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The proud warrior class of the samurai (meaning 'those who serve') grew from bands of mercenaries hired by feudal landowners in the 11th century to win them control of Honshu, Japan's main island. These mercenaries lived by the cult of the sword, worshipping athletic prowess and martial skills. They developed a fierce loyalty to their masters and a fearlessness that made them formidable adversaries. They fought in elaborate armour, weilding their most prized possession, a double-edged sabre with which they could cut a man in half. Later the spartan principles of Zen Buddhism, with it's love of nature, softened their fighting zeal. It became fashionable for them to live sparce and frugal lives during the Kamakura era (1192 to 1333), when the ruling warrior family Minamato moved their seat of power to the eastern city of Kamakura. Conficion thought, with its emphasis on honesty, also influenced the samurai.
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