Compare And Contrast Samurai And Knights

Hard and soft, day and night, girl and boy. These are all differences but one that is not mentioned is samurai and knights. Japanese emperors and the imperial court was challenged by the rise of clans. Like Europe, Japan found itself in pieces. In turn, nobles trained warriors who, in exchange for farmland or food and lodging, swore to be loyal to the nobles and to defend them. The warriors from Europe were called knights. The warriors from Japan were called samurai. From 1000 to 1600 CE in Japan and Europe, samurai and knights were the muscle and the soul of the warrior class. Critics may argue samurai and knights are very similar but in reality, they have more differences. They different because of their loyalty and honor, and their training

“In samurai armor, small iron plates were tied together, lacquered, and then bound into armor plates with silk or leather cord. Samurai did not wear armor on their right arm so they could draw their bow… In response, knights began to wear complete suits of plate armor, constructed from metal. Not only was the entire body covered but knights also wore helmets, gloves, and shoes of steel.” This shows a huge difference in the samurai and knights by showing us that samurai left their right arm exposed so that they could draw a bow and hit long range targets while knight had to battle in close sword battles. The samurai armor was bound together with leather cords while the knight's armor was made of plates of iron. “The rigorous training of samurai began in childhood… At about age 14 the trainees officially became samurai… A prospective knight training began at age 4 or 5… By age 14, pages were eligible to become a squire. He would usually become a knight around age 21.” This is a pretty big difference because this means the knight had to train longer and serve another family member before becoming a knight. Samurai became a samurai at age 14 when a knight would usually become a squire.

Critics may argue samurai and knights are very similar but in reality, they have more differences. Even though critics argue that samurai and knights are more similar you can easily see they have more differences. If you went to a museum and saw knight and samurai armor you would easily be able to see the differences. They both write poetry but you can see a clear difference in the way they are both written. Although the other side believes they are more similar they are truly