Inspired by Willy, I'm going to do a write up of Samurai Clan foot soldiers


[hider=Samurai]
[img]http://www.gregbroadmore.com/img/imageloader/1236242901_Trenchlo.jpg[/img]
[i]Two Samurai[/i]

Samurai technically refers to any member of a samurai clan, however, in the imaginations of most foreign peoples, the word Samurai only refers to the fearsome foot soldiers who answer the calls of their feudal masters to fight to the death on the battle field (more properly known as Ashigaru). Samurai are, however, not the immortal, invincible super soldiers that foreign legends often make them out to be, and one must take into account their nature to get an idea as to how they function. 

Ashigaru are the official guardians of the Daimyo's lands; they may be of any sex (and over time, more and more female samurai are taking up combat roles as demand calls them in), so long as they are above the age of 16, belong to the Samurai caste, are part of a clan, have a daimyo master, and are able to provide their own weapons and armor. 


[hider=Clans]
[img]http://scalar.usc.edu/works/pilgrimages-canton-to-chichibu/media/keira2.jpg[/img]
[i]A collection of samurai clan symbols[/i]
The Clan is the Most Basic organization of the Samurai, a collection of families who usually claim descent from a common ancestor, usually one who has been deified. The Clan is in possession of Clan Lands granted to them by the Daimyo, though the lands are de jure ruled by the Daimyo that owns them. The Clans will often join together to form tribals, comprised of clans with strong links, usually comprised of all of the clans that live under the lands of the same Daimyo. The Clan is guided by an elder, who is the oldest living member of the Clan, and who, along with other elders in the tribe, act as direct emissaries and advisors to the Daimyo. 
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[hider=Weaponry]
[img]http://www.gregbroadmore.com/img/imageloader/1236847787_GB01.jpg[/img]
[i]Depiction of a war between two Daimyo, with Samurai of two different clans engaged in warfare. A varient of the Oni Style tank is depicted, its design is characteristic of the Inaba clan.[/i]

Though Samurai Clans are granted money from their Daimyo as payment for their services, each clan is expected to purchase or manufacture their own weapons and armor. As as result, each samurai clan is known to have designs for their arms and vehicles that are completely unique to them. However, the general idea of weapons is typically similar among all Samurai Clans in the Osakan state.

[b]Tanegashima[/b]
Tanegashima is a generic name for any non-automatic firearm that is used by Samurai. In Intraclan Wars, Intratribal Conflict, or minor conflicts between Daimyo, these are the most commonly used weapons. They are typically produced by the clan themselves, but can be purchased rather easily by even freemen civilians, who often buy them from Samurai in order to use for hunting, or personal protection. They are simple ballistic rifles, the most commonly used are descendants of the Howa Type 64 battle rifle, whose design has been expanded upon and improved by various clans.

In the Common Vernacular of the Samurai, a Tanegashima which has been outfited with a bayonette is refered to as a Naginata. 

[b]Juu[/b]
A Juu is a fully automatic rifle, all other kinds of gun, including semiautomatics fall under the Tanegashima label. Juu are strictly regulated to the Samurai, with ownership by a freeman punishable by prison time. Juu are constructed directly by the Samurai, and are most commonly used in conflicts that involve conquest, the extermination of a clan marked for death, or defending against an invasion. 

[b]Teppo[/b]
Teppo is a term used to refer to energy weapons, such as laser rifles, plasma rifles, and handheld railguns. Teppo are rare weapons, many of which are only recently being rediscovered after the destruction of Japan in the War of the Gods. Teppo are treated like rare treasures by the Samurai, who keep them as clan relics, only to be used by the most distinguished of soldiers. The Most common Teppo are plasma rifles, with Laser weaponry a close second. Railguns are very rare, and some of the most cherished items that can be possessed. 

[b]Taiho[/b]
Taiho are usually separated into two distinct classes, True Taiho, and Tanku. A True Taiho is any kind of artillery weapon, such as a cannon, mortar bomb, and energy artillary. A Tanku is a large war vehicle, that is equiped with a powerful gun, and strong armor. 

[b]Nihonto[/b]
[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6f/fa/9b/6ffa9bd0cb18da112ff05c11539878ff.jpg[/img]
The Nihonto is the Sword, a symbolic weapon of the Samurai class. Nihonto are more symbolic than practical, with use of firearms being much more useful for a Samurai. However, due to their powerful meanings, Nihonto are by law restricted to Samurai ownership, and any freeman found in possession of a sword is subject to the death penalty. When a Samurai reaches the age of 16, they are expected to craft their own sword, as part of their coming of age ceremony. As a result, each sword is unique to its creator; and many times, a slain samurai will have their sword taken from them as a trophy. 

[b]Tori[/b]
Tori is a slang term for Aircraft. Aircraft have been very popular among Samurai since they were rediscovered, and virtually every clan is in possession of a decent sized fleet. Tori are decorated in Clan Symbols, and often have a distinct signature of their pilot. A Pilot is known in the Samurai Vernacular as a Torijin (Birdman). 

