The famous warriors of old Japan — and their code of honour.
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Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (a warrior) · 2 = A (a sword) · 3 = F (loyal) · 4 = G (honour)
5 = C (a code) · 6 = B (a lord) · 7 = H (a ruler) · 8 = E (to end something)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
The samurai were the famous warriors of old Japan. They lived hundreds of years ago, from about the 12th century to the 19th century.
Every samurai served a powerful lord, called a daimyo. The lords served the most powerful man of all: a military ruler called the shogun. There was also an emperor, but for a long time he had no real power. The shogun was the true ruler of Japan.
The samurai lived by a special code of rules. This code was called bushido, which means "the way of the warrior". The rules said that a samurai must be brave, loyal and full of honour. He had to serve his lord — even if it meant dying for him. The famous weapon of the samurai was the katana, a long, curved sword.
1. Who had the real power in old Japan — the emperor or the shogun?
2. What was bushido? Name two of its rules.
1. The shogun (the military ruler) had the real power. The emperor had no real power for a long time.
2. Bushido was the samurai's code of rules ("the way of the warrior"). For example: be brave, be loyal, have honour, serve your lord.
For a long time, Japan had many wars. The most famous time of war was the 1500s, when many lords fought each other to be the strongest. This was a dangerous and exciting time for the samurai.
Then, in the 1600s, one family — the Tokugawa — won and became the new shoguns. They brought peace to Japan for more than 200 years. This was strange for the samurai: they were warriors, but now there were no wars! Many of them became teachers, officials and writers instead of fighters.
The code of honour was very strong. If a samurai lost his lord, he became a ronin — a warrior with no master. A ronin had no place and no work, so people often felt sorry for him, but also feared him. The lonely ronin became one of the most famous pictures in Japanese stories.
1. What happened to the samurai when peace came in the 1600s?
2. What was a ronin?
1. There were no more wars, so many samurai became teachers, officials and writers instead of fighters.
2. A ronin was a samurai with no master (because his lord had died or lost power). He had no place and no work.
In the 1800s, ships from other countries came to Japan. Japan saw that the world had changed and become more modern. The country wanted to change too.
In 1868, there was a big change called the Meiji Restoration. The shogun lost his power, and the young emperor became important again. The new government wanted a modern army with normal soldiers. So it decided to end the samurai class. The samurai lost their special money and their special rights. They could not even carry their swords any more.
But the samurai did not really disappear. Many of them became soldiers, teachers and businessmen in the new, modern Japan. And their ideas — honour, loyalty and discipline — are still famous today, all around the world, in films and books.
1. What big change happened in 1868?
2. Did the samurai completely disappear? What happened to their ideas?
1. The Meiji Restoration: the shogun lost power, the emperor became important again, and the government ended the samurai class.
2. No. Many samurai became soldiers, teachers and businessmen. Their ideas — honour, loyalty and discipline — are still famous today in films and books.
The samurai lived by a code — a long list of rules. We use these verbs to talk about rules: what you must do, and what you can't do.
Fill each gap with a word for a rule. Then say the sentence out loud.
1. A samurai be loyal to his lord. (it is necessary)
2. A samurai show fear in a battle. (it is forbidden)
3. Warriors train very hard for many years. (necessary, in the past)
4. After 1876, the samurai were to carry their swords. (forbidden)
1. must / has to — necessary
2. mustn't / can't — forbidden
3. had to — necessary, in the past
4. not allowed — "were not allowed to carry…" — forbidden
The code of bushido. Choose must (you have to) or mustn't (it is forbidden). Read each rule out loud.
1. A samurai be brave.
2. A samurai lie or steal.
3. A samurai protect his honour.
4. A samurai run away from a fair fight.
1. must — be brave (necessary)
2. mustn't — lie or steal (forbidden)
3. must — protect his honour (necessary)
4. mustn't — run away (forbidden)
There is a real podcast about the samurai. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast. About 50 minutes. Listen to a few minutes now, or all of it for homework.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the samurai in your own words. Use these steps to help you: warriors of old Japan → the lords and the shogun → the code, bushido → the time of war → peace and the ronin → the year 1868 and the end of the samurai → still famous today.
Try to talk about the rules with must, had to and not allowed to ("A samurai had to serve his lord", "They were not allowed to carry swords") and use the key words (warrior, sword, loyal, honour, code, lord, ruler).
The samurai had many rules. We have rules too — in sport, in the army, in your job, in your country, or in your family. Choose one place and tell me the rules: What do you have to do? What mustn't you do, or what are you not allowed to do? Is it a good rule?
Tell me about famous warriors or soldiers from your own country, or from a film or a game you like. Who were they? What rules did they have — what did they have to do, and what were they not allowed to do? Are they like the samurai?
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: