In Japanese, they are known as bushi or buke. By the 12th century, the word samurai became synonymous with bushi. It was closely associated with the middle and upper ranks of the warrior class.
Usually associated with a clan and their lord, the samurai also followed a set of rules that later came to be known as the bushidō. Although the samurai numbered less than 10% of Japan's former population, their teachings are still found today in both everyday life and modern Japanese martial arts.
After hundreds of years of enjoyment of their status, powers, and ability to shape the government of Japan, the samurai came to an end. The samurai class was abolished