Bushido

• Bushido was the warrior code that samurai lived by. Similar to the code of chivalry of European knights, Bushido defined a samurai's honor, loyalty and conduct. Bushido warriors were expected to be free from fear, and honor took precedence over everything else. Honor was so important to the samurai that a disgraced samurai (one who was defeated in battle) was expected to take part in ritual suicide. In this ritual, a defeated samurai used his own blade to take his life.
  
  

Names

• In most cases, samurai were named after their fathers and grandfathers. Part of the father's name was combined with a new name (or kanji) to create an original name for the young samurai. Because this tradition resulted in long names, samurai customarily went by only a part of their full name. The shortened name included the surname, or family name, first. A samurai used one part of his full name before a coming of age ceremony and switched to another part for his adult life.
  
  

Top Knot

• In addition to their armor (which was only worn in battle), samurai fashion included a top knot. This was a length of hair tied into a knot on the top of the head. All samurai had hair long enough to create this top knot. It was a symbol of their honor, and to have the top knot cut off was a disgrace.
  
  

Tea Ceremony

• Samurai, as well as elite political figures, took part in a highly ritualized tea ceremony that was thought to focus awareness. The ceremony originated with Buddhist monks from China but became customary among ancient Japan's highest social classes. Samurai took part in the tea ceremony before going into battle, because it was thought to instill harmony, purity, respect and stillness in the mind.
  
  

Swords

• The traditional weapon of the samurai, katana swords were thought to be an extension of the wielder's very soul. Most samurai gave their swords names. These swords were not simply carried to battle. A samurai wore two of these weapons at all times. The first and primary weapon was the katana, a sword with a curved steel blade. The second weapon was a shorter version of the katana known as a wakizashi. These swords were tested on corpses or even live prisoners to ensure that the blade could cut cleanly through a human body. They were symbols of a samurai's honor, and he was never seen without them.