د. نعيمة عبدالجواد

The article compares Japan’s samurai with the Mamluks of Egypt and the Arab world, tracing both groups’ emergence from systems of landholding, dependency and military service. It explains how Japanese private land ownership, tax exemptions and feudal structures elevated the samurai from servants to a respected warrior nobility tied to the shogun. The Mamluks likewise began as elite military dependents trained for loyalty and service, but their accumulation of wealth and political power eventually produced rebellion and exploitation. The author argues that samurai ethics continued to influence Japanese society, whereas the Mamluks are not similarly emulated in Egypt, while identifying courage and sacrifice as the central trait shared by both traditions.