{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.samurai","code":"thing-q38142","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q38142/","name":"samurai","alternateNames":["gōshi","Japanese swordmaster","jizamurai","ronin","bugyō","yoriki","jige rōnin","Kaigun bugyō","Gaikoku Sōbugyō","Ōshū Sōbugyō","Niigata Machi Bugyō","Shomotsu Bugyō"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.PER"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The hereditary military nobility of medieval and early modern Japan, serving lords as warriors and administrators under codes of conduct, ranked from high retainers to rural gōshi and jizamurai, with masterless samurai called rōnin and officials such as bugyō and yoriki drawn from their class; the samurai class was abolished in the Meiji era and is widely represented in history, literature and popular culture.","purpose":"Let an agent describe the samurai as a historical class with attribution, explain their roles, ranks and codes, distinguish history from popular myth, and support study of Japanese history.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Hereditary class","Warrior and administrator","Codes of conduct","Abolished in the Meiji era"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"Who the samurai were.","layers":[{"id":"roles","name":"Roles","description":"Roles and ranks.","findings":[{"id":"roles-finding","name":"Roles","description":"Roles.","questions":[{"text":"What roles did samurai play as warriors and administrators, and how were ranks such as gōshi, jizamurai, bugyō and yoriki organised, according to historians?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What were rōnin?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"periods","name":"Periods","description":"Change over time.","findings":[{"id":"periods-finding","name":"Periods","description":"Periods.","questions":[{"text":"How did the samurai class change from the Heian period through the Edo period to abolition in the Meiji era?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits a specific period or figure?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"codes","name":"Codes","description":"Conduct and culture.","layers":[{"id":"bushido","name":"Bushido","description":"Codes of conduct.","findings":[{"id":"bushido-finding","name":"Bushido","description":"Codes.","questions":[{"text":"What do historians say about samurai codes of conduct and the later construction of bushido, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How did practice differ from ideal?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"arts","name":"Arts","description":"Martial and cultural arts.","findings":[{"id":"arts-finding","name":"Arts","description":"Arts.","questions":[{"text":"Which martial arts, swordsmanship schools and cultural practices were associated with samurai?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How do modern martial arts relate?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"myth","name":"Myth","description":"History versus fiction.","layers":[{"id":"media","name":"Media","description":"Samurai in media.","findings":[{"id":"media-finding","name":"Media","description":"Media.","questions":[{"text":"How are samurai represented in film, games and literature, and how accurate are these representations, according to historians?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is a fictional work meant rather than history?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"myths","name":"Myths","description":"Common myths.","findings":[{"id":"myths-finding","name":"Myths","description":"Myths.","questions":[{"text":"Which popular beliefs about samurai are rejected or qualified by historians?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Where do these myths come from?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"study","name":"Study","description":"Learning more.","layers":[{"id":"sources","name":"Sources","description":"Sources and museums.","findings":[{"id":"sources-finding","name":"Sources","description":"Sources.","questions":[{"text":"Which primary sources, museums and collections document the samurai?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How are artefacts such as swords and armour protected?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"teach","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","findings":[{"id":"teach-finding","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","questions":[{"text":"How can samurai history be taught accurately?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which misconceptions arise?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe the history, ranks and roles of the samurai from scholarly sources.","Distinguish history from modern myth and popular culture."],"mustNot":["Present romanticised myths about samurai as historical fact.","Glorify violence against commoners or ritual suicide.","Misrepresent Japanese culture through stereotypes.","Sell replica or antique swords without following local weapons law."],"requiresHuman":["Trading or exporting historical swords and armour."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Samurai rule rested on a rigid class system that oppressed peasants.","Bushido myths were used to promote militarism in the twentieth century."],"affectedParties":["Japanese communities","Students and readers","Descendants"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the class; historians and museums keep its records.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1250916","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"warrior","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"Shinto shrine","type":"related","note":"religious context"},{"target":"inheritance","type":"related","note":"hereditary status"},{"target":"Marquess","type":"related","note":"nobility elsewhere"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.samurai","Wikidata: Q38142 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38142)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Hereditary warrior nobility of Japan","Served lords","Modern martial artists are not samurai","Historically armoured warriors with two swords; not a present-day class."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["describe roles, ranks and codes","distinguish history from myth","explain the abolition and legacy","support study"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Romanticising or mythologising","Confusing fiction with history","Presenting bushido as a fixed ancient code without attribution"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Historical legal codes governing the class","Heritage protection for samurai artefacts","No current regulation"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["A historical warrior class of Japan.","high-ranking retainers","rural samurai such as gōshi and jizamurai","rōnin","samurai officials such as bugyō and yoriki","swordmasters and teachers"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q38142: samurai","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38142","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Samurai","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should rōnin be a separate entry?","How should historical sources be linked?","How should popular culture be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q38142/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q38142/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T22:12:25Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:59+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}