The Samurai's Influence On Japanese Culture

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.

Throughout the years, both Japan and Europe turned into a Chaotic mess, around the same time. In the late 400’s the Roman empire had fallen, leaving Divided and weekend kingdoms. On the other side of the world, Japan was having some similar issues. The Japanese emperors and the Imperial Court we're both challenged by the rise of Clans. Despite religion, Samurai and knights are more similar than different.

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.

Samurai and Knights DBQ From approximately 1000 - 1600 CE, a class of warriors arose, they swore oaths of loyalty and they fought for their kings to keep them safe. These warriors were called the Samurai and Knights. The Samurai fought for the Japanese and the Knights fought for Europe. They are both warriors fighting for their people.

And according to Document E, the samurai’s duty is to be held above all, this shows that being a samurai comes with great responsibility and determination. The values that the samurai obeyed were very important because it helped give them a sense of morality/correct conduct and it helped them stay at such a high status since samurais were on the upper section of the hierarchy. Based on source C, when comparing the two we can see that their training starts very differently. For samurais, they had a combination of physical training, poetry, and spiritual discipline (Confucianism and Zen (禅)

Cecilio Sandoval                                                                                                                  3-3-17  Per. 4-5                                                                                                                  Mr.Montemayor           Samurais and Knights         Have you ever wondered who was a better warrior between a samurai and a knight. You might be thinking well..aren’t they the same thing? No, a samurai is not the same because for example a samurai is a strong warrior who gives military service and loyalty the their master in Japan and a knight is also a strong warrior who gives military service and loyalty the their master but in Europe.

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 Meiji period played a important role in Japan. The Meiji period was an important part of Japan’s changing western ways. According to the book The Meiji Restoration was a period of pollical and social revolution in Japan. Japan chose to remake themselves through

Knights and samurai are very similar. They were warriors during the age of feudalism who protected and were loyal to their lord. But while they are incredibly similar, who would win in a battle? However despite these similarities, in a one, in a one one one fight, the advantage would go to the samurai since their armor, code, and training are superior to that of the knights.

Samurai and Knights: Were the Similarities Greater Than the Differences? Japan and Europe had unique lifestyles, one part being its military. It consisted of archers, who wielded bows and skilled swordsmen, called samurai. In Europe however, their military consisted of archers and swordsmen called knights. These two military figures share many similarities between each other, outweighing the differences.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi impacted Japanese government in many ways. He acknowledged that an unstable peace and constant uncertainly had led to the practice of samurai farming and peasants to take up arms. To combat this, he issued decrees that defined the social status and duties of all Japanese. He banned everyone from having weapons besides samurai. Samurai were ordered back to towns.

The Kamakura period, which saw the emergence of samurai as a specific class, began the practices and code of samurai. Seppuku, a form of ritual suicide and one of the more widely known samurai practices, also developed during this time (Pletcher). The Kamakura period brought the concept of feudalism to Japan and established the rank of shogun: the military leader of Japan. The shift to a military government was reasoning behind the samurai class and evident through the loyal and honorable, yet stoic and disciplined, culture of this time (“Kamakura Period”). The bushido code faced much outside influence, but core emphasis was placed on living frugally, upholding honor, and honing athletic and mental strength in order to remain fearless during battle.

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.

(Carrol) Japan was very traditional during the Tokugawa Shogunate; there were a number of changes under the shogun rule in Japan which were very similar to those seen in the industrial revolution in England. The shogun also tried to close japan to western influence, by prohibiting things such as Christianity

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.