In a samurai’s life they had to follow a code called bushido. There were eight beliefs which made up the code of bushido. The eight beliefs where:
1. Rectitude or justice,
2. Courage,
3. Benevolence or Mercy,
4. Politeness,
5. Honesty and Sincerity,
6. Honour,
7. Loyalty, and
8. Character and self control,
The samurai were considered the warrior class of Japan. A samurai’s weapons included:
1. Katana (long sword),
2. Wakizashi (short sword),
3. Bow and arrow, and
4. Armor
A katana was a long curved sword made by a master craftsman and was carried by the samurai . The samurai’s primary weapon was a katana of self-dispense.
The elite military class warriors in japan promoted education and influenced Japanese culture of how the samurai lived
There were many similarities and differences between Samurai and Knights, but I believe that the differences are greater than the similarities, in other other words I believe that there are more similarities than differences. The Samurai were honorable warriors in Japan that were loyal to his Daimyos. The Knights were honorable warriors in Europe who were loyal to his lord. I’m going to analyze documents related to social position, training and armor, and their beliefs. To better determine if the differences are greater than the similarities.
The knight had to change their armor because of the new weapons, and for more protection the knight had changed their armor to covering their whole body so their foot, their head, and their legs. The samurai had armor that had iron scales tied together, lacquered, and then bound into armor plates with silk or leather cords.(I got my information in document D) they also had their right arm free so they can draw their bow faster. The samurai training started out with childhood school with unique combination of physical training, poetry training and spiritual training. When they were young they studied kendo the art of fencing, with bamboo sticks. The moral code of the samurai, and zen buddhism.
Throughout Europe and Japan during the middle ages both adopted the governmental system of feudalism. Europe adopted the feudal system when Rome fell, and Japan adopted the feudal system when the Han dynasty fell. They both adopted the feudal system to fill the need for a governmental system when both previous empire fell. Though Japan and Europe both adopted the feudal system they both had their own versions of the feudal system. Feudal Europe and Japan had contrasting hierarchy structures, army types (builds, training, and roles), and their armies belief systems or codes were different.
To begin, the Shogunate’s were vastly superior in weaponry as they had guns, metal swords, bows and metal tipped spears. This meant that the shogunate warriors could attack from long range or fight close up. This is compared to the Polynesian, who used wooden spears, swords, axes, sling shoots or stone clubs. These weapons were less durable and the user would need to strike at such a powerful force to do the damage that the Shogunate weapons could
In this case the Japan and Europe are being classified. The samurais and knights are more alike than different mostly because of the social positions in their communities when they are classified on the social pyramids of Japan for the Samurai and Europe for the Knight. In one of the documents I have read (Document A) it shows the Classification for Japan and Europe. The Samurai and the Knight are both classified in the middle of each pyramid underneath the Shogun and the King but above the peasants in both societies. Also in Document B with Catharina Blomberg as the source it talks about being loyal to their lords.
Japan’s rich history of power, wealth, and influence had many remarkable eras. One of the more notable periods in Japanese history was that of the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). The Tokugawa Period was talked about in Musui’s Story, an autobiographical book, written by Kokichi Katsu. (Katsu ix) Katsu wrote Musui’s Story for three main reasons: to share how he had transformed from a low-ranking samurai to a well-known hero, to show his sense of self, and to serve as a cautionary tale for his descendants.
The samurai follows his feudal lord’s orders and never disobeys him, along with knights. However, the samurai shared a greater bond between his feudal lord than a knight
From the Kamakura Period of the late twelfth century to the Meiji Restoration in the nineteenth century, the samurai have held prominent positions as noble warriors in Japanese society. They have come to be famous in modern, Western pop culture as the fierce, stoic guards of feudal Japan, but their practices and rituals extended beyond wielding katanas and donning impressive armor. Samurai practices were rich and complex, with strict codes, ritual suicide, and a history of influencing culture and politics (“Samurai”). Samurai code was influenced by traditional Japanese culture, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism. Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior,” was the code of conduct the samurai class were expected to uphold.
Many similarities and differences stood beside the Samurai and the Knights, but was there more similarities than differences between them? Samurai and Knights were both powerful warriors back then. The Samurai had lived in Feudal Japan, and knights had lived in different parts of Europe. They both had different culture ideas, and of course different language, and yet also they both had similarities of them both. These are Social positions, Military training and armor, and Code of Honor.
The societies of Tokugawa Japan (c.1603-1867C.E.) and medieval Europe (c.1000-1500C.E.) had two things in common; a feudal system. A feudal system is something that features hierarchies or social structures. The feudal system normally starts with a religion, which is at the very top of the social pyramid, then it’s the King or monarch for Europe and the shogun for Japan, then there are the nobles for Europe and the daimyos for Japan. As we go down the pyramid there are the warriors, like the knight in Europe and the samurai in Japan, then there are the peasants. The peasants were included in both eras and are at the lowest part of the pyramid.
Loyalty, respect, self-less service and integrity are the values that map the life that I lead. When in consideration of
what really fascinates me is that the samurai weren’t a rare elite force; however, they were an entire social class and they were about 10 percent of Japan’s population at that time. What really grabbed my attention is the way the dress up, they were stylish and at their time they were rock stars in their style of clothing. The samurai dressed up to move with speed, to have freedom of movement and travel. The weapons were unique
All of this leads to an impact on military, feudalistic society and Japan’s history. To commence, Samurai’s are important in Japanese history because they helped start feudalism and the Shogun’s rule. It all started when the central government had no authority over the large landowners. The Daimyo refused to pay their taxes, so when the Jurisdiction came to collect, the daimyo had this huge army of Samurais.
Bushido developed from Buddhism in the mid-1200s. Bushido was created to keep samurai calm and restrict unnecessary violence. It was the basic code of conduct for the samurai warriors. First, Bushido was needed to ensure the loyalty of the samurai to their Daimyo. Second, Bushido has been changed to fit the need of the people of Japan over time.
But also change within the military occurred with the replacement of Samurai authority. Trying to be equal competitors in world power as their Western neighbors. Japan had gotten imperialist ideas from 1853 when the U.S. black ships steamed