An Indepth Look at Warfare in Medieval Japan in Joseph Conlans' State of War; The Violent Order of Fourteenth Century Japan

The Warrior class were part of the social class in Japan that included Shoguns, Daimyos and Samurais. The Shoguns would rule the Daimyos, who had control over the Samurais. Japan’s warrior class led to a lasting effect, enhanced weapons and effect on the social class which led to the alteration of the warrior class’ roles.

The young warriors were taught to sacrifice everything for the emperor or lord. In Japan, the emperor represented the laws and the state and was considered divine. Loyalty was an ethical demand stemming from this political theory. A samurai was obligated to appeal to the wisdom of his lord by committing seppuku.

Under the daimyos, warfare changed from heroic combat to a more modern conflict. The constant state of war damaged the Japanese economy and because of that, some peasants engaged in futile rebellions against

Loyalty and honor are of the highest value in the eyes of the samurai. This is a statement that many scholars and young educated persons believe to be true on the basis of assumption. Thomas Conlan challenges this preconceived notion of loyalty and honor in his book State of War by piecing together a much more difficult and situationally based definition of loyalty which differed depending on the samurai and by observing how times of war and hardship truly challenged an individual’s sense of honor.

In Giles Milton’s novel, Samurai William, the reader is taken to the other side of the globe to experience the history of old world Japan. Though out the book, Milton provides reason for complex historical events and actions, while still communicating the subtleties and mysterious customs of the Japanese. The novel also closely examines the wide range of relationships between different groups of Europeans and Asians, predominantly revolving around the protagonist, William Adams. The book documents the successes and failures that occur between the two civilizations, then links them back to either the positive or negative relationship they have. As the book goes on, the correlation is obvious. Milton shows us the extreme role that religion,

From approximately 1000 C.E. to 1600 C. E. The system of feudalism was dominating both Europe and Asia. Lords would give land to warriors in exchange for military services. In Europe, these warriors were called knights, and halfway across the world, in Japan, the warriors were called samurai (Doc. 1). Both the samurai and the knights used feudalism, and both had a code that they followed. Between the codes, feudalism, and even how they prepared for battle, the warrior’s similarities were, without a doubt, greater than their differences.

This essay will compare and contrast the Japanese emperor to European pope and Japanese peasants to European peasants.

Japan is 5,313 miles away from Europe, could it be possible that they have many similarities? Knights and samurai are similar, but some may say that they had different code of honors and different religions and weapons, but this may not be the truth. Samurai and knights had similar views of death, similar codes of honor, and similar training methods. This essay is the real evidence.

Knights and Samurai are Far More Alike than They are Different Europe and Japan are 5,313 miles away from one another and their warriors at the time were very similar. The similarities between the two started out by both empires falling and then they both developed feudalism. I think it’s crazy that they two empires so far apart can be so similar, not only their empires but those who protect them. In this essay I will discuss the feudal system,military similarities, and their feelings about death.

Imagine, more than thousands of years ago a class of professional warriors arose, who swore oaths of loyalty to noble lords and fought to the death to defend them in battle. The time was about 1000-1400 CE (Doc. 1). Both Europe and Japan have feudalistic societies at this point in time (Doc. A).

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese and Japanese faced much internal conflict, but while China faced a combination of economic setbacks and political weakness, the Japanese were riddled with wars along their countryside. First, the Chinese emperor was too weak in comparison to his bureaucracy, which ended up making most of the decisions for the last Ming dynasty emperor. This was due to the emperor’s realization that having a title as Son

Feudal Japan was a time in Japanese history that lasted from 1185 to 1603 A.D. This influential time included the rise of the bakufu, or tent government, and rule by shōgun. It also included many wars, battles, and introductions of new weapons, ideas, or religions from foreign places. The mentioned introductions included firearms, Buddhism, and Christianity.

Heike Monogatari, with its multitude of battles and skirmishes, provides a wonderful chance to analyze the way of the warrior in ancient Japan. There aren't a great number of surviving works from this period that show in such great detail both the brute and the compassion of the Japanese warriors. They followed carefully a distinct set of principles which made up the well-rounded warrior. Loyalty to one's master, bravery and glory in any situation, strength, martial skills, compassion, and interest in the arts were all held with the highest esteem. Few warriors could become well known without possessing each of these skills. Religious beliefs shaped a warrior's behavior tremendously.

The Japanese people, although of different classes, are united by a fierce pride for self and culture. Although many of the samurai are starving and poor, they are too proud to beg for food, or even accept it as payment for services rendered. Some of the samurai who refuse to help the village do so because they are too proud to work for such a lowly cause. The farmers’ pride in their village is seen through their efforts to defend their village and livelihood in the face of the bandits. This pride is even more evident as those farmers who live outside the protective wall built around the village for the battle attempt to mutiny against the samurai and defend only their homes.

Though worldwide economic depression incited the rise of Japan’s militarism, another factor that caused the militarism was that western threat to sign unequal treaties in the 1850s before the Restoration. (Pyle, 82) At the time of the West’s imperialism, Japan had lots of diplomatic disadvantages because of the West’s unequal treaties. These facts taught Japanese the realities of power politics that strong military force is necessary to strengthen the country and to enrich the colonial success. Therefore, Japan strongly advocated militarism and imperialism and practiced the West’s same imperialistic force to Asian countries such as China, Japan and Russia.