Influence of Socio-Political Factors on the Formation of Samurai Values
This article deals with the changes in the social and political position of the military class of Medieval Japan, its influence on the ideals and values of samurai culture. The author pays particular attention to the process of establishing provincial warrior administrations during the Muromachi age, the transformation of <i>shugo</i> and <i>jito</i> functions that determined the changes in samurai social traditions in the 15<sup>th</sup> and16<sup>th</sup> centuries, and to the specific social identities of warrior houses compared with other groups of Japanese society.