The samurai’s and knights were two warriors from two different civilizations from across the world, yet they had many similarities, as well as differences. To start, they both started training in their childhood and participated in spiritual practice. One difference about their training is knights learned how to ride horses and acquired great horse skills. In Document B it states, “A prospective knight’s training began at age four or five with learning to ride a pony.” Similarities in armor between the two warrior classes include the fact that both had very heavy armor. One unique difference was that samurai had their right arm without armor for flexibility while handling a bow. According to Document C, “Samurai did not wear armor on their
Samurai and knights are not identical, they do have a good amount of differences. For instance, after going through training, samurai were awarded their title and responsibilities at the age of fourteen while knights took on their full responsibilities at twenty-one. Document B points out that although loyalty was important to both Japanese and European warriors, “loyalty towards the feudal lord in Japan was hereditary” but it was not in Europe. This means that in Japan “service of a feudal lord went from father to son” so the relationship between the lord and his warrior lasted for generations. Along with that, although both groups wore full body armor, Document D states that “a knight’s armor could weigh forty
My second reason is that the knights had very strong and effective armour, whereas the samurai’s armour was always changing and was never as good as the knight’s armour, as samurai depended more on their fighting skills instead of the armour. The samurai armour was made up of several sections. The main body is called a do or cuirass, and is made from plates or lamellae (small oblong-shaped pieces of steel linked by strips of leather and covered with layers of lacquer). The helmet has a crest and a hair pommel. There is also a face mask, which would have been decorated with ugly features intended to scare the enemy. Extra protection is provided by a coverage of the neck (made of jointed metal) and shoulder guards (made from small plates laced together, with silk allowing movement). Thigh and calf guards are made from a combination of chain mail and plates. Underneath the samurai’s armour, the samurai would wear a one-piece baggy garment with a special kimono (the kimono looks a bit like a dressing gown). This did mean that the samurai would be more likely to get injured, as the armour would only offer very little protection. Samurai armour was designed to help the Samurai move comfortably and efficiently when fighting, so if a knight stabbed the samurai then the samurai would get injured and this would affect the samurai while he is fighting (the samurai would be fighting worse), and possible depending on how bad the wound is, it could kill the
In about 1000 to 1600 CE in history two warriors were made with a different name and in two different countries. “More than a thousand 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” (Overview). The two warriors were samurai and knights. Samurais were fighting for Japan in the class of military retainers of the daiyomes while across the seas the knights were fighting on horseback in Europe. To keep order in the land both regions developed a system that historians called federalism.There were more differences than similarities and here are some reasons why the differences were greater than the similarities.
The similarities between samurais and knights were greater than the differences due to the similarity in the hierarchy and the armor they used to protect themselves. The Samurai were “warriors who owed loyalty and military service to daimyos for land or regular payment.” They made up about 10% of Japan’s population. Similarly, knights were “warriors who owed loyalty and military service to the lord for land.” (Document A) There were about 12,000 knights in England and Normandy, France in the 12th century. Even though Japan and Europe had no communication or access to each other, both areas placed the warrior classes in the middle of the hierarchy and owed loyalty/military services. This shows that the social order of both Feudal Japan and Feudal
Samurai and knights, the age old question of who would win in a battle. Both warriors have been looked at as some of the best warriors to ever grace this earth. There is good evidence for both sides such as training, weapons, and armor. The knights may have good features but in battle the samurai would come out in triumph over the knights because of mental readiness and the will to fight.
