Sorry for the spastic posts above. The software kept telling me that my post was too short! I found a work around but, as you see, it was ugly.
I'd cut some links that I'll try to post here:
See Karl Friday's The Historical Foundations of Bushido (
http://koryu.com/library/kfriday2.html). Also, read his Bushidó or Bull? A Medieval Historian's Perspective on the Imperial Army and the Japanese Warrior Tradition(
http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_friday_0301.htm)