The Golden age of Samurai

 The Golden age of Elite Samurai

The golden age of samurai was from 1560-1615, "War has always played an important role in the Samurai history of Japan. The Samurai were fearsome warriors that are member of powerful military caste of feudal Japan. This was a feudal system similar to that use by Europe. The Shogun serves as the King and ruled the country through the daimyo or Japanese noblemen."  

Until the Meji restoration in 1868 where the feudal system was destroyed and became history. Before that, samurai acted as a middle man in helping the Shogun in having authority over the Japanese government and in turn Japan. This was all caused by the war that broke out in the 12th century between the 2 clans: Taira and Minamoto. 

The Genpei war:

The Genpei war was the war between two clans in the 12th century over who held the imperial throne. It was a very bloodshed filled fight. The clan that won was the Minamoto clan in 11845 which then established the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192. This led to the start of the samurai era in Japan as they basically ruled over Japan. 

It was clear believed that a samurai's honor relied in his sword. Therefore blades were made extreme care and passion, in multiple parts before connected. It had a become of art, Japanese blacksmith's were always defined by their Katana's. They were always hand crafted and a good blade was sought after, it was seen as more than simply a defense tool, but a samurai's worth and honor. I think this is very useful and important to consider when making my own Amethyst blade sword. It's important to consider it will be a highly sought after in game with extreme powers. It is also clear that the Saya (the traditional sheath casing used for the blade) was usually artistic with important patterns. I can consider making a purple themed royalty inspired design for my Saya as it would fit the theme of the blade. 

Reference list:

Samurai history - The golden age of the samurai during history (2017) Samurai Swords Store. Available at: https://samuraiswords.store/samurai-history-golden-age-of-the-samurai/ 

Hays, J. (no date) Minamotos versus the taira clan in the Heian period (794-1185), Facts and Details. Available at: https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat16/sub106/entry-5308.html

Image 1 reference: Shi Katana (no date) The Sword Shop. Available at: https://www.theswordshop.co.uk/shi-katana 

Image 2 referwnce: Japanese sword (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword