Why were samurai chosen?

Question

why and how were they chosen?

could anyone become a samurai in Japan?

Answer 1

As above-it was a pretty much hereditary role by the 13th century.

That doesn't mean the only great warriors in Japan were samurai class!

The Sengoku jidai or Warring States period (1467-1615) was a time of opportunity for people outside the samurai class to make a name for themselves.

Central authority had collapsed, the local lords took responsibility for their own districts and the opportunity to expand their domains at the expense of their rivals. These "big names" or daimyo used samurai with peasants called "ashigaru" who were at least semi professional. The leaders of the ashigaru units were respected as generals and as  Hideoshi Toyotomi (the son of a fish merchant) rose through the ranks of Oda Nobanaga's forces he showed great ability both in strategy and especially siegecraft. Firearms leveled the playing field a little by the mid to late 16th century and ashigaru were an important part of even the staunchest traditionalist's army by that time.

Other non-Bushi forces in this lawless time were the Sohei warrior monks, who defended their territories with the naginata and teppo ( a kind of bill or glaive and matchlocks ) and the Ikko Ikki-peasants who were tired of their lords who revolted and then held their own territories against all comers! The Ikko Ikki also used firearms and pikes-the same weapons that ended the rule of the feudal elite in Europe.

In other words, you had to be born into being a samurai, but that doesn't mean great warriors were exclusively Samurai-for example, one of the reasons that Christianity was promoted in the 16th century was to break the power of the warrior monks!

  

Answer 2

   Hawkster covered the rise of the Samurai well. All I'd add is that later history, esoecially during the 200 years or so of civil wars  before the rise of the Tokugawa, there was a little more flexibility for a commoner to rise to Samurai status. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the primary power just before the rise of the Tokugawa dynasty, very likely rose from Commoner status. Ironically, he also too measures to ensure that the samurai class was restricted to those of proper birth. This would be a policy carried on by the Tokugawas. After all, once peace was enforced, there was hardly a need for even more warriors with no one to fight.

Answer 3

To protect the community.

Due to the weakness of the central government in the medieval period, local nobles were able to recruit their own fighting forces.

Samurai class were a feudal military aristocracy.

Their parents had money and could afford the training..

Answer 4

The Japanese samurai were the military strength of a daimyo.  They were a highly trained group of warriors assigned to serve their Lord, and Many were of a particular family name. They live and breathe that death was much more preferable than dishonor, or failure. They were of the upper class or Bushi class. The sons were expected at an early age, to apply a code to their lives. Bushido – Way of the Warrior was their code. The daughters of the Bushi class were also taught and expected to abide a certain type of conduct.  

Answer 5

That's a very involved question to answer in such a small space, but I'll try to summarize it for you.

Originally, back in A.D. 702, military reforms resulted in the Taiho system, which then created a large army of conscripted peasants. For the most part they were infantry based, and protected the imperial capital of Nara, as well as the imperial fortress of Kyushu. Each conscripted soldier, served for a portion of the year, and tended the fields the rest of the time. He was supplied with a bow, arrows, and a pair of swords. The regiments were controlled by elite mounted archers-forerunners of the samurai.

Beneath the emperor were the landowners, then the peasant farmers. The conscripted peasants weren't very effective at suppressing rebellions, so the landowners were given permission by the government to keep the peace. The landowners employed elite mounted warriors who later evolved into a class of their own: the samurai.

Later on, in A.D. 792 conscription ended, and a new system started. The recruitment of permanent officers known as kondei ( strong youth ) who were the young sons of the landowner class. These men were basically archers, who wore armor, and sword, and were supported by two foot soldiers.

At this point the samurai still had no political power. They were the elite military arm of the government, and were often called upon by rival landowners to settle disputes. They were archers who passed on their wealth and military traditions to their sons. Due to great civil unrest during the ninth century caused by plague and famine, the government devolved military power even further to the landowners, thus giving provincial governers even greater scope to maintain their own private armies in order to deal with civil unrest at a local level.

The term samurai ( those who serve ) was ultimately used to describe this elite class of fighters. It's a term which expresses their loyalty to their lords, along with which came a formalized code of honor known as bushido ( way of the warrior ).

As you can now see, samurai acquired a lot aristocratic, and hereditary implications. Initially, any peasant could become an elite fighter, later only those born into samurai class could become samurai.

By the eleventh century, samurai pedigree was paramount. A warrior couldn't do anything in the name of defending the emperor without being able to prove he was of samurai blood.