Ninjas VS. samurais

1. Ninjas VS. samurais By: Vance Walker, Kara Wilson, Ashley Roofner, Rockie Skelly, Livio Collini

2. What was bushido? What does the word literally mean? What values are associated with bushido? • Bushido-Samurai’s way of life. • It was taught in early years of life. • Means way of the warrior. • Values frugality, loyalty, martial arts.

3. What was seppuku? Under what circumstances might a samurai commit seppuku? • Seppuku-when a samurai commits suicide for honor. • This is done by stabbing the lower stomach and slicing across using their sword. • Another samurai decapitates the samurai to quicken the death; therefore its not as painful. • This is done when shame or dishonor is brought upon their family or Daimyo.

4. What is the most famous story associated with samurai and seppuku? • The 47 Roman ; two Daimyos gave a high shogunate official gifts. He found them inadequate. He wanted to kill Daimyo. In a council, a man named Asano pulled his sword on the man who found the gifts inadequate he was shamed for braking the law against drawn swords in council. He had to commit seppuku. (ending his life)

5. What types of clothing and armor would a samurai typically wear? Weapons? Did these aspects of samurai life seem accurate in The Last Samurai? • They wore top knot hairstyles, kimonos (color depended on ranking) full body armor (including helmet) • They used a Katana sword (24-28in. Long). Wazikashi (12-24in. Long).

6. What aspects of the samurai in The Last Samurai do you feel were the least convincing or inaccurate? • The end of the movie was mind-boggling. In reality no one would of bowed when the last samurai commits seppuku. • The general's clothing at the end was western clothing even though he was just on the samurais side fighting against the army.

7. In The Last Samurai, there is a scene that depicts a samurai being forced to allow imperial soldiers to take his weapons and cut off his top knot. Why do you think the government ban on weapons was so humiliating and insulting to the samurai? • They were westernizing. • The biggest freedom of a samurai was to be able to carry a sword anywhere. • To humiliate them, they cut their hair knot off because that hair style symbolized their rank.

8. When did nijutsu and ninjas originate? What were the ninjas primarily used for? Who could become a ninja? • Between 1600-1900 • They used sneak missions to kill and they were very stealthy . • Men and women from any social class, most were former samurais. • A lot of women were better, for their variety of attacks.

9. In what ways was the ninja way of life different from the traditional samurai way of life? • Anyone can become a ninja. Whether you’re a peasant or samurai. • To be a samurai you MUST obtain the status to become one or be born into the family.

10. What methods of attack or techniques of attack were the ninjas primarily known for? Which of these techniques do you find to be the most interesting? • Ninja’s attacks were 100% different from a samurai. They used a variety of weapons like poison darts, spikes, ninja stars, etc. • Ninjas were sneaky and attacked at night on unsuspected targets. Samurais were more of a man to man sword fight to the death. I found the sneaky attack and variety of weapons interesting even though they were still spotted ontop of the roof.

11. Describe the ninja attack scene in The Last Samurai. Who sent the ninjas? Do you think that this scene should have been in The Last Samurai? • The government sent ninjas and the time frame was way off. • The ninjas disappeared at the end of the 1600s. This scene should not have been in the movie because it seems out of place. • This is the only ninja scene in the entire movie.

12. What aspects of the ninja attack did you find to be the most convincing or accurate? • The ninjas wore dark colors. • Dark blue not black • The ninjas used the blow darts and attacked sneakily at night to surprise the enemy.