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Samurais or knights?
The question was, who would win in a battle? A samurai? Or a knight? Of Course they both have their advantages and disadvantages but they also both have things in common that they can't do. A samurai warrior was a member of a powerful japanese military. On the other hand a knight warrior was a man of noble birth who after a couple stages, he would be raised to honorable military rank. While knights and samurais have many similarities, in a one on one battle, the advantage would be to the samurai and this can be seen in their armor, beliefs, and their training techniques.
The first way that samurais have an advantage is with their armor. In document D written by Terry Bennett it says that the knights have pure metal on them which weighs from 40-60 pounds.not only do the knights have tons of weight , but they also put armor on their
In document F written by sir Thomas Malory it says “With great ceremony each knight took the vows of true knighthood, solemnly promising… to give mercy to those asking it…”. That would mean if the samurai were to ask for mercy in a battle, the knights would have to give mercy it else they're dishonoring knighthood which was the greatest disgrace. However it also says in the same document “A Roman Nobel would rather be killed than break an oath.” So if a samurai were to capture a knight saying to let them win a battle or they'll get killed, the knight knows he won't be able to accomplish that so now the samurai has the opportunity to kill the knight.
My claims were on how the samurai had a higher possiblity on winning a battle. Both knights and samurais are two warriors with similarities and differences. Those differences have an affect on a battle such as someone defeating the other. Over all with the samurais advantages on their armor, training, and the knights beliefs, they'll have a higher chance to win a
The first way that knights have an advantage is their armor. In document D written by the DBQ project It says that the knights sword was longer and stronger than that of the samurai. The knights would be able to fight from a farther distance, which allows them to strike the samurai without the samurai being able to hit them. Another piece of evidence that supports the claim is in document D, written by the DBQ project. It says, “Knights began to wear complete suits of plate armor, constructed from metal.” None of their body was exposed, whereas the samurai’s arms were exposed. Although armor is important, it isn't
Document C states that trainees did physical training, poetry, and spiritual discipline in school. They also studied Kendo, the moral code of the samurai, and Zen Buddhism. At age 14, the trainees officially became samurai in a ceremony called genpuku. On the other hand, knights began at age 4 or 5 with learning to ride a pony. Then, he would be sent to serve as a page to his father’s lord at age 7 or 8. There, he practiced with wooden and blunted swords. They also practiced with riding a horse and religious practice. At age 14, they could become a squire. Squires were obligated to fight other men, and help his master knight. If a squire had approval from the knight, they could become a knight themselves. This shows that knights and samurai had a similar training when they were younger. Document E proves that they had to live a similar lifestyle. Samurai followed bushido, which was the way of the samurai. Bushido said that they had to serve their master, be loyal to their friends, and devoting himself to his duty. Knights were obligated to follow chivalry, which said to do no bad deed, be loyal to the king, to give mercy to those who want it, and to be courteous to women. Therefore, samurai and knights both had similar
In conclusion, a samurai and knight are similar and different in many ways. Even though knights and samurais are similar and different, a samurai would win a one on one battle. A samurai would most likely win because of their advantages in weapons, armor, and
European knights wore armor that is made of metal. Due to the metal armor, their whole body was protected very well, and yet it was too heavy. In addition, it sometimes even limited knight’s vision and breathing ability because of the large protection of the helmet. In contrast, samurai’s armor was very light compared to the knight’s. “Samurai wore armor that is made of leather and steel laced together with silk cords.” Therefore, samurai was able to move quickly and agilely. However, samurai’s armor had less protection for their body, making them more vulnerable than knights. Their weapons had some differences as well. The primary weapons of knights were the long lance and the sword, but they also used poleaxe, dagger, and mace. The sword was always the foundational weapon of knights, whereas, the sword was not the one of the major weapons for samurais. Samurais primarily used the bow and arrow and the Yari that is, “One of the Japanese traditional blades in the form of a
”If anyone in this hall holds himself so hardy, so bold both of blood and brain, as to dare strike me one stroke for another...If any knight be so bold as to prove my words, let him come swiftly to me here, and take this weapon... Then shalt thou give me the right to deal him another, the respite of a year and a day shall he have.”(Weston 6)
Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today deriving directly and indirectly from the beliefs of the Samurai.
