Samurai Character Ideas

Press the button for one samurai of fiction: rank, a duty, what they carry, a habit and a season.

Samurai Character Ideas: 30 samurai

A former captain who now mends umbrellas. The duty that weighs on them: the household's stipend, cut by half. Besides the swords, carries a pressed maple leaf between two sheets of paper. Off duty, paints the same pine in every season. The story opens on a windless morning of hoarfrost.

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  • Rank and lordformer captain who now mends umbrellas
  • Duty that weighsthe household's stipend, cut by half
  • Besides the swordsa pressed maple leaf between two sheets of paper
  • Off dutypaints the same pine in every season
  • Seasonon a windless morning of hoarfrost
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    Samurai of the day

     

    1. A former captain who now mends umbrellas. The duty that weighs on them: the household's stipend, cut by half. Besides the swords, carries a pressed maple leaf between two sheets of paper. Off duty, paints the same pine in every season. The story opens on a windless morning of hoarfrost.
    2. A ronin who writes letters for people in the market. The duty that weighs on them: a thief in the storehouse who is probably hungry. Besides the swords, carries a string of coins that is exactly one short. Off duty, collects one river pebble from each province. The story opens in the thaw, with every eave dripping.
    3. A retired retainer turned gardener at a hill temple. The duty that weighs on them: a report that names a friend. Besides the swords, carries a hand towel printed with a pattern of waves. Off duty, carves small animals from kindling. The story opens on the first warm evening, with frogs loud in the fields.
    4. A magistrate's deputy in a harbor town. The duty that weighs on them: a father's good name, damaged by one bad harvest report. Besides the swords, carries a string of coins that is exactly one short. Off duty, judges the village kite contest with terrifying fairness. The story opens while the plum tree by the gate is in flower.
    5. An inspector of roads and bridges. The duty that weighs on them: the family graves across the mountains, untended. Besides the swords, carries a rolled ink painting of a mountain never visited. Off duty, paints the same pine in every season. The story opens on the night of the harvest moon.
    6. A night watch officer on the castle's north wall. The duty that weighs on them: a wager lost to a monk, payable in a year of service. Besides the swords, carries rice crackers saved for the carp. Off duty, practices speeches on the stable cat. The story opens in the first week of the early summer rains.
    7. An inspector of roads and bridges. The duty that weighs on them: an aunt's wish to see the home valley once more. Besides the swords, carries a hand towel printed with a pattern of waves. Off duty, loses at board games to the innkeeper's child on purpose. The story opens on the first warm evening, with frogs loud in the fields.
    8. A foster child raised in the daimyo's household. The duty that weighs on them: a lord's gift, broken in their care. Besides the swords, carries a wooden comb worn smooth at one end. Off duty, teaches the cook's children their letters. The story opens as the last snow slides off the south roofs.
    9. A retainer left to mind the estate while the lord is away. The duty that weighs on them: a grandfather's armor, waiting in a pawnshop. Besides the swords, carries a bamboo flute in a cloth sleeve. Off duty, talks to horses as if they were colleagues. The story opens when the river runs high with snowmelt.
    10. A page who carries the lord's sword at audiences. The duty that weighs on them: a promise to a mother to write every month. Besides the swords, carries a wide straw hat that hides the face. Off duty, soaks in the bathhouse until told to leave. The story opens in the long heat, with cicadas loud in every tree.
    11. An inspector of roads and bridges. The duty that weighs on them: the household's stipend, cut by half. Besides the swords, carries a kite in pieces, to be put together at the right hill. Off duty, whisks tea for anyone who will sit still. The story opens at the new year, with pine at every gate.
    12. A ronin who writes letters for people in the market. The duty that weighs on them: a festival to be paid for with an empty treasury. Besides the swords, carries a spare pair of straw sandals, already half worn. Off duty, arranges weeds as carefully as flowers. The story opens in the dry weeks, when the well rope grows longer.
    13. A mounted messenger between the domain and the shogun's city. The duty that weighs on them: a rival's challenge to a poetry contest, long accepted. Besides the swords, carries a paper umbrella mended three times. Off duty, eats sweets in secret behind the storehouse. The story opens on a morning of dragonflies over the stubble.
    14. A ronin, masterless since the domain was dissolved. The duty that weighs on them: a promise to an old friend to plant a tree. Besides the swords, carries a map drawn by a child, treated as accurate. Off duty, watches the snow fall and lets the tea go cold. The story opens when the river runs high with snowmelt.
