Sepuku War Essay

In school, they learned of the Kendo, which is fencing with bamboo sticks, the moral code of the samurai, and their religion, Zen Buddhism. Their code of conduct, the Bushido, demanded that a samurai must hold his loyalty, courage, honesty, compassion, and honor. According to The Way of the Samurai by Yamaga Soko, “Within his [samurai] heart he keeps to the ways of peace, but without he keeps his weapons ready for use.” As stated before, samurais have a much lighter armor. This is mainly due to They have an opening on their right arm in order for them to draw their bows faster and

The codes of the samurai and knights, the code of bushido and the code of chivalry, are very different. For starters, the main characteristics of the code of bushido are loyalty, duty, and physical readiness. A samurai would have to have loyalty and he was devoting himself to duty (OI). Next, The main characteristic of the code of chivalry is courtesy (Doc. E). The code of chivalry was written first, and the difference in years between the codes are 130 years. If a conflict between dealing with a family problem and one involving involving the people he serves, the samurai would have to choose his master (Doc. E). The main similarities between them are loyalty and their duty.

The term ‘Bushido’ has over the years developed from the traditional translation of ‘the Way of the Warrior’ towards the more modern notion of a “national spirit of Japan, especially the military spirit.” This paper will analyse the impacts that various religious traditions such as Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism have had on shaping the classical ideals of the bushido code and the influences that the bushido code played on the actions of the kamikaze fighter pilots during World War II.

Document A shows the feudal social structures in both Japan and Europe. When defining samurai and knights it read, “Warriors who owned loyalty and military service to daimyos or lord for land,” both samurai and knights were awarded for their pledged loyalty with land for them and their families. Document E states that “both samurai and knights were both expected to abide by a code of honor.” Although the honor code that Japanese warriors followed was different than the one of the European knights, they had the same general idea. A warrior had to be honest, loyal, and just and if they ever ignored or dishonored their duty as a warrior then it would bring shame, not only on them but their whole

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

The samurai were a powerful warrior class in Japan, and were very skilled with a sword. Samurai used swords and were trained very well to do many things such as fire a bow while on horseback. The samurai practiced Buddhism, which is a religion that taught people to respect the world to reach enlightenment. When the samurai disobeyed The Bushido Code, they committed Seppuku, which is ritual suicide for the samurai. Japanese culture was influenced by the samurai warrior class.

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.

In, document D - The Way of the Samurai, 1600’s: it talks about the code of Bushido and Chivalry. It says (paragraph 1) “ Outwardly he stands in physical readiness for any call to service in inwardly he strives to fulfill the Way….” this shows just how honorable a samurai could be. In Europe it was just the same (paragraph 2) it states “give mercy in those who ask for it” These similarities are significant because loyalty between the two, shows how much they trust each other. Without this trust and loyalty , these countries would be

In medieval Europe and Japan there were warriors called samurai and knights that protected their region (Doc. 1). The samurai fought in Japan and knights fought in Europe (Doc. 1). Knights were famous for riding on horseback but the samurai would ride too (Doc.1). Samurai were mainly famous for their karate skills and acrobatic moves (Doc. C). One key characteristic for both the samurai and knights was that they were both loyal (Doc. E). They had to be because they played a big part in feudalism (Doc. A). Both warriors had a code that they abided (Doc. E). Bushido was the code for the samurai and Chivalry for the knights (Doc. E). The samurai and knights were great warriors who fought from 1000 AD to 1600 CE an their similarities are greater than their differences.

People say samurais are very well disciplined because of Bushido, and it is true. Bushido was the rule of the samurai code. Samurais were expected to live disciplined lives. In source 4, “The business of the samurai consists...in discharging loyal service to his master if he has one, in deepening his fidelity in associations with friends, and ...in devoting himself to duty above all” (Source 5). This statement can mean that samurais had to be devoted to being a samurai no matter what. Which meant staying true to all the rules. Also this is important because, not only did they have to be loyal to their duty, but also loyal to their friends and family. It can also be said,

The code of Bushido consist that the samurai must obey his master at all times. If someone goes against these moral principles the samurai has to punish them. A samurai puts his duty above all else and his association with friends. The code makes an unavoidably obligation between father and child, older and younger brother, husband and wife [Document E].

The purpose of samurai and knight is to protect their people. The knights and samurais each have different teachings. Loyalty towards the feudal lord in Japan was hereditary. Service of a feudal lord passed from father to son, so that the relations of lord and a samurai existed between many families for man generations. This arrangement was also a voluntary one, in that there was no legal contract between the two parties The European feudal contract, which was a legal document spelling out the obligations of lord and vassals respectively, never existed in Japan. However, it really began to develop around the 10th century in Europe. In a one-on-one battle, a samurai would win because of their training, armor, and beliefs about death. The first way that samurais were superior in battles trough

The samurai were a warrior class in feudal Japan who served the lords of clans in Japanese feudal society. They were highly respected elite warriors in both grand military strategy and individual martial arts. The warrior code that they embodied and the myth of the samurai warrior are still alive in modern Japan today. In his book American Samurai: Myth and Imagination in the Conduct of Battle in the First Marine Division 1941-1951, Craig Cameron draws parallels between the United States Marine Corps and the feudal Japanese samurai. Writing from a post-Vietnam view, Cameron

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

For seven centuries, the samurai ruled Japan as the powerful warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they led society in feudal Japan. The loyalty to his lord was much more important than his allegiance to his friends, family and even the emperor. Their philosophy was one liberated him from fear, and for these reasons, the samurai came to be the dominate force throughout medieval Japan.