Differences Between Samurai And Knights

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Loyalty and protection from warriors, serving nobles and masters, in different parts of the world has been around for centuries. The Samurai from Japan, and the Knight from Europe, are both warriors who help to defend their country in times of war. Lords and Daimyos relied on the warriors to protect them. Samurai date back to 1603 and the Knights are from the middle ages Japan’s samurai and European knights . Were the similarities of the knight and samurai greater than the differences? Evidence shows that there were more differences than there were similarities. Through different categories such as social position, training and armor, honor and death, the differences are shown.

A Samurai and Knights social position were different because
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Training between samurai and knights had different concepts, such as having to go through different levels to get to their position. A knight's armor was structured different than a samurai's for different purposes. “At about age 14 the trainees officially became samurai called genpuku...by the age of 14, pages were eligible to become a squire.” (Doc c) The samurai’s training was shorter than the knights, they only had to go through on stage to become a samurai. The Knight goes from a page to squire at age 14, then they become a knight by the age of 21. Armor of a samurai had multiple different part to their armor, a knight’s armor was one piece. The Samurai had iron scales that were tied together and then tied onto iron plated with leather or silk cords. There was a five piece neck guard, and for parts of body armor. A knight only had a metal plates of armor on their body, they had metal shoes, helmets, gloves, and a helmet. The structure of the knights and the samurai’s armor was very different. There was more parts to a samurai armor than the knights. Samurai’s had armor that allowed them to be more agile while on horseback. The knights armor was heavier and protected them from bigger weapons like crossbows. The training and armor of a Samurai and Knight were different because of the stages they had to go through to become a warrior and the armor allowed them to do different …show more content…
The two codes, Bushido and Chivalry, were written 130 years apart. Document C says that the knight has to show mercy to those who ask of it. A samurai is only loyal and merciful towards his master. These codes state their obligations as a warrior, and how they should act towards their lord or Daimyo. The Samurai death poem says “ One day you are born-you die the next.” A knight’s death passage pronounces “ I beg for thy mercy for all the sins...angels descended out of heaven and come to him.”To a Samurai, there was no difference between life and death. It was one continuum. A knight viewed death as a great divide. It was separating your life from the sins of the world, to be with God in heaven. Honor and

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