    15. A retainer left to mind the estate while the lord is away. The duty that weighs on them: the family graves across the mountains, untended. Besides the swords, carries a ring of keys to rooms that no longer exist. Off duty, copies out one page of an old book each night. The story opens on a morning of dragonflies over the stubble.
    16. A sword teacher to the daimyo's children. The duty that weighs on them: a message for a lord that will not be welcome. Besides the swords, carries folded paper for poems, and a stub of charcoal. Off duty, never wins an argument with the fish seller. The story opens when the bamboo shoots break through the garden path.
    17. An envoy sent to settle a boundary between two villages. The duty that weighs on them: a quarrel between two elders, to be ended quietly. Besides the swords, carries a smooth chestnut kept for luck since childhood. Off duty, gives directions with great confidence, and wrongly. The story opens under red maples at the temple gate.
    18. A night watch officer on the castle's north wall. The duty that weighs on them: a grandfather's armor, waiting in a pawnshop. Besides the swords, carries a ring of keys to rooms that no longer exist. Off duty, carves small animals from kindling. The story opens when the bamboo shoots break through the garden path.
    19. A retainer on a year's leave to walk the old roads. The duty that weighs on them: a grandfather's armor, waiting in a pawnshop. Besides the swords, carries a list of every inn on the road, with marks out of ten. Off duty, bows to scarecrows, in case. The story opens when the bamboo shoots break through the garden path.
    20. A police officer of the merchant quarter. The duty that weighs on them: a young lord who will not study. Besides the swords, carries a letter that has been read until it tears at the folds. Off duty, sketches every bridge they cross. The story opens at the new year, with pine at every gate.
    21. A foster child raised in the daimyo's household. The duty that weighs on them: a cousin's unpaid bills at three inns. Besides the swords, carries an inro with a carved frog for a netsuke. Off duty, writes one poem a day and burns most of them. The story opens at harvest, with sheaves drying on racks.
    22. A retired retainer turned gardener at a hill temple. The duty that weighs on them: a report that names a friend. Besides the swords, carries a paper umbrella mended three times. Off duty, naps sitting upright, and denies it. The story opens as the last snow slides off the south roofs.
    23. A karo, house elder to a daimyo of nineteen. The duty that weighs on them: a lord's gift, broken in their care. Besides the swords, carries a hand towel printed with a pattern of waves. Off duty, whisks tea for anyone who will sit still. The story opens in deep snow, with the pass closed until spring.
    24. A mounted messenger between the domain and the shogun's city. The duty that weighs on them: an apology owed to a village for a trampled field. Besides the swords, carries a map drawn by a child, treated as accurate. Off duty, grinds ink far longer than the writing needs. The story opens on the night of the harvest moon.
    25. A retainer on a year's leave to walk the old roads. The duty that weighs on them: a missing page from the tax rolls. Besides the swords, carries rice balls wrapped in a leaf. Off duty, arranges weeds as carefully as flowers. The story opens on the night of the harvest moon.
    26. A castle gate captain who has never drawn in anger. The duty that weighs on them: a festival to be paid for with an empty treasury. Besides the swords, carries rice balls wrapped in a leaf. Off duty, rises before dawn to sweep someone else's step. The story opens at rice planting, with the paddies flooded like mirrors.
    27. A ronin taken on as a guard at a ferry landing. The duty that weighs on them: the family record, crumbling and not yet copied. Besides the swords, carries a spare pair of straw sandals, already half worn. Off duty, plays the flute badly, and only to the moon. The story opens in the dry weeks, when the well rope grows longer.
    28. A retired retainer turned gardener at a hill temple. The duty that weighs on them: a horse promised as a gift that has gone lame. Besides the swords, carries a kite in pieces, to be put together at the right hill. Off duty, sketches every bridge they cross. The story opens on the morning the swallows come back.
    29. A keeper of the keys to the domain's rice storehouse. The duty that weighs on them: the household's stipend, cut by half. Besides the swords, carries a wide straw hat that hides the face. Off duty, practices calligraphy on the backs of old receipts. The story opens as the first plum buds show under snow.
    30. A keeper of the keys to the domain's rice storehouse. The duty that weighs on them: a message for a lord that will not be welcome. Besides the swords, carries a set of travel chopsticks in a wooden case. Off duty, tells the same three stories, a little longer each time. The story opens as the persimmons ripen on bare branches.

