I've been planning a story for quite some time now about a samurai in equestria. I originally posted the story back in 2014 but I took it down because I was unhappy with how I'd portrayed the samurai, and then I left the fandom for a year, so I'm only just now restarting the project. I've been going over all the internet articles I can find about samurai and their lives, and I've been focusing my efforts mainly around the late Sengoku period as that is where my character comes from, but I'm still not happy that what I'm producing will be a realistic portrayal of a samurai.

I understand that not all samurai were the same, just like any group of people, but I want my portrayal to be as authentic as possible. I was hoping that someone here would be able to help me with some of the finer details about samurai, beyond the usual battlefield stuff, and how they'd realistically react to being thrown into Equestria. In the original story my character was far too calm and collected about it, mainly because I went overboard with the Bushido stuff, so this time around I'm hoping that he doesn't come across as a cliche human inserted into a Equestria, but rather someone who's actually been dropped into a society entirely alien to his own.

Thanks for the help in advance guys, and I'll give extra details about the character and story upon request.

5686461
well, if you want a Japanese view on reactions to being dropped into a alien culture, look into responces and reactions to commodore perry showing up at japan with a bunch of gunboats asking if they would like to read a letter written to them by America. japan was such a closed country at this point that it was quite a shock, and may show how they would react to foreigners.
also please consider the most language barrier that would likely arise.

5686461 Here's a list of links of youtube channels that might help
Metatron Samurai
Shadiversity
Skallagrim
Extra Credits: Warring States of Japan

And some vids from Metatron

and a vid from History Buffs

5686461
Sure, I'll send some links.
http://www.samurai-archives.com/
https://www.tofugu.com/japan/ancient-japanese-weapons/
http://www.holymtn.com/Japan/Samurai.htm
Having trouble finding good ones. Hope this helps.

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Samurai: So let me get this straight. You are a powerful, immortal being who rules over this land and you literally make the sun rise and set every day?
Celestia: Yes, that is pretty much correct.
*the samurai immediately falls on his knees, facing the floor*
Celestia: ...Why are you doing that?
Samurai: Because I'm pretty sure you are Amaterasu-omikami.
Celestia: I don't believe I've ever gone by that name.
Samurai: That doesn't mean you're not her!

...But seriously. I wouldn't call myself an expert on feudal Japanese culture, but my advise would be to research traditional Japanese values and beliefs, because that's what will mostly distinguish your character for a modern westerner. This doesn't just mean bushido martial values but also how Japanese people tend to think in general: Stuff like giri (social obligations) vs ninjo (human feelings), and honne (the person you really are) vs tatemae. (The person you present yourself as.) And so on.

Once you have a decent understanding of Japanese cultural values, you pretty much just have to decide what kind of person your samurai is. Is he aggressive or mellow? Open-minded and pragmatic, or very set in his ways? Is he a ronin or did he serve a lord, and if he did, how loyal was he? Is he a skilled warrior or does he lack talent in the martial arts? Is he religious? What is his relationship to his family? How old is he? (Keeping in mind a samurai could be as young as 15 at the time of his first battle.) Those values you looked up earlier will color his personality, but they won't necessarily define him.

As you say, samurai were all just people. Bushido is roughly comparable to the western concept of chivalry, in the sense that it is the behavior expected of an ideal samurai. Some would have taken it way more seriously than others, and few would have lived up to the ideal completely.

I think the important thing is that you write a real human being - the samurai stuff will be the fine details. Also, you probably don't need to make him 100% historically accurate, as long as he seems authentic to the readers.

I also recommend watching Japanese-made samurai movies (as they should be more accurate and nuanced than western-produced stuff) or reading the more historical type of samurai-themed manga, like Hon'iden Matahachi's Vagabond.

However, beware mood and style conflicts - keep in mind that you are writing fanfiction for a cartoon, so you are probably best off making your samurai somewhat cartoonish as well. You want him to contrast with his surroundings enough to be interesting, but you don't want him to be stylistically incompatible with the setting.

