The samurai were members of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan. They began as provincial warriors before rising to power in the 12th century. This marked the beginning of the country’s first military dictatorship, known as the shogunate. As servants of the daimyos, or great lords, the samurai backed up the authority of the shogun and gave him power over the mikado (emperor). The samurai would dominate Japanese government and society until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 led to the abolition of the feudal system. Despite being deprived of their traditional privileges, many of the samurai would enter the elite ranks of politics and industry in modern Japan. More importantly, the traditional samurai code of honor, discipline and morality known as bushido–or “the way of the warrior”–was revived and made the basic code of conduct for much of Japanese society.

This painting was created during a Golden paints workshop. I was thrilled with their high-flow transparent colors and the similarity to watercolor with the added benefit of permanency. It also introduced me to yupo, a synthetic paper with a smooth plastic sort of feel to it. I love the way the paint interacts with the yupo. I hope you do too!