[b]Uma[/b]
[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/motorbiker/newspics3/Boss-Hoss-Armored-Secret-Weapon.jpg[/img]
In Pre-War Japanese, Uma meant horse. However, with the extinction of the Horse in Japan following the war, many of the Kansaijin knew of the Uma as some kind of legendary spirit of wind, that could run faster than anything in the world, and that many heroes rode as a sign of their power. In modern Japanese, the word Uma means a light vehicle used for quick movement and mounted combat. The Uma resembles a motorcycle, which may have been their basis for construction. However, the Uma is much more armored than an average motorcycle, and is equiped with spots to store weapons for later use. An Uma-Rider often fights with a Tanegashima, even in battles which would call for an automatic rifle, as the single shot or semi automatic nature allows them to be more accurate in their shots from the back of the Uma. Many Uma are also equiped with side-mounted guns, to aid in taking out close targets. 
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[hider=Ronin]
[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/26/a6/99/26a6998829578abb299f63524d03df54.jpg[/img]
[i]A Ronin living in Kyoto, a common region for exiled Samurai[/i]
Ronin are Samurai who are without a master or a clan. There are ways that this can happen, such as exile from the Clan due to dishonor, The death of a master, and the inability to find a new one, surviving the extermination of a clan following its conquest, or self-ejection from a clan or rejection of a new master. As Ronin are technically outside of the Feudal System, they technically do not have the protections of other Samurai, and as such they are officially restricted from using or owning Samurai only weaponry, and do not have the high-class protecton that other samurai have, as such they are often treated as somewhere between Freemen and Slaves on the social hierarchy. 

Ronin are seen as dishonorable, and untrustworthy, but at the same time, are seen as true survivors, and models of self sufficiency and perserverence. As they are without income from a master, Ronin are known to engage in odd jobs, temporary unskilled labor, security work, prostitution, espionage, banditry, and mercenary work for pay. If they are lucky, a Ronin may often find a new master. 
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[hider=Bushido]
Bushido is the code of honor that makes up the basis of the samurai way of life. It is in many ways, a reconstruction of the old code as used in the Japanese middle ages, though it has been expanded upon for life in the post-apocalypse. 

The young samurai must learn the code from birth, and be able to understand it, and recite the Oath of the Warrior, a written poem said to succinctly embody the virtues of Bushido, composed by the First King of Osaka himself. 

Bushido is associate with the following virtues

Righteousness (義 gi)
Courage (勇 yū)
Benevolence (仁 jin)
Respect (礼 rei)
Sincerity (誠 makoto)
Honor (名誉 meiyo)
Loyalty (忠義 chūgi)
Self-Control (自制 jisei)
Filial piety (孝 kō)
Wisdom (智 chi)
Fraternal Respect (悌 tei)

As a result, it is well known that the Samurai are often engaged in scholarly and philosophical pursuits when not in war. The samurai is expected to be a warrior, scholar and artist, and to be an upstanding example of honor and virtue. As a result, Samurai are often gravely punished by their clansmen should they show disreputable behavior, such as engaging in dishonest practices, excessive violence, abuses of their fellow clansmen, or transgressions on their master. In the case of an extreme act of dishonor, a samurai was given the choice of engaging in ritual suicide to repent for their actions, or to go into exile as a ronin, and forever live in infamy as an outlaw. 
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Edit:
And as a Bonus, one more

[hider=Ninja]
A Ninja, also known as a Shinobi, is a kind of spy employed by Daimyo or even the Shogun to collect intelligence on potential enemies, to spy on potential trouble-making factions in the realm, and engage in acts of sabotage. Most Ninja belong to the Freeman class, as the Samurai's code of honor prevents them from engaging in the activies that are necessary for the Shinobi; but occassionally one may find a ninja who is a Ronin, and as such, is vital to the physical aspect of espionage. 

Ninja are not purely about physical combat and infiltration, those who are knowledgable on skills such as computer hacking, collection of information online, encryption, bugging, wire-tapping, cryptography, code-breaking, creation of computer viruses, rootkits and spyware, and physical forensics are just as vital as those who work in fields such as assassination, kidnapping, theft of documents, infiltration of organizations, escort missions, interrogation, and torture. 

Ninja are shrouded in secrecy, and it is probably that if you become aware of one's occupation, that they will have no problem killing you to keep it a secret. 

The arts of a ninja's work is known as Ninjitsu, though it is more than just a martial art, it encompass all aspects of spying. Only those who have been chosen and initiated into a shinobi organization may be educated in its ways. 

For the most part, Ninja do not deviate much from the appearance of a commoner, they are not in any way open about their ways, and will often deny the existence of Ninja entirely as a myth, or display a kind of belief that seems delusional. Due to the illegality of many of their weapons and other accessories, Ninja are masters of smuggling and creating hiding places, and only bring along what is absolutely necessary for their work. Many Ninja are also able to mimic vernaculars of other classes, or the dialects of other regions. 
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