did samurai’s ever have a honour code/ rules to live by?

by dude-at-cha
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Yes-ish. There were internal tenets within individual clans, such as the Takeda House Codes, but they didn't really resemble what we would think of as modern Bushido—that is late Edo period/Meiji period invention.

The vast majority of Samurai throughout history had no such codes of honor. They frequently disobeyed orders, betrayed their lords, were bribed, bribed others, took advantage of their wealth and prestige, raped, pillaged, razed settlements, broke promises, used corvee labor, liberally employed shinobi no mono to act as spies and saboteurs, and otherwise acted like the ruthless, cunning, extraordinarily brutal, opportunistic warmongers that most warrior castes throughout history eventually develop into.

But the samurai were especially brutal. They were not the honorable men of myth and legend. If they found the need, they wouldn't think twice about wiping out entire villages to the last man, woman, and child. Going through the known archeological sites of battles reveals that women and children often got butchered and tossed in with the rest of the dead. The Samurai were cruel, terrifying, and belligerent above and beyond measure. They were truly awe-some, in the original meaning of the word.

Historical Samurai didn't care much for our modern concept of Honor.