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Japanese Samurai Mini Unit Study

This summer the Learning Through History team spent some time at a variety of vendor fairs and conferences, trying to get the word out about the magazine. Luckily, we were able to speak to many young people and talk to them about what history topics interest them the most, and one that came up over and over again was Japan, both medieval Japan and the Tokugawa period.

As it turns out, much of the interest in Japanese history has been spurred on by popular culture – both Japanese comics and animation (anime), as well as a raft of samurai-themed video games. We won’t be able to publish an issue on Japan until 2006, but until then, we’ve put together a fun mini-unit on the samurai, the hereditary warrior class in Japan.

In this mini unit study, you can: read about the history of the samurai and medieval Japan, learn details about samurai lives, find out what weapons they used, learn about Bushido and the Creed of the Samurai, view a timeline of Japanese history, see pictures of famous samurais in history, examine samurais in artwork depicting the siege of Osaka Castle, learn a little Japanese, make an origami samurai hat and compare Japanese samurai to European knights.

Reading

Read a brief history of the samurai:

History of the samurai

Learn background on medieval Japan (older students and parents/teachers):

Medieval Japan

Living and working as a samurai:

How samurai work

The defensive weapons of the samurai

Samurai weapons

What is Bushido?

Bushido overview

The Creed of the Samurai

Samurai creed

Japanese history timeline

Timeline

Multimedia

See pictures of famous samurais in history:

Famous samurais

Examine samurais in artwork, "The Siege of Osaka Castle":

The Siege of Osaka Castle

Learn to say things in Japanese:

Speak Japanese

Projects

Make an origami samurai hat: 

Samurai hat

Compare Japanese samurai to European knights:

After you've read the Samurai Creed (link above), compare it to "The Code of Chivalry" from Chivalry by Leon Gautier:

I. Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches,
and shalt observe all its directions.
II. Thou shalt defend the Church.
III. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt
constitute thyself the defender of them.
IV. Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast
born.
V. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
VI. Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without
cessation, and without mercy.
VII. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties,
if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
VIII. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy
pledged word.
IX. Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to
everyone.
X. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion
of the Right and the Good against Injustice and
Evil.

Are there any similarities between the Creed and the Code? What are they? Are there any differences? What are they?Who do you think would have been more comfortable swapping places, the samurai or the knight? Why?

Recommended Resource

Sword of the Samurai : Adventure Stories from Japan

"Readers who delight in stories of knights will be happy to discover this collection of 11 tales about the medieval Japanese warriors whose exploits rival those of their European counterparts. These well-documented stories of adventure and misadventure are not only good tales, but they also provide a look at a way of life bound by ironclad tradition.

Kimmel begins each selection with a brief introduction that explains something about the history or culture of these warriors. Some stories, like The Samurai and the Dragon, are fantastic adventures; others, like The Coward, who escapes execution because he has been a careful observer of nature, are tales of cleverness; a few, like Tomoe Gozen, the story of a woman who is one of the greatest of samurai heroes, seem like historical recountings.

Though the stories vary in tone and intent, the book, whose elegant emblematic designs have the look of Japanese woodcuts, offers a serious and respectful look at a fascinating aspect of the country's history."

(Review by School Library Journal)


Authors: Eric A. Kimmel, Michael Evans
Amazon Price: $4.99


Read more about the book on Amazon