The word "bushi" translates in english to mean warrior. Bushi is a term for males of the buke class, however this term should be distinguished from samurai. Bushi and samurai are related, but the term samurai roughly means "servant" and the members of the bushi were trying to distance themselves from this servant idea. Bushi were the males that could be discribed as the combat personnel. Bushi still had privileges as they were still part of the buke class. The difference is that the samurais were more of the ruling class, i.e. political positions and courtisans. Bushi were the guards and soldiers for the army. The western equivalent is knights and barons/dukes/kings. Bushi being the knights and samurai being the barons/dukes/kings.

References

Secrets of the Samurai (A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan) By Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook

External links

• Did "female samurai" actually exist in medieval Japan?