One of the main teachings that the Japanese Samurai warriors undertook was the study of Zen Buddhism. Introduced in the 13th century by Buddhist monks, it stressed austerity, meditation and the complete control of the mind to attain a state of detachment from the physical world. This detached state was brought about by strict self-discipline and constant meditation. Samurai believed that by perfecting themselves in this way, they would be able to face their enemy and even death without fear.

Samurai believed that through the practice of Zen Buddhism, they would develop the intuition to respond quickly to a sudden and dangerous situation by attaining a state of awareness and physical detachment which would lead to the domination over their enemies.

The life of a feudal Samurai warrior was ruled by bushido, a code of conduct that assured complete loyalty and obedience without question to their masters. Samurai's were brought up from childhood to take pain and hardship without complaint. So strong was this code of honor, that when a master died, many of his retainers would take their own lives to follow
him in death.

A Japanese Samurai warrior would always choose; death rather than capture. If the Samurai's master decided to accept death rather than flee or be captured by his enemies, the Samurai warrior would act as his second, hastening his master's ritual death by cutting off his head with a single sword stroke.

While horsemanship and the sword were the weapons that the Samurai used most often, they were also proficient in the bow, spear and the fighting arts when in hand-to-hand combat with their enemy. If fact, many Japanese martial arts developed as outgrowths of the Samurai warrior's tradition. In Japan at that time, all warriors regardless of rank were trained in swordsmanship. A Samurai's sword was believed to be imbrued with certain spiritual qualities of its owner. The forging of the blade itself was considered a religious ceremony, passed down in secret from father to son for generations. Very little has changed in the handcrafted making of superb Japanese swords in the last several hundred years.

If for any reason a Samurai warrior were released by his master from the bond of loyalty and obedience, he would not be accepted into any of the other clans. He would become a masterless warrior, a ronin, traveling the land without a home.

Many of traditional Aikido's stances and techniques have been developed from the Samurai's sword.