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  Samurai Towns  
 
 
  Perhaps nothing so strongly conjures up images of Japan as the samurai. These ancient warriors, steeped in tradition and fanatically loyal to their masters, held sway in Japan for seven centuries. The highest of the four castes of Japanese citizen, to cross a samurai or impugn him in any way was to invite death. Coming to prominence in the latter part of the 12th century, the samurai achieved their broadest powers under the Tokugawa Shogunate (otherwise known as the Edo Period, 1603-1867) and were finally displaced during the Meiji Restoration.

Today, the samurai remain in spirit if not in costume. Much of the success of the post-war Japanese economic miracle has been attributed to the strategy of corporate executives who were descendants of the samurai class. Miyamoto Musashi's classic Go Rin no Sho (The Book of Five Rings) and Hagakure (“Hidden Leaves”), written by Tsunetomo Yamamoto, were widely read by westerners who wanted insight into the Japanese way of thinking and Japanese values.

Today, the samurai live on in movies such as Akira Kurosawa's immortal “The Seven Samurai” and the Tom Cruise blockbuster “The Last Samurai”. Although it has been nearly a century and a half since the samurai were last seen, they continue to exert a fascination among people all over the world		  
     
 
Western Japan, Yamaguchi prefecture in particular, was known as the cradle of the Meiji Restoration that finally overturned the shogunate system that had held power for centuries and returned that power to the emperor. Many of the major figures in the revolution came from cities like Hagi, Yamaguchi City and Shimonoseki. For this reason, the historical significance of samurai towns in this part of Japan is even more pronounced than in other areas of the country. If you are curious about this period of Japanese history, or would simply like to see how people lived in feudal times, you owe it to yourself to take a couple of days and visit western Japan, where so much of this earlier life is on display.
 
     
 
In Yamaguchi and other neighboring prefectures there are many examples of samurai towns that have been preserved since Meiji and even Edo Period times. In the Chofu district of Shimonoseki, for example, one can see not only the houses where the samurai lived but also the schools, shrines and temples where they went about their daily lives. In Hagi, next to the castle that was built for Terumoto Mori in the early 1600s, one can wander the castle town and see the garrison that guarded the castle, complete with old watchtowers and barracks. Inside the castle grounds are gardens and tea rooms, some preserved intact for more than two and a half centuries.

In Osafune, in Okayama prefecture, there is a sword-making foundry that tourists can visit. Here you can see swords on display, and watch the process as they take shape from blocks of raw metal. (Click here to see a Japanese webpage showing the steps involved: http://www.town.osafune.okayama.jp/token/dekirumade.htm.)

While many areas of the world boast beautiful landscapes and have their own particular histories, the samurai are unique to Japan. Tourists visiting this country owe it to themselves to get a glimpse of these proud and fearsome warriors.		  
     
 
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