Samurai is a common term used throughout pre-industrial china. During the Edo period a more appropriate term was coined, Bushi,meaning warrior of armsman. A samurai was a man of noble birth who had no ties to the community or the people. His only service was to his master. Samurais were expected to be cultured and literate, that is to a certain degree. However samurais would soon lose their prestige and honor as military servants as the new Japanese Dynasty descended to the throne. The new era called Tokugawa, would forever strip these once proud men of their dignity and livelihood. By the 19th century the samurai class would be abolished as the western would began to erode Japanese culture under the new MEjj Dynasty. The strict samurai code called bushido still lives on, however, sadly through film and folklore.