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    Rank and lord: all 36 ranks

    In a lord's household 12

    • bodyguard to a lord who dislikes being guarded Always three paces behind, pretending to look at the garden.
    • castle gate captain who has never drawn in anger Stand them square in a gateway, hands resting, the swords tied shut.
    • foster child raised in the daimyo's household One crest on the clothes, another on a keepsake they wear inside.
    • karo, house elder to a daimyo of nineteen Seat them one step below and to the side, leaning in to advise.
    • keeper of the keys to the domain's rice storehouse A thick plaster wall, a heavy door, and keys on a cord inside the sleeve.
    • mounted messenger between the domain and the shogun's city A document tube across the back, and road dust to the knees.
    • night watch officer on the castle's north wall A paper lantern on a pole, and the tiled roofs falling away below.
    • page who carries the lord's sword at audiences Kneeling a little behind, holding the sword upright in a cloth.
    • retainer left to mind the estate while the lord is away Shuttered rooms behind them, and one room kept aired.
    • sword teacher to the daimyo's children Wooden practice swords under one arm, and a small pupil copying the stance.
    • third child of a retainer family, not expected to inherit Give them the oldest robe in the house, carefully mended.
    • young retainer of a small mountain domain, first posting New clothes with the fold lines still in them, and a very straight back.

    Holding an office 12

    • assessor who measures the harvest in koku A measuring box in one hand and a ledger in the other.
    • calligraphy teacher at the domain school Ink on the cuff, and a row of small desks seen from the front.
    • clerk of the domain's archive Shelves of scrolls behind, and a single scroll held open on the knees.
    • envoy sent to settle a boundary between two villages Standing on a field bank between two sets of folded arms.
    • fire warden of the castle town A watchtower ladder, a bell, and roofs packed tight to the horizon.
    • hatamoto, a bannerman with the right to see the shogun Formal dress, hakama pressed sharp, waiting in a long corridor.
    • inspector of roads and bridges Crouched at a bridge post, testing the wood with a thumbnail.
    • magistrate's deputy in a harbor town A raised desk, a brush, and a line of people that goes out the door.
    • master of the lord's horses Straw on the hakama hem, and a hand on a horse's nose.
    • officer at a river barrier who reads travel papers A gate across a road, a bench, and a paper held up to the light.
    • police officer of the merchant quarter Shop curtains on both sides, and merchants who stop talking as they pass.
    • steward of the lord's house in the shogun's city Account books stacked beside a tray of tea gone cold.

    Masterless or on the road 12

    • former captain who now mends umbrellas Oiled paper and bamboo ribs spread across the lap like a wing.
    • retainer on a year's leave to walk the old roads A staff, a wide hat, and a stamped pass hung round the neck.
    • retired retainer turned gardener at a hill temple Sleeves tied back with a cord, a rake, moss in neat ridges.
    • ronin hired to guard a merchant's wagons Walking at the back of the line, eating the same dust as the oxen.
    • ronin renting a room above a noodle shop Steam rising through the floorboards, and swords propped by a bowl.
    • ronin taken on as a guard at a ferry landing A flat boat, a rope across the river, and a lot of waiting.
    • ronin who teaches village children to read A porch for a classroom, sandals in a row, swords on a rack by the door.
    • ronin who writes letters for people in the market A low desk under an awning, and a customer dictating with her hands.
    • ronin working as a bridge toll keeper A hut the size of a cupboard, and a bowl for the coins.
    • ronin, masterless since the domain was dissolved The crest on the sleeve has been unpicked. Draw the paler patch it left.
    • sole heir of a ruined house, carrying its crest alone One good robe with the family crest, kept folded for the day it is needed.
    • student of the sword, visiting every school on the road A bundle on a stick, and letters of introduction tucked in the robe.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09 from public sources, not by members of the culture it describes. Made up for this list: retainers in a lord's household, office holders and people without a master. None is a real person or a named character from a book, a film, a show or a game, no real lord, clan, castle or town is named, and no entry is a statement about the law or custom of a real time or place. Read in English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-10-09, for the terms the entries use: samurai were warriors who served as retainers to lords, and under the Tokugawa shogunate many were teachers, police, officials or domain administrators (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai); a ronin was a samurai with no lord or master (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C5%8Dnin); a hatamoto, often translated bannerman, was a samurai of high rank who served the Tokugawa shogunate directly with the right to be received by the shogun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatamoto); karo, house elders, were high-ranking samurai officials and advisors to a daimyo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8D); daimyo were feudal lords subordinate to the shogun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimyo); the koku is a measure of rice, and a domain's size was reckoned in koku (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koku); hakama are clothing for the lower body, tied at the waist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama). Japanese terms are written in Latin letters without long-vowel marks. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Duty that weighs: all 36 duties

    To a house and its name 12

    • a brother's place at the school, held by a favor Two boys at one desk, one of them trying harder.
    • a cousin's unpaid bills at three inns Three slips of paper, each in a different hand.
    • a father's good name, damaged by one bad harvest report An old man on a porch, refusing to look at the road.
    • a grandfather's armor, waiting in a pawnshop A helmet on a shelf between a kettle and a stack of quilts.
    • a loan taken out in the family's name A moneylender's ledger with a red seal beside the family name.
    • a roof that has leaked on the ancestors' shelf all year A bucket set on a fine old cabinet.
    • a younger sister's schooling, still to be paid for A girl practicing brush strokes on the back of old letters.
    • an aunt's wish to see the home valley once more A carrying chair on a mountain road, and a hand lifting the blind.
    • an heir to be adopted before the year is out An empty cushion at the family table.
    • the family graves across the mountains, untended Stone markers under long grass, and a broom carried a long way.
    • the family record, crumbling and not yet copied A scroll with holes, and fresh paper laid beside it.
    • the household's stipend, cut by half A rice chest drawn open, with the scoop touching the bottom.

    A promise given 12

    • a debt of thanks to a family that gave them shelter A farmhouse seen through rain, with one lit doorway.
    • a message for a lord that will not be welcome Kneeling at a threshold, one breath before speaking.
    • a promise to a mother to write every month An inn table at night, a brush and a letter begun with the weather.
    • a promise to an old friend to plant a tree A sapling with its roots in a straw wrap, tied to a pack.
    • a rival's challenge to a poetry contest, long accepted A blank poem card, turned over and over.
    • a sealed letter to be put into one person's hands A folded letter in an oilcloth wrap, carried against the chest.
    • a teacher's last request, not yet carried out A wooden practice sword hung on a wall with nothing beside it.
    • a vow to return a borrowed book to its owner's heirs A book in a cloth wrap, with a slip of paper in another hand.
    • a wager lost to a monk, payable in a year of service Sweeping temple steps in formal dress, with great dignity.
    • a word given to a merchant to see his goods home Bales on a cart, a nervous owner, a calm escort.
    • an apology owed to a village for a trampled field A bow held low at the edge of a paddy, and farmers leaning on hoes.
    • an oath to guard a child until she is grown A small figure walking ahead, a tall one keeping three paces back.

    A task of the post 12

    • a boundary stone that moves a little each year A stone, a measuring cord, and two farmers looking innocent.
    • a bridge that must stand before the spring floods Carpenters in the river to the waist, and the water already brown.
    • a festival to be paid for with an empty treasury Paper lanterns counted out on a floor, too few.
    • a guest of rank who must not be allowed to leave Tea poured for the fourth time. Everyone smiling.
    • a horse promised as a gift that has gone lame A fine horse with one hoof held off the ground.
    • a lord's gift, broken in their care A tea bowl in two halves on a square of silk.
    • a missing page from the tax rolls A bound ledger opened flat, with a stub where a page was cut.
    • a quarrel between two elders, to be ended quietly Two old men back to back, and a tray of tea set between.
    • a report that names a friend Brush lifted, ink drying on the tip, the name not yet written.
    • a thief in the storehouse who is probably hungry Rice spilled in a thin trail toward the wall.
    • a young lord who will not study An open book, an empty cushion and a paper kite in the sky outside.
    • an inspection from the shogun's city, a month early Servants running, a banner being hung, one calm figure with a list.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09 from public sources, not by members of the culture it describes. Made up for this list: what is owed to a house and its name, a promise given, and a task of the post. Each can weigh on a retainer or on someone with no master. Nothing here is a statement about the law or custom of a real time or place, and no duty ends in a death or a duel. That samurai held hereditary stipends is read in English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-10-09 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai). The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Besides the swords: all 36 carried things

