): Linked to cultural sophistication

15th Century

The Onin War

Kyoto is devastated by the Onin war. The Onin war was a civil war that destroyed Kyoto and shattered the central authority in Japan, leading to the Sengoku (also known as the warring states period). This war put all of the virtues upheld by Samurai on strain.

Virtues:

• Loyalty fractured as alliances broke down
• Honor became harder to maintain amidst the chaos
• Courage was now about survival, and less proving of ones full self.