Finally, keep in mind that the ponies seem to have a direct equivalent of Japan. (Implied by the existence of karate, the concept of ninja, and apparently alternate versions of classic anime.) So the ponies probably have a basic idea of what a samurai is. They shouldn't view this guy as a complete alien, and a few might know enough about his culture to actually understand him.

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5686461

I also recommend watching Japanese-made samurai movies

Try anything from Akira Kurosawa, like Seven Samurai or Hidden Fortress.

Ruth Benedict's The Sword and the Chrysanthemum is a classic of cultural anthropology for a reason. It's also a quick read.

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Samurai: So let me get this straight. You are a powerful, immortal being who rules over this land and you literally make the sun rise and set every day?
Celestia: Yes, that is pretty much correct.
*the samurai immediately falls on his knees, facing the floor*
Celestia: ...Why are you doing that?
Samurai: Because I'm pretty sure you are Amaterasu-omikami.
Celestia: I don't believe I've ever gone by that name.
Samurai: That doesn't mean you're not her!

I was planning to make him Zen Buddist instead, but this sort of situation has so much potential I might make him Shintoist just for that. I don't want to take it too far though, this character is going to be somewhat mistrustful of everyone to begin with, as he's not really use to dealing with what he'd call foreigners. Plus they use magic and don't look the slightest bit human, which would probably bother him to begin with.

Stuff like giri (social obligations) vs ninjo (human feelings), and honne (the person you really are) vs tatemae. (The person you present yourself as.)

I think I'm starting to understand this stuff a lot better now, or at least how it contrasts against the more western lifestyle of Equestria. I'd say with a bit of practice I could implement these sorts of social conflicts into my story, though I don't want to over do it obviously, this is a story after all, not a history report.

you pretty much just have to decide what kind of person your samurai is

Well, he's the eldest son of a minor Oda lord, so he's already lived a life of responsibility. Quite young, 25 years old, but he's been in at least 5 major battles by the time the story starts. He serves his father, and is very loyal to him and his people, is quite competent with the sword and martial arts, and is quite religious though certainly not a fanatic. Pragmatic I'd say; he believes in following tradition but he's not above doing things that would raise eyebrows if it meant better serving his lord and people, and example of which him being willing to train a women in naginatajutsu, though more for defending herself and her family. He'd never approve of her fighting on the front lines at this moment in time, or any female samurai in general. A lifetime of preparing for lordship has serious and impassive, though he'll relax around people he trusts, and can become quite angry and aggressive in more trying situations. Relationship with his family? An aloof father which he respects and has spent his whole life trying to impress, a mother who cares deeply about her children, and a younger brother who's bitterly jealous of the attention he gets from his father.

Sorry if that was a bit much, but it actually really helps to write this stuff down. I feel I've learnt more about my character because of it.

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Thanks for the replies guys, this will all certainly help. I've done quite a lot of research already actually, mainly focusing on the samruai themselves and the history of Sengoku period (again, mainly focused around Oda Nobunga since that is the clan and time period from which he comes from). It's just trying to get the more personal side, but I've realised it's silly to make him too realistic, so will take some artistic liberties here and there in order to make him a compelling samurai. He'll still be as traditionally Japanese as I can make him, but as Fervidor mentioned I need to make him fit in somewhat.

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I was planning to make him Zen Buddist instead, but this sort of situation has so much potential I might make him Shintoist just for that.

He could be both, I think, but don't quote me on that. At any rate, he would at least be familiar with Shinto, so meeting a being who is very similar to Amaterasu could still be kinda overwhelming.

Anyway, if you make him religious, make sure to research that religion as much as you can. It's the kind of thing that is easy to mess up if you are unfamiliar with it. This one time I was in this RPG with a guy playing a samurai-type character, and he would essentially use "Buddha" the way a westerner would use "God." It was pretty obvious he didn't really know much about Buddhism.