Just to Clarify from the start of the thread..... Samurai is not a martial arts form. The Samurai, were the Noble Military Class in Japans Pre-industrial Period. The word samurai itself, basically means " To Serve".
The Shogun was a military rank, that would be equivalent to a general in an American army. It was most commonly used in the 11th century (during Japans first major feudal period).
Samurai philosophy is based primarily in Buddhism, and zen, and to a lesser extent Shinto, and Confucianism. The Samurai lived in a time of great blood shed, and brutal dictatorship . Amongst all the chaos they managed to follow what became known as the Bushido (The way of the warrior") it was a code of conduct that was adopted by almost all Japaneses martial arts systems.
The samurai were masters of many fighting techniques, however they are most notable recognized by there Katanas. The Bushido taught that the Katana was an extension of the Samurai's soul.....
Samurai as a culture, and as a military presence is no longer practiced, however there Bushido, and many of the Martial arts forms they used are. (Kendo, Akido, kyujutsu, among others.)
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