Samurai Versus Ninja - The Great Debate

The Samurai were a class of professionally trained military elite of medieval Japan employed by warlords and clan leaders. Their military power and political skills enabled them to control local governments and lands. They were brave, strong warriors who trained constantly in weapons and martial arts. Samurai warriors were legendary for their skills on the battlefield.

Samurai warriors were well-known for following the code of bushido (the way of the warrior). They committed themselves to defending their leader by always maintaining honor, and never doing anything deceitful or dishonest. Most samurai warriors took their oath very seriously. They held so tightly to their code of honor that if they did anything to disgrace themselves or their leader, especially after losing a battle, many would commit seppuku, or ritual suicide. Even if their lord died during combat, many samurai warriors would commit mass seppuku rather than surrender or serve another lord.

The warlords and clan leaders liked having skilled and loyal samurai, of course. However, it also presented a problem. Samurai warriors refused to sneak into castles to assassinate anyone, sabotage enemy's food supplies, or sneak around to gather information about enemy plans because it was dishonorable.

The medieval ninja warrior, on the other hand, would perform any acts-honorable or dishonorable-just as long as he got paid. His jobs included: assassination of enemy leaders, espionage, and causing general confusion. The ninja warrior did everything in secret, following the art of ninjitsu and using an array of ninja weapons. Ninjas would sneak into an enemy's castle, complete their mission, and sneak back out. They were mercenaries, or professional soldiers with no loyalty to a particular country or clan. They were employed by whoever would hire them for the best pay. The ninja warrior was used as a tactic to disrupt the enemy. Samurai hated the ninjas because they did dishonorable things. Ninjas were in an unusual position-they were hated and feared, but important and needed. So, if the samurai wouldn't do something-maybe the ninjas would.

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