The knights and samurai, the warriors who are alike in training, armor, and code, but yet different in many ways. An example of a similarity is from Document A it says,”The rigorous training of samurai began in childhood.” Like the samurai the knights started training at about the age 4 or 5 until they both would become the warriors they were supposed to be. Although they are alike they are different for example at age 14 a page boy wouldn’t become a knight, but become a squire. Were as a samurai in training would become a samurai at 14. My next example of similarity is about both their armors, which comes from Documents C and D. In Document D it says,”knight’s armor could weigh 40-60 pounds.” Also like the knights the samurai's armor could
They also both wore helmets, but the creation of guns ended the use of this armor. Samurai armor was made with very great craftsmanship. Armor is made of iron with bits of silk inside to make it comfy, but if it got wet, it would be very heavy. The helmet of the samurai usually has 8-12 plates. They also don’t have any armor on the right arm so they could draw their bow quickly. Knight armor after the chainmail became very different. They made the armor out of plate metal. This covered the whole body. Horses wore armor too! According to Document D, “Even horses wore armor. A knight’s armor could weigh 40-60 pounds.” The weight and flexibility of the armor made it very hard to move, so if a knight fell off their horse, it would be hard to get away from enemies. Both knight and samurai have codes of conducts. These codes are similar because they are thind like pledging their loyalty to their master and devoting himself to his duty. The samurai code is called Bushido and it is based on striving to fulfill The Way, and like it says
Nearly a thousand years ago, knights and samurai were the military forces in Europe and Japan. During the time period 1066 to 1868, knights and samurai formed the military society in both Japan and Europe (Doc. 2). Although it seems like they are similar, the differences between knights and samurai outweigh the similarities, such as the codes, armor, and their training.
As document C explains that at a young age both the Samurai and Knights were sent off to training in order to become the best warrior they could be. Once the children reached the age of 14 they moved up, the Japanese kids became a Samurai and the European children became a squire to have weapon training. Not only was the training of both the warriors similar, but their armor was also similar. Document D says that the Samurai’s armor was made of small iron plates and the Knight’s armor was made of chainmail. Chainmail was small metal rings linked together.
There are many similarities between the armor of the samurai and the armor of the knight, especially considering their training, code, and honor For example, Documents and B discuss how they both use fake swords for training. However knights used sticks and samurais would use bamboo instead. According to Document A,B,”There he ran errands and practiced with wooden swords”and”The young warriors studied Kendo (the art of fencing with bamboo sticks)” Another similarity in Document C and D is what the samurai's armor is made up of and what the knights armor is made up of. Although, the samurai armor is lighter and is made of iron, and the knights armor is made of steel and weighs about 40-60 lbs. Documents C,D states,”In samurai armor, small iron
Although the feudal system in Japan and Medieval Europe is different, it still share common things. The samurai (as warriors were called in Japan) and the knights (as warriors were called in Europe) shared similarities and differences between each other, even though, they did not know each other. Two of the differences are land owing and religion. In Europe, knights were given land to control in return of protection and warfare. However, the samurais were not given land to, but the daimyo (their leader) give them a place to sleep and food to eat.
The samurai and knight both were fearless and both had fascinating facts about what they did and who they were. Both were different and each had their own ways of teaching their codes, wearing different types of armor, and different techniques of training. Both the samurai and Knight had similarities in all of these facts for example in their training they both started off as a child. As they trained and grew stronger they both were eventually promoted to become a knight or a samurai and studied their religion. Some differences between the two are that the child is to become a samurai by being promoted in a ceremony called genpuku.
One way the Knights and Samurais were more different is because of their social structure. To get into detail, the social structure of the Feudal Japan was almost totally different than Feudal Europe. Feudal Japan had the Emperor at the top of the the social structure and and the top of the Feudal Europe is the Pope. That is totally different. The emperor is the ruler of great power and rank.
Let’s say you are a squire watching your knight who trains you fight a samurai because of invasion.You look at a distance and question yourself,”Are they more similar than they are different?”You look at all of their attributes to compare them both.You see more similarities than differences.They are most similar than different.
Japan is a fairly isolated place due to its island geography, but it isn’t that different from other places at this time. The type of hierarchy is similar to that of feudal Europe. At the top is an emperor. Below him are the Daimyo, which are similar to lords in Europe. They act as territorial barons. Warriors are very similar to vassals, however they are also trained for battle. Then there are the peasants that act similar to European peasants. They do most of the farming for the upper classes. There are also samurai, such as the one pictured to the right. They are very similar to knights in Europe, or even cowboys in America. Samurais are mounted fighters that usually are skilled at archery.