The Japanese Samurai

1. The Japanese Samurai Making Inferences based on facts about the Samurai Warriors of Japan

2. Effect of population density on limited resources today • When you have a high population density items of value are often rationed to limit consumption. • Ex: if we were running out of gas for our cars, people would be limited in how much gas they could buy. • As a result, education (a valuable resource) is limited to students who qualify in Japan. • Ex: Mandatory education stops after 9th grade and Japanese students need to take entrance examinations to go on to high school or they enter the work force. • With so much focus on discipline and hard work, what do you think Japanese schools are like? Sources: https://www.tokyo-icc.jp/guide_eng/educ/01.html https://www.tofugu.com/japan/japanese-cram-school/

3. Fact # 1 A Samurai’s foremost allegiance (1st Obligation) was to his feudal lord, taking precedence over his duties to his family. Possible Inferences: 1. Feudal obligations were VERY important if a Samurai had to be loyal to his lord over his own family! 2. Duties such as Honor, obedience to authority, and loyalty were important values in Japanese society. 3. Duty was more important than LOVE. Keep your emotions in check – emotion is #2 (Duty is #1) 4. The home needed its own defense if Samurai away.

4. Fact #2: The Samurai understood the meaning of “death before dishonor” and preferred suicide to capture by an enemy. Possible Inferences: • A Samurai could not live without his/her honor. Pride and honor were values that a Samurai would die for. • Win or die mentality: took great discipline (control over one’s actions) to fight hard and serious all the time. Each battle meant death or victory. • Not afraid to die – fearlessness gives them and edge.

5. The Bushido Code The Code of Bushido was a code of behavior - the “way of the warrior” for the Japanese Samurai. It had 7 Guiding Principles that Samurai warriors had to follow: • CHU – Duty & Loyalty • GI – Justice & Morality • MAKOTO – Complete Sincerity • REI – Polite Courtesy • JIN – Compassion • YU – Heroic Courage • MEIYO - Honor

6. Both Japan and Medieval Europe lived under a system of Feudalism that was very similar to each other. • A Comparison between a Samurai and European Knight Similarities: • Lived by a code of honor. • Trained from childhood. • Wore heavy armor. • Rode horses. • Elite Warriors. A Difference: Death before dishonor was a Samurai value from the Bushido Code.

7. Death Before Dishonor! In this picture a Samurai commits Seppuku (or Harakiri) – a ritual suicide to save his honor. Pictured: the Samurai standing with a sword is his “second” – should the suicidal Samurai Hesitate or “weaken” in any way his second was to cut off his head to “save his honor.”

8. Fact #3: Over time, Samurai changed their tactics (strategy) and arms (weapons). For Ex: in their first battle with the Mongols, they expected to fight man to man, but the Mongols advanced in columns and rows (fighting as a team). In later battles with the Mongols the Samurai also advanced in groups. Possible Inferences: • 1. Very adaptable: willing to change ways. • 2. Not too proud to learn something new.

9. Samurai vs. The Mongols In this picture Mongol archers “pick off” and individual mounted Samurai Warrior – an act considered dishonorable by the Samurai who preferred one on one combat between equally matched opponents.

10. Fact #4 Samurai Women – wives and daughters – were expected to observe the same strict code as the men (Bushido). Some women were highly skilled in martial (combat) arts and fought on the battlefield! Possible Inference: • 1. Women had a high social status as Samurai (no foot binding in Japan!) • 2. Skill was more important than gender. • 3. Tradition might limit action (no foot binding BUT you would be limited by the code of Bushido – you could not do whatever you wanted – family honor #1).

11. Women could fight as Warriors • Tomoe Gosen, a Female Samurai (on left) assisted her lord in (Yoshinaka) in defending himself against enemy forces in a Civil War. During the Battle of Awazuon February 21, 1184, she rode into the enemy forces, flung herself on their strongest warrior, unhorsed, pinned, and decapitatedhim.

12. Fact #5: The Samurai were also very talented a the nonmilitary arts, particularly in later centuries. They practiced arts such as poetry (Haiku & Haiga), calligraphy, painting and flower arrangements. Possible Inferences: • 1. Well rounded warriors – not just trained to kill – but disciplined in the “fine arts.” • 2. Samurai needed patience & had to be mentally tough.

13. Calligraphy: The art of Handwriting, Japanese artists emulated the tradition of writing beautiful lines over a painting. Flower arrangement: Ikebana

14. Haiga: a Japanese form of poetry. Haiga is a poetry blended with a picture that tells about a profound observation of life, living, and the world.