so it is generally the most basic stance in which a samurai enters a fight. There is a concept known as zanshin, which is the state of relaxed alertness felt by a samurai after he has dealt a ...

Seki Nobuhide Sensei, a martial arts and katana instructor, rates portrayals of samurai battles in movies and TV shows. He explains why samurai employed different types of spears in battle in "Shogun.

Samurai warriors derived their status and salaries ... and an uprising in 1651 was narrowly averted. With no wars to fight, some ronin became farmers or monks while others led lives as mercenaries ...