    At the sash 12

    • a bamboo flute in a cloth sleeve Worn across the back of the sash, like a third sword that is not one.
    • a carved seal for signing what they would rather not A red smudge that never quite leaves the thumb.
    • a child's wooden top, never explained The cord is wound and ready. That is the whole clue.
    • a folding fan with half a poem written on it Draw it open to the unfinished line.
    • a gourd of water with a stopper carved like a fox Hang it low so that it swings on the walk.
    • a hand towel printed with a pattern of waves Folded over the sash, and used to wipe a brow in every hot scene.
    • a ring of keys to rooms that no longer exist Old iron, polished by the thumb.
    • a small bell with the clapper wrapped in cloth A lump under the sash. It rings once, late in the story.
    • a spare sandal strap, plaited from straw One sandal in the drawing is always mid-repair.
    • a string of coins that is exactly one short A loop of coins on a cord, with a gap near the knot.
    • a writing set, the brush still damp A brush tube and a small ink pot joined in one piece, tucked at the hip.
    • an inro with a carved frog for a netsuke A small stacked case on a cord, and the frog holding it above the sash.

    In the sleeve 12

    • a cricket in a tiny bamboo cage A cage no bigger than a fist, and a listening tilt of the head.
    • a fish hook stuck in a cork, just in case It has never been used. Draw it shiny.
    • a ledger of small debts owed to them, never collected Tiny neat columns, and no line struck through.
    • a letter that has been read until it tears at the folds Soft paper, held as if it were thin ice.
    • a list of every inn on the road, with marks out of ten A long thin strip of paper that unrolls to the knee.
    • a map drawn by a child, treated as accurate Held up against the landscape and turned around twice.
    • a packet of seeds from the home valley A twist of paper. Later panels show a pot on a windowsill.
    • a pressed maple leaf between two sheets of paper Red against white. The only strong color in the figure.
    • a smooth chestnut kept for luck since childhood Dark and shiny from handling. It comes out before any hard talk.
    • a wooden comb worn smooth at one end Used on a topknot each morning, in a small panel of routine.
    • folded paper for poems, and a stub of charcoal A crease across every poem where the paper was folded.
    • rice crackers saved for the carp Crumbs falling from a sleeve over still water.

    In the pack 12

    • a board game folded into a cloth, missing two stones Two pebbles stand in for the lost pieces.
    • a book of poems with someone else's notes in it Two kinds of handwriting on one page.
    • a jar of pickles from home, nearly empty One left. It is being saved.
    • a kite in pieces, to be put together at the right hill Sticks, paper and string, bundled like a small bow.
    • a paper umbrella mended three times Three patches of slightly different paper, lit from behind by rain light.
    • a rolled ink painting of a mountain never visited Unrolled in an inn room, with a lamp at one end to hold it flat.
    • a set of travel chopsticks in a wooden case A slim box, and the small ceremony of sliding it open.
    • a spare pair of straw sandals, already half worn Tied to the pack by their straps, swinging.
    • a tea bowl wrapped in an old sleeve Unwrapping it takes three panels. Do not rush them.
    • a wide straw hat that hides the face Under the brim, draw only the mouth.
    • a wooden doll for a niece not yet met Wrapped in a printed cloth, and checked on at every stop.
    • rice balls wrapped in a leaf A green parcel tied with a strip of the same leaf.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09 from public sources, not by members of the culture it describes. Made up for this list: small things worn at the sash, kept in a sleeve or carried in a pack. None is a weapon. Read in English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-10-09: an inro is a small case hung from the sash because the dress had no pockets, and a netsuke began as the carved fastener on its cord (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netsuke); a portable writing set held ink and a brush (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yatate); the topknot is the hairstyle most associated with samurai of the Edo period (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chonmage); a matched pair of long and short swords was worn by the samurai class (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daish%C5%8D); a family was identified by its crest, or mon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mon_(emblem)). The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Off duty: all 36 habits

