Samurai vs. Ninja

1. Samurai vs. Ninja -Ashley, Ellie, Courtney, Shannon

2. Bushido • “Way of the warrior” • The code of the samurai • Justice, honor, courage, loyalty • Required to obey the daimyo even if it caused suffering to their families • Seppuku

3. Seppuku • The ritual suicide of the samurai • Samurai committed seppuku when they had unbearable shame, such as losing a battle or for capital punishment. • This ritual suicide is formed by disemboweling oneself. This consists of plunging a short blade into the abdomen and moving in a left to right motion. Another samurai would typically behead you after this.

4. 47 ronin • A story of the 47 samurai that took part in the killing of Kira, the Master of Cermonies. • Kira provokes Asano, Lord of the Samurai, and Asano attacks Kira. The shogun sees this and sentences Asano to death. • Asano’s samurai soldiers are outraged when they hear of this and learn that Kira survived. They vow to avenge their Lord’s death. • They break into Kira’s castle but do not kill those who do not oppose them. The only one they want to kill is Kira.

5. They find Kira hiding in a wooden storage hut and behead him. They took the head to their master’s grave where they wait to be arrested. • Their punishment was death, but they were permitted to perform seppuku. • Those 47 samurai were buried at Sengaku-ji temple. Their tomb is adjacent to their beloved master’s.

7. Samurai Clothing • Samurai typically wore kimonos consisting of an inner and outer layer.

8. Beneath the kimono, a loincloth (fundoshi) was worn • There were two varieties of fundoshi • A wrap that resembled a diaper • (more often worn under armor) a long piece of material worn down the front of the body, a loop slung around the neck fastened the top of the loincloth while the other end was pulled up around the other side of the abdomen and tied around the front of the lower waist with cords.

9. Foot Wear • Samurai had the option of wearing socks called Tabi • Included a space to separate the big toe from the other toes

10. Foot Wear • Footwear generally consisted of sandals (waraji) and wooden clogs (geta) Sandals were made from various sorts of material, including straw, hemp, and cotton thread. Clogs were associated with the lower classes although samurai occasionally wore them

11. Hitatare • Between the 12th and 17th century the hitatare style was popular Two piece costume with many flower design YoeiHitatare was a tighter version for under armor

12. Kamishimo • During the Edo Period the hitatare ended for the kamishimo • The kamishimo consisted of a two-peiece costume worn over the kimono • This is probably the most well known samurai dress

13. Armor

14. What types of weapons did the samurai typically use?

15. The movie The Last Samurai accurately portrayed the way of life of the samurai • They preformed acts such as seppuku • (ritual suicide) • They are required to pledge life to up holding honor • When Omura said that he was embarrassed because of the emperor chose not to build the railroads, the emperor said that if he was disgraced then he can kill himself

16. What aspects of the samurai in The Last Samurai do you feel were the least convincing or inaccurate? Explain your choices • The battle took months instead of one day • The armies were much larger • The samurai would not have accepted a westerner as fast as they did

17. 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 • Shows dishonor and shame • Makes them want to commit seppuku

18. Origin of Nijutsu & Ninjas • The oldest recorded form of Nijutsu, Togakure-ryū, is said to have originated in the 1500s. • Ninjas date back as far as the 15th century in Sengoku, or “warring states” period. • The code of the ninjas is shinobi, which means “to steal away”.

19. What were ninjas primarily used for? & Who could become a ninja? • Espionage (spies) • Sabotage • Infiltration • Assassination • Open combat Unlike the samurai, women could become ninjas.

20. Traditional Ninja Way of Life Compared to the Samurai • Ninjas did not smoke tobacco or eat strong smelling foods because the odor could be detected by enemies. • They wore disguises and tried to blend in, while samurai wore body armor and kimonos. • Some ninjas were former samurai. • Most ninjas came from farming backgrounds or were peasants. Samurai were of noble birth. • Ninjas believed in strong self-preservation and samurai strongly believed in seppuku.

21. Ninja Way of Life (cont.) • Ninjas were hired by the daimyo to do the dirty work that a samurai would not do. • Samurai had strict rules to follow, even when attacking enemies. They openly announced their opponent and would state their family lineage before attacking.

22. Methods of attack Ninjas were primarily known for: • Climbing walls using grappling hooks • Body skills, spear and staff fighting, karate, poison darts, bows, explosives, and blade throwing • Use of fire, water, and poison • Strategy and concealment • Female ninjas used seduction and charm to reel in their enemies • Spying and sneak attack

23. Most interesting method • Climbing walls with grappling hooks and spikes on the hands and feet. I think this is interesting because you don’t usually see people using those kinds of things to fight. • Poison darts. I think this would be an interesting method of attack because it seems like it would be very difficult to shoot the darts very far or accurately.

24. Ninja scene • The ninjas attacked the samurai while they were having a party. The ninjas used spikes, wall climbing devices, swords, spears, and bows and arrows against the samurai. • The samurai eventually defeated the ninjas in the attack. • Omura and the reformers sent the ninjas to attack the samurai. • This scene should not have been in The Last Samurai because ninjas were not commonly used during this time; they were used in the 1600s, not the 1800s.

25. Ninja scene (cont.) • The weapons that were used by the ninjas were historically accurate. • The ninjas did in fact use spikes, spears, swards, wall climbing devices, and bows and arrows against their targets.