Similarities Between Medieval Japan And Medieval Europe

A key similarity between Medieval Europe and Shogunate Japan was the fact that both had an established feudal system. While it was established earlier in Europe (around 800s CE), Japan established their feudal system at the close of the Heian Period and the rise of the Kamakura Shogunate (around the 1100s).

The Japanese empire was in great power by this time period, and they thought themselves as the king of the East Asian race. Japan, the “old order”, also believed that some day Europe and America would take over their power and become the “new orders”(Doc A). Japan was one

From approximately 1000 A.D. to 1600 A.D, knights and samurai were both professional warrior classes in Europe and Japan(Doc.1.) Knights were warriors who fought in Medieval times in Europe and were known for their code of honor and bravery. During this same time period, in Japan, samurai warriors provided protection and fought for their regions. These two groups were the warriors both living in feudalistic societies(OI.) Although the knights and samurai were both present in the world, the differences are greater than the similarities.

For Japan and Europe, it was a time of trouble…Document “In the late 400’s both Europe and Japan created a feudal system in order to keep peace in the land. Lords acquired large estates of land. They granted some of their lands to lesser nobles, whom promised to fight when conflicts arose.” Background Essay DBQ. So where the similarities greater, or were the differences greater? The samurai and knights were more similar than different in three broad areas, social position, training and armor and the code of honor.

During the middle ages both Europe and Japan experienced feudalism. The feudal system in both social structures was very similar and different. The system of feudalism in Europe and Japan was a system that had similar roles for the nobles,and the peasants.Both cultures had warriors who defended the people of our country.They follow certain codes of honor. The feudal system has many similarities but also consisted of many differences.

Each strove to maintain a centralized government. For Japan the leader was to be called an emperor or empress who could only be a part of the royal family if they were related to the Shinto sun goddess. As for Europe, the leader was to be called a king or a queen. Like Japan, not just anybody could become royalty. Kings and queens came from a long descent of an Imperial family. Tradition was that the first born son of the king would become the next ruler following the kings death. However, if no legitimate son were born then the daughter would become queen. In Europe, the royal family and institution was usually

The 11th and 12th century was a very difficult time for Europe and Japan. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was in trouble. Decline in population, a reduction in construction, and smaller amounts of food were only some of the negative effects. In Japan, the emperor was weakening and daimyos were rising to power. Because of these hard times, both Europe and Japan created a system. In this new feudal system, Europe and Japan each had their version of a warrior. In Japan, the warriors were called samurai, and in Europe the warriors were called knights. Surprisingly, there were extremely similar elements when it came to the two fighters. But we’re the similarities greater than the differences?

Have you ever completed a puzzle? Medieval Japan and Europe were really two giant puzzles. Both of the puzzles were solved using the same cheat sheet called feudalism, Japan puzzle was solved in late 1100s’ by the first shogun, Minamoto. In Europe the Pope solved the puzzle using the feudalism cheat sheet some time before the Minimoto solved the puzzle, to better control over Europe. Each developed a warrior class that was new to the world, Europe developed the knight while, Japan created the Samurai. So were the similarities greater than the differences??? We will explore this question in three categories Social Position, Training and Armor and Honor and Death.

All of these things were found by the Japanese to be incredibly rude and insulting and they took the Europeans for barbarians. On the other hand, it was the Europeans who looked upon the Japanese as backwards in their thinking. There were incredibly complex aspects of the country. Samurais were known to test their swords on criminals by chopping their bodies to bits; casual violence was no need for alarm here. There were subtle things like how they wore long strips of silk draped around their bodies held only in place by a knotted rope; they tweezed the hairs from their faces and wore their hair in oily buns on the tops of their heads. All of these differences could have very well been the negative road block that would have stopped all progress in the relations between the two civilisations. Alessandro Valignano was quick to recognise this potential disaster. He ordered that his Jesuits live like natives to create harmony and understanding. He wrote a manual for them to follow with all the behaviours this foreign country was built upon. He also encouraged them to “think and behave as though they were Japanese, to act with dignity and stoic decorum”. In turn, the Jesuits became accustom to the way of life of the Japanese, and found themselves to be much more successful in their relationships with them. When William Adams came to the Land of the Rising sun, he was at first incredibly homesick

The major periods that shaped Japan’s history and future were the Heian-era of Aristocracy and the Kamakura period of Samurai. The Heian-era and the Kamakura period are interesting because of their differences in social structure, tradition, and culture. In the Heian era, the aristocrat’s social class was sought by many because of their social and cultural status. When the warrior rise in the Kamakura age the social classes change dramatically between aristocrat and warrior. The Heian-era (794-1191) was an age of self development in Japan’s culture and tradition. Before the Heian-era, Japan

European feudalism was based on contract and Japanese feudalism was based on personal relationship with the lord and vassal. This helps prove that the differences between European and Japanese feudalism made limited government more likely to develop in the West because a contract limits what the lords and vassals could do. William, the king of English, said, “I command you [the vassal] to summon all those who are under your charge......and bring ready with you those five knights that you owe me[.]”1 This helps prove that European feudalism was based on contract because when you owe someone something, it implies an agreement. The key terms are I command you and owe. The vassal has to send troops because he has to. He is under the rule of

Japan is an unique oriental country in many aspects, especially in politics and economy, both western practices and traditional nationalism are coexisted in this country. The period 1890-1940 was just followed the Meiji restoration, and was typical in the history of Japan, at that time, Japan was on the way from a feudal country to a capitalistic country, called modernization. Many western practices were being more and more adopted, however, at the same time, traditional rules still had strong influences in Japan. Under this background, this report will discuss the Japanese cultural factors during 1890-1940 that influenced the disclosure

The island nation of Japan, according to Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts (2016), has a rich history that largely alternates between times of imperial and military control. The Jomon period, which started in 10,000 BC, is the earliest instance of culture in Japan. This period transitioned into the Yayoi period (300 BC), which, according to Columbia University’s Dr. Heinrich (2009), featured a more advanced agricultural society. Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts (2016) continues to describe the Kofu period (300-710 AD), during which ancestors of the current Japanese imperial family founded Japan’s first unified state under the Yamato Court, and Buddhism was introduced in 552 AD. Japan’s first capital was established in Nara during the Nara Period (710-794 AD), and moved to Kyoto during the Heian Period (794-1185 AD) when noble families started ruling in the emperor’s name. During this period, Japan’s then Chinese-dominated culture was replaced by an indigenous one (Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts, 2016) described as a “great flowering of classical Japanese culture” (Heinrich, 2009, para. 6) The Kamakura Period (1185-1333 AD) saw the imperial court overthrown by the the Minamoto family, who started the Kamakura Shogunate era of rule that resulted in a “vigorous, realistic” artistic style representative of the “warrior spirit” (Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts, 2016, para. 5). The following Muromachi Period (1333-1568) was a “period of ‘warring states’” during which