    Brush, tea and verse 12

    • arranges weeds as carefully as flowers Three stems in a chipped cup, placed with total seriousness.
    • carves small animals from kindling Wood shavings on the lap and a row of rabbits on the windowsill.
    • composes letters and never sends them A box with its lid off, full of folded paper.
    • copies out one page of an old book each night A lamp, a brush, and a neat stack that grows through the story.
    • grinds ink far longer than the writing needs Slow circles on a stone. Draw the hand, not the face.
    • paints the same pine in every season Four small pictures pinned in a row, one tree.
    • plays the flute badly, and only to the moon A rooftop, a round moon, a dog with its ears flat.
    • practices calligraphy on the backs of old receipts One character repeated down a page, getting better toward the bottom.
    • sings work songs learned from the stable hands Mouth open mid-verse, and a horse listening.
    • sketches every bridge they cross A notebook of arches, drawn from the same low angle.
    • whisks tea for anyone who will sit still A bowl held in both hands and offered across the mat.
    • writes one poem a day and burns most of them A small brazier, and a curl of paper going brown.

    Small comforts 12

    • collects one river pebble from each province A row of stones on a shelf, smallest to largest.
    • counts the stairs of every building Lips moving on a staircase.
    • eats sweets in secret behind the storehouse A paper bag, a guilty glance, sugar on the collar.
    • feeds carp from a sleeve of crumbs Rings spreading on a pond, and open mouths at the surface.
    • folds every scrap of paper into a boat A fleet along the edge of the desk.
    • grows chrysanthemums in cracked pots Pots along a wall, each with a paper label on a stick.
    • keeps a tally of shooting stars Flat on a roof, with a brush and a strip of paper weighted by a sandal.
    • naps sitting upright, and denies it Eyes closed, back straight, a fly on one knee.
    • rises before dawn to sweep someone else's step A broom, blue light, and nobody watching.
    • soaks in the bathhouse until told to leave Steam, a towel on the head, only the eyes above water.
    • talks to horses as if they were colleagues Leaning on a stall door, mid-complaint.
    • watches the snow fall and lets the tea go cold An open screen, a white garden, a cup with no steam.

    With other people 12

    • bows to scarecrows, in case A small nod toward a straw hat on a pole.
    • carries strangers' bundles up steep roads Swords at the hip, somebody's firewood on the back.
    • gives directions with great confidence, and wrongly An arm pointing one way, and a traveler looking the other.
    • haggles hard, then overpays Coins pressed into a seller's hand and closed over.
    • judges the village kite contest with terrifying fairness A sky of kites, and a folded-arm figure looking up.
    • listens at length to old soldiers A veranda, two cups, and a hand describing a hill.
    • loses at board games to the innkeeper's child on purpose A board, a small triumphant fist, a very convincing sigh.
    • never wins an argument with the fish seller A basket of fish, a pointing finger, a retreat.
    • practices speeches on the stable cat A cat washing a paw during the important part.
    • remembers the name of every servant's child A small wrapped thing left on a kitchen shelf.
    • teaches the cook's children their letters A stick in the dust of the kitchen yard.
    • tells the same three stories, a little longer each time Listeners mouthing the ending along with them.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09 from public sources, not by members of the culture it describes. Made up for this list: what a person does with a brush, a tea bowl or a verse, small private comforts, and habits with other people. None is an illness, a disability or a feature of anyone's body. That samurai studied literature and calligraphy, and that poetry, the tea ceremony and flower arranging were among their pursuits, is read in English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-10-09 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai). The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Season: all 36 seasons

    Spring and the rains 12

    • as cherry petals fill the castle moat Pink on dark water. Leave the stone wall almost white.
    • as the last snow slides off the south roofs A slab of snow caught mid-fall, and a cat leaping clear.
    • as the mountain passes open and the mud begins Sandals sunk to the strap, and the road shining ahead.
    • as the wisteria comes out over the well Purple hanging in long tails. Put the figure beneath it, looking up.
    • at rice planting, with the paddies flooded like mirrors Sky above and sky below. The figure stands on a thin dark bank.
    • in a week of mist that hides the far bank Paint the near things dark and let the far ones fade to paper.
    • in the first week of the early summer rains Straight gray lines through the whole picture, and one bright umbrella.
    • on the first warm evening, with frogs loud in the fields Shutters open, a lamp, and moths arriving.
    • on the morning the swallows come back A nest of mud under the gate roof, and a bird like a comma.
    • when the bamboo shoots break through the garden path Brown spear tips coming up between stepping stones.
    • when the river runs high with snowmelt Fast brown water and a ferry rope pulled tight.
    • while the plum tree by the gate is in flower White blossom on black twigs, with a scrap of snow left under it.

