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Oriental Knights
By the 16th century these principles had become codified into bushido (meaning 'the way of the warrior). First loyalty remained to the samurai lord and to skill with the sword, but the warriors also became an Oriental version of the Christian knights, embracing duty, honour and nobility of spirit. In 1871 the last 400,000 samurai were pensioned off and became shizoku, Japanese gentry. Most were absorbed into the civil service and business management. Five years later it became illegal for anyone but the military to wear a sword. The virtues of the samurai were, however, kept as an ideal for the whole nation to follow, with the emperor as the supreme object of loyalty. This was the key that in times of crisis turned Japanese nationalism into a potent force.
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82,735 strti.
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