... quotations pertaining to the proper behavior and thinking of samurai. Pride, honor and loyalty were the main concepts in a warrior's life, when one of these were incomplete, it could bring about hara-kiri (or seppuku), a suicide exclusively known to the samurai through disembowelment in a brutal manner. However, this ritual was appeased over time, the first documented amendment being recorded during the Tokugawa reign. At this time, short stories were also emerging about homosexual samurai, an example being Comrade Loves of the Samurai, where many of the samurai were described in feminine ways; their fairness and beauty being compared to flowers. Speculation is present over the possible effect the living arrangements of the samurai and distance from their families during the Tokugawa era had on male-male love relationships. There can be seen a distinct difference in the descriptions of samurai in the two books mentioned, with Hagakure reflecting ideals ...

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