...th wore helmets, armor, and worked for their leader, the shoguns or daimyo for the samurai, and for the knights their lord(s). Lastly, they both had peasants. The peasants both had to pay their taxes and had no power. Feudal Japan and Feudal Europe both had a certain social class order for power and how the people lived and worked.
... As in the case of the warrior Nobutsura, whose life was spared after Kiyomori was given an account of Nobutsura’s meritorious reputation. Warriors would take time to justify why they are unable to save them from execution, as Yortiomo did with Munemori. Yoritomo elucidated “it is impossible for anyone born in this country to disregard imperial edict.” It is the actions of these warriors that exhibit characteristics of people who kill purely for duty.
Samurai and Knights had way different training and Armor. In document C it talks about when a samurai trains and when a knight trains. A samurai starts training again the age of 7, and becomes Samurai at the age of 14. A European boy learns to ride a pony at the age of 4, he would become a Page for his father at the age of 7 or 8, at the age of 14, they would be eligible to be one a squire, and then at the age of 21, you become a Knight. The Samurai and Knights armor is different from each other. The Samurai armor is full metal, but his right arm has no armor on it. A Knight's armor is made complete out of chain mail. As you can see, this is the training and Armor differences between the Samurai and
Many people often see little similarity between the country of Japan and Europe. However, there are actually several similarities between these two countries. In fact, Reischauer and Jansen note that Feudal Japan had departed so far from East Asian norms that it was more similar to medieval Europe than it was to China. Thus, the knight of Europe and the samurai of Japan despite a lack of contact with one another shared several common elements. This was a result of many similarities social and cultural influences experienced by the two distant countries.
The term samurai was first used in the 10th century and means “those who serve”. In the beginning it stood for men who guarded the capital for the Emperor, some where used as tax collectors. Later the word grew to include any military man who served a powerful landlord, almost like a police force for that time. They would go around the countryside on horseback collecting taxes from the peasants, often this was in the form of rice. This money helped the Emperor pay for his lavish life style. The word, samurai, quickly spread and was respected (and maybe feared a little) for the men it represented.
The samurai are a type of warrior class in Japan similar to the European knights. They were not only used as soldiers for combat in war but they also replaced the court government in terms of managing the local government. They pledged to keep the peace and stay loyal to their master. This is how they were used for most of history until the end of the Tokugawa period. Their rise all begins in the Kamakura period.
Do you know someone in the military? A loved one, a friend, do you know what they go through? I may not, but I do know about the harsh training and war that occurred for the Samurais and Knights. In Europe and Japan the empires were falling and Clans were taking over Japan. The government came up with an idea to create feudalism. There was an agreement in both Europe and Japan that exchanged land for protection. The similarities between Samurai and Knights were greater than the differences. This can be shown by looking at the three most similar areas: social position, training and armor, and life, honor, and death. The Samurai and Knights has their differences, but were the similarities greater than those differences.
There are many historical aspects of the Japanese, but the most interesting is the history of the Samurai. In Japans history war played a large role in the country. Controlling clans fought for parts of the land and overall control of the country. These clans were powerful families that resided in the country and who all wanted power and control of Japan for themselves. The families that would be in control were known as Shoguns. These shoguns would have warriors that fought for them if any of the other clan families would try to attack him in order to overthrow him and take his power from him. The Samurai followed a code that developed from Chinese beliefs when in battle. The Samurais code was known as the Bushido. This code was also known as “The Way of The Warrior” which was the main belief s...
...e respect, honor, and loyalty make this difference for me, but there is something to be said about the comparison. I find that the knights are very efficient, great warriors, and are very similar to samurai’s in a lot of ways. They both wear armor, they both train from a young age, and both are taught about honor, loyalty, and respect; but samurais are taught more effectively in their training, and the Japanese concepts were better. So to answer the essential question of this essay, I would say that there is certainly a large amount of similarities between the two warriors, but if you would consider the samurai’s skills that are better, or enhanced; to be differences, than I would have to conclude with no. The ‘differences’, are far too great in my opinion to say that the similarities are so great that they are almost the same, because they are very different indeed.