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Samurai and knights:were the similarities greater than the differences
Samurai and knights:were the similarities greater than the differences
Samurai and knights:were the similarities greater than the differences
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Do you think the samurai and knights have more similarities than differences? Samurai and knights were two societies that lived about one thousand years ago. Samurai lived in Europe and knights lived in Japan. They both faced many problems throughout their battle. Critics would say that samurai and knights have more similarities than differences, however they actually had more differences than similarities. They had many differences throughout their lives. Some of their differences were between military training and warfare.
To start off, military training caused many differences for samurai and knights. According to Document C, in “Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire,” and “Warrior Challenge,” it states, “At about age 14 trainees officially became samurai...he would usually become a knight around the age of 21.” Based on this information, the young samurai became an official at age 21. Unlike the young knights that became official at age 21. The knights went through a long process of training, which helped them
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According to Document D, “Armor of Medieval Warriors,” it states, “Samurai did not wear armor on their right arm, so they could easily draw their bow.” This information explains, that there’s two kinds of warfare, projectile and shock. The samurai used projectile warfare, which is shooting or throwing arrows, javelins, and bullets. While the knights used shock warfare, striking the enemy with weapons like swords, lances, or axes. In war, samurai didn’t cover their one arm, so they could throw and shoot easily. Based on Document C, “Europe Background Info,” it states, “An oldie, but a goodie. Half spear, half axe, all dangerous.” This explains that the knights used shock warfare. While the samurai used projectile. The knights contained heavier armor than the samurai, which is heavier and more protective in battle. While the samurai had lighter armor, which wasn’t as protective in
In the book Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan, Karl Friday focuses on war in early medieval Japan. A central thesis could be the political primacy of the imperial court. (Lamers 2005) This is the tenth through fourteenth centuries, before the samurai became prominent in Japan and were trying to form themselves into more of what we think of them today. Friday focuses on five aspects of war in his book; they are the meaning of war, the organization of war, the tools of war, the science of war, and the culture of war.
Even though knights and samurai have many similarities, they have their differences. Knight’s armor and weapons were different. The knights also had different training. Lastly, they followed different codes. The little differences that set knights and samurai apart give knights an advantage in a one on one
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, 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 horses which slowed them down a whole lot.
In The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, a young man is thrown from his established world, left in a new, confusing realm that holds more than meets the eye. In the midst of a violent and ferocious war between the Chinese and Japanese in mid 1937, this young man, Stephen, contracts tuberculosis, and is sent to his family’s summer house in Japan. There he meets the house’s caretaker, Matsu, a simple and reserved man who holds back all but the most necessary speech. This meeting will come to define many of Stephen’s interactions with others throughout the novel: reserved and limited. In this odd land filled with subtle secrets and unspoken uncomfortability, Stephen is prepared for a very quiet and restful period, marked with healing and growth.
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
As can be seen above, European knights and Japanese Samurais shared lots of differences including training, armor, weaponry, true values and rules. This is because they both came from different countries, and have different lifestyles, cultures, and religions, which influenced them to develop
The Kokoda Battle occurred from the 21st July 1942 to 16th November in 1942, during World War II. It was a campaign which resulted in an aggressive fight between the Japanese and the Allies. I believe that, based on my research, the Kokoda Battle in World War II was a significant battle for Australians to a great extent. I believe this for three reasons: firstly, the battle was culturally significant to Australia: secondly, the battle was strategically significant to Australia: and thirdly, the battle was of military significance to Australia. I will argue that these reasons are three strong reasons.
The Samurai is often confused with the ninja but they are not the same thing. To be a samurai you had to be born into a Samurai family and were trained highly. The Samurai’s job was to serve the shog...
When discussing the origin of the Samurai, an important time in history for their beginning can be seen in the formation of a Feudal System in early Japan. In 646 AD, Emperor Tenji enacted the Taika Reform. This reform allowed the aristocracy to adopt Chinese-Style political structures, bureaucracy, and culture (Farris). Basically, this allowed land to be redistributed among the people and while new taxes were formed. This was because more income was needed to support the newly adopted Chinese style empire. Due to these reforms, many peasants had to sell their land and work as farmers for other people while people who actually owned land were able to gain wealth and power. This resulted in the formation of a feudal system. This system was similar to that of medieval Europe and contributed to the rise of the Samurai social class.
Japan lasted from 1185-1603. During that time Japan had emperors, shoguns, daimyos, samurai, and peasants who were all apart of a social class, and all together it was called the Samurai Society. The emperor was just a figurehead for the shogun. The shogun was a powerful military leader that ruled in the emperor’s name. Daimyo were powerful landlords. The daimyo often led armies of samurai. These samurai were trained professional warriors who served daimyo and shoguns. The samurai had to follow a certain code of rules for samurai called Bushido. One of their rules included to always have self-discipline to become a good samurai. The samurai warriors wore light armor, helmets (usually shaped like an animal), and had two swords around their waist. Their armor had a lot of detail and color to it, like their unique helmets. After the samurai comes the peasants, which included farmers and fishermen. They usually always work, then pay takes to the shogun. They usually gave the shogun what they earned from working like food or crops. What made their jobs a bit difficult was their topography. Japan’s topography included many mountains, undersea volcanoes, and barely any flat land to farm on. The Japanese didn’t only work they also practiced their religion. For example, they practiced Confucianism, Buddhism (...
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.
According to Document C “Japan Memoirs of a Secret Empire”, talks about how the samurai and knights both started training at a young ages. The knights started training at ages 4-5 a little earlier than the Samurai who started training at 6-7. The Samurai training only lasted until they were 14 unlike the knights whose training lasted until they were 21. Although, the samurai training was shorter they still covered all the important areas. They also had similar armor and both consisted of metal. The samurai had a little bit more movement in their arms, but the armor was used for the same reasons, protection. Document D by Terry Bennett says, “Samurai did not wear armor on their right arm so they could easily draw their bow.” These similarities were significant because without these things both classes would lose the battle every time, and if they didn’t have armor they would get killed, and these similarities is one of the reasons the two groups are so alike. Both of the classes were so a like that’s it’s hard to acknowledge their
“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.
I believe we can all agree that Japanese samurais and European knights are two of the most skilled and famous forms of warriors in history, right? Well both warriors began their trade at a very young age, and went through multiple stages of training throughout their lives. They both had a code of honor basically, but they differed from one another in quite a few ways. The big question is, “Were the similarities greater than the differences?”. Right off the bat I began to ponder the technicalities of the answer to this question. Before I get too scrambled up in the technicalities, let’s discuss some these differences and the similarities and figure out how this plays out. Before we conduct this discussion, let’s review our key terms. A clan is a group of close-knit and interrelated families. Feudalism was a political and economic system that flourished in Europe from the 9th to the 15th century, based on higher classes giving random services and items in exchange for something else. Knights were men who served their lord as a mounted soldier in armor. Samurai’s were members of a powerful military social class in feudal Japan. A shogun was a hereditary commander-in-chief in feudal Japan. Chivalry was the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. Bushido was the code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai.