Misconceptions between Samurai’s of Japan and the Knights of Medieval Europe

The Knights of Europe and the Samurai of Japan shared quite a few similarities; however, they do also share many differences. One such similarity would be that both the Knights and the Samurais were brave, strong, and loyal to their cause, especially due to both of their trainings starting at a very young age. An example of a difference would be the samurais having a much lighter armor than knights. This allowed for a more agile army. They also ascended to their titles at separate ages, with samurais being at a mere 14 years of age, and knights being 21.

Imagine a knight, jousting in an arena in Europe during the Middle Ages. Surprisingly, across the world during approximately the same time period, samurai warriors fought in Japan. During the time period, 1000 to 1600 CE, the samurai and knights fought in battle in many different ways. Many differences between the samurai and knights included codes, armor, training, and religions. Without a doubt, the differences between the samurai and the knight overshadow the similarities.

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

The samurai had an unwritten code of honor called the bushido. Bushido means “way of the warrior” (History of the Samurai 3). This provided them with a code to help show them how to live and conduct themselves at home and in battle. One of the most important duties of the samurai was their loyalty to their lord. The samurai would defend their lord until the death. Revenge was also central in the samurai’s

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

The first reason why the differences are greater than the similarities is because of the social order in feudal Japan and Europe. ”Historians and other scholars use social pyramids to show how societies were structured” (Document A). The samurai owned loyalty and military service to daimyo 's for land or regular payment while on the other hand knights owned loyalty and military service to the lords. Another difference about samurais and knights was the population. Samurai with families took about 10% of Japan 's population and in Europe, there was estimated 12,000 knights in England and Normany France in the 12th century. One more difference is that there are four people above the knight in the social order but only three for samurai.

The entire Japanese culture is based on honor. Honor extends to the nation, the family, and the individual. The samurai are no exception to a code of honor. The samurai follow the code of bushido. Bushido is closer to the western term of chivalry. Bushido places emphasis on courage, benevolence, justice, politeness, truthfulness, honor, loyalty, and most importantly is self-control. The samurai's primary religion is Zen. The samurai adapted Zen easily due to the philosophy that fits closely to Buddhism. Samurai may act in the extreme when it comes to honor. They will kill anyone who may dishonor them or their lord. Nothing is worse to a samurai than to have corrupt dealings. Some of the warriors believed, "Honor is the power of deciding upon certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering … to die when it is right to die, to strike when to strike is right." Other warriors believed that "Honor is the bone that gives firmness and stature. As without bones the head cannot rest on top of the spine, nor hands move, nor feet stand, so without honor neither talent nor learning can make of a human frame a

Likewise, knights wore “complete suits of plate armor, constructed from metal...wore helmets, gloves, and shoes of steel...a knight’s armor could weigh 40 to 60 pounds.” (Document D) Both samurais and European knights were protected by a heavy armor out of metal in battle; it can be inferred that both Japan and Europe found importance in protecting their warriors looking from the stringency of armor and protection. The reason for protecting their warriors would be due to the myriad of battles feudal Japan and Europe would have had to carry out. To ensure success in battle, they would’ve made further technological advances such as protective armor, ensuring better performance when battling. By protecting the warriors using this effective armor, both Japan and Europe would’ve been able to attain more as a whole and advance as a civilization - a common achievement carried out as well. Despite the many differences between Japanese samurais and European knights, the similarities outweighed these differences due to the homologous elements in their position in hierarchy and the use of protective armor in battle, leading to the success in both Japan and

According to documents and history , around 1,000 years ago there were two different societies, in two different parts of the world that had warriors with differences. During these times, there was an emperor and a king ruling their empire/kingdom. They both had warriors they would send out into the felids. These warriors were from Japan and Europe. Japan warriors were called samurai (class warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble in return for land) and Europe warriors were called knights(a noble warrior who fought on horseback in the Middle Ages). Samurai and Knight are more different than similar in three broad areas, training,armor. and their view of death.

Can you imagine a world without protection.In this essay we will discuss the differences and similarities between Knights and samurai.These are the three differences I'm going to talk about religious practices,views of women, and types of armor.

You are a child at the age of 17 being trained by your master. He has taught you many things. Soon you will become a samurai. How do you feel about becoming part of the Japanese army? The time of the knights and the samurai took place at the same time. These people served for their country to help provide protection from enemy armies. They both developed feudalism to keep the land in order. The three ways that the knights and the samurai are more different than the same are: Their code of honor, their type of armor, and their training.

In document D, written by the DBQ Project, it states “Not only was their entire body covered… even horses wore armor.” This shows that a knight could win in a battle because they were completely covered in protection. They wore helmets, gloves, and shoes made from steel. This was helpful because they wouldn’t get hurt as easily. Also, their swords were shorter, much easier to move in the air, and they had amazingly sharp sides that can do some serious damage. Another piece of evidence is from the same document, which says “Samurai did not wear armor on their right arm… One disadvantage of samurai armor is that when it became wet, the silk cords absorbed water and became very heavy.” This makes it beyond difficult for the samurai to get around because most of the Earth is water, and Japan is an island. Since they didn’t wear armor on one part of their body, it is much easier for them to get hurt, especially since the knights’ swords were so advanced. The knights’ armor was better than the samurais’ for fighting in a lot of ways, but there are still other advantages that the knights might have

Iron is a type of metal, thus making the armor build almost the same. This is significant because it means that samurai and knights were probably trying to protect themselves from the same types of attacks. Samurai and knight armor was also similar because it was made in a similar way, with plates. Plates signify that fighting and self-defense were important in both societies along with protection. This is because both types of armor allowed for flexibility, which allowed a warrior to fight better while still being protected.

A long time ago during the middle ages Europe and Japan both developed a class of warriors. These warriors were called Samurai and Knights all though these two warriors had different names and they knew nothing about each other. They both had a lot of Similarities for example there social position, their training, and their honor. They also had a lot of differences but their similarities were greater than their differences. This can be show by looking at three areas document A, B, and C.

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