The Ancestors of the Samurai The word 'samurai', which is commonly used for all varieties of ancient Japanese warrior, actually signifies the military elite of old Japan, a knightly caste who commanded armies, and also led their followers into battle. Their military and political skills eventually enabled them to control civilian governments, developing, through almost constant civil warfare, a set of military techniques, traditions and skills that may be called samurai warfare. The nature of the samurai ensured that the history of samurai warfare involves two very important aspects: the military activities of the group, through strategy and tactics, and the military prowessof the individual warrior. Both factors reached their peak of development in about 1600, which saw the culmination of a century and a half of inter-clan fighting known to historians as the Sengoku-jidai (The Age of the Country at War).