How 19th-century samurai swordsmen became 'Knights of the Bushido'

A text, which was used by a martial arts school to teach members of the bushi (samurai) class, has been deciphered.

The text- called Bugei no jo- reveals the rules samurai were expected to follow and what it took to truly become a master swordsman, Fox News reported.

The text dated to the 15th year of Tenpo (1844), is believed to be written for samurai students about to learn Takenouchi-ryu, a martial arts system.

A part of the text reads in translation: "These techniques of the sword, born in the age of the gods, had been handed down through divine transmission. They form a tradition revered by the world, but its magnificence manifests itself only when one's knowledge is ripe.

They further read: "When [knowledge] is mature, the mind forgets about the hand, the hand forgets about the sword."

The text, which was originally published by scholars in 1982 in its original language, in a volume of the book 'Nihon budo taikei', includes quotes written by ancient Chinese military masters and is written in a formal kanbun style, a system that combines elements of Japanese and Chinese writing.

It also sets out 12 rules that members of theTakenouchi-ryu school were expected to follow.

According to analyst Balazs Szabo, the text offers only a faint glimpse at the secret techniques the students would have learned at this school.