The enormity of WWII

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

no they were not.  samurai were a hereditary nobility abolished during Meiji revolution.    most of the more fanatical Japanese army officer class were from lower to middle class families and not descendants of hereditary samurai families.

Mere details. ‘Samurai is as samurai does.’ - Forrest Gump-San

Boru

[The Architect Of Fate]

My take would be they were wannabee samurai with the suicidal ideations that implies.

They managed to get the Japanese constitution revised (in the 1930s) with what seemed to be a very sensible codicil. "The Army and Navy representatives to the Imperial Cabinet will be active duty officers."

The catch is the two organizations could send their man to a different job if they wanted to. That would bring the current cabinet down. So any cabinet was hostage to the approval of the Army and/or Navy.

'wannabee' nothing. They WERE samurai.

Boru

No they were not as they were not nobility

[The Architect Of Fate]

no they were not.  samurai were a hereditary nobility abolished during Meiji revolution.    most of the more fanatical Japanese army officer class were from lower to middle class families and not descendants of hereditary samurai families.

Mere details. ‘Samurai is as samurai does.’ - Forrest Gump-San

Boru

Samurai were a specific group with a specific historical and social context not just anyone could call themselves one.And it gets even sadder when one considers neither Kamikaze nor the Banzai charges were part of the Bushido code in fact it very much contradicts it as it would be viewed as a waste of valuable men and equipment.Those poor men were dying for a belief system that didn't say they needed to die.

[Anomalocaris]

nobility is usually distinguished by its members’ firm rejection of the “nobility ie as nobility does” theory.

[LinuxGal]

nobility is usually distinguished by its members’ firm rejection of the “nobility ie as nobility does” theory.

Faux nobility (Custer):  "In the name of General Sheridan I demand the unconditional surrender of this army!"

Nobility (Longstreet): "General Custer, I am not the commander of the army.  You are within the lines of your enemy without authority, addressing a superior officer, and in disrespect to General Grant as well as myself. If I was the commander of the army I would not receive the message of General Sheridan."

[Thumpalumpacus]

The Japanese fighting soldier and sailor was as fierce as they come. There is no nobility in war.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The Japanese fighting soldier and sailor was as fierce as they come. There is no nobility in war.

The fun thing about the 20th C. "samurai" was that they never defeated China, even when it was fighting them AND a civil war. Definitely not bushido material.

Yamamoto Isoruku was adopted into a samurai family to give the line some much needed new blood.

[The Architect Of Fate]

The fun thing about the 20th C. "samurai" was that they never defeated China, even when it was fighting them AND a civil war. Definitely not bushido material.

To my knowledge the Samurai never defeated China

[The Architect Of Fate]

The Japanese fighting soldier and sailor was as fierce as they come. There is no nobility in war.

This is true but it is tragic that all that spirit was wasted

[no one]

I hear the hoomans are working on a sequel. It's apparently a trilogy.