    Heat and harvest 12

    • as a storm wind strips the roof tiles Diagonal rain, a sleeve across the face, tiles in the air.
    • as the persimmons ripen on bare branches Orange fruit on black twigs against a white sky.
    • at harvest, with sheaves drying on racks Gold racks in rows across cut fields, and long evening shadows.
    • at the autumn market, when the roads are crowded Baskets, carrying poles and elbows. The figure is a still point.
    • in the dry weeks, when the well rope grows longer A bucket coming up half full.
    • in the long heat, with cicadas loud in every tree White sun, short shadows, and a fan that never stops.
    • on a morning of dragonflies over the stubble Red darts above cut straw. Keep them tiny and many.
    • on a night of fireflies along the canal Dots of pale green on deep blue. Light the face from below.
    • on the hottest night, with every screen in the house open Rooms seen straight through to the garden, one after another.
    • on the night of the harvest moon A full moon low over cut fields, and one figure on a veranda.
    • under red maples at the temple gate Red leaves above and a few on the steps. Dress the figure in a dull color.
    • when the first cold wind comes down from the hills Leaves streaming sideways, and a hand holding a hat on.

    Frost and the new year 12

    • as the first plum buds show under snow A dot of pink in a white picture.
    • as the year's accounts fall due A ledger, a brush, and a line of people at the gate.
    • at the new year, with pine at every gate Green pine in pairs at the gateposts, and the street swept clean.
    • in a week of clear cold, with the mountain sharp One white peak, drawn with a hard edge above soft roofs.
    • in deep snow, with the pass closed until spring Roofs under thick white caps, and one trodden path between doors.
    • in the thaw, with every eave dripping Drops caught mid-fall along a roof edge, and holes in the snow below.
    • on a windless morning of hoarfrost Every twig outlined in white. Use the paper for it.
    • on the coldest night, with the well frozen over A bucket standing on ice, and a kettle carried out to it.
    • on the night of the first frost White edges on every roof tile, and breath showing.
    • on the shortest day, with the lamps lit by mid-afternoon A row of yellow paper windows in blue dusk.
    • when the moat freezes for the first time in years Children sliding, and a guard pretending not to see.
    • while the charcoal runs low and the snow keeps on Hands held over a brazier with three coals in it.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09 from public sources, not by members of the culture it describes. Made up for this list: moments of the year written as something to see. Read in English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-10-09: cherry trees bloom across Japan between late March and early May (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami); the rainy season falls in late spring and early summer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_rainy_season); pine decorations are put at gates for the New Year (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadomatsu). The other entries describe weather and farm work in general terms and state nothing about a real place or date. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    How it works

    These samurai character ideas come in five parts: a rank and whether there is a lord, the duty that weighs on them, something they carry besides the swords, a habit off duty and the season the story opens in.

    Read the full guide

    Start with who they serve

    A samurai was a warrior who served a lord, and one with no lord was a ronin. The first list has both: a karo, house elder to a daimyo of nineteen, and a ronin who teaches village children to read. Under the long peace many samurai worked as officials and teachers, so most of these characters hold a brush more often than a sword.

    Draw the small thing, not the armor

    Samurai wore a long and a short sword as a pair, and every picture has those. What sets one character apart is the rest: an inro with a carved frog for a netsuke, a child's wooden top, never explained. Put it where the hand goes.

    • Let the season choose the palette: pink on dark water for cherry petals, white paper left bare for hoarfrost.

    Questions and answers

    What is the difference between a samurai and a ronin?

    A samurai served a lord as a retainer. A ronin was a samurai with no lord or master, after the lord died or the samurai lost his favor. Twelve entries in the first list are masterless or on the road.

    What did a samurai carry besides swords?

    Traditional dress had no pockets, so small things hung from the sash in a case called an inro, held by a carved toggle, the netsuke. The third list has a writing set, a folding fan and a bamboo flute among its thirty-six things.

    Are these real people or characters from a film or game?

    No. Every part was made up for this page. No real lord, clan, castle or battle is named, and no character from a film, a comic or a game is used.

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