Samurai Warriors strict hierarchies

Question

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power struggles for all the fascinating
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developments in the history of Japan and
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the fact that it is one of the longest
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running independent nations in the
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history of the world feudal Japan like
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feudalism all over the world was a rough
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time for many a Time full of
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exploitation and violence where land was
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tilled by indentured servants and
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farmland used to prop up an elite class
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that eventually turned on itself
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[Music]
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thank you
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foreign
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[Music]
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of Japan technically lasted from the
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1100s well into the 1800s and can be
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characterized pretty much as
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dictatorships called shogunates in 792
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the Japanese government ended military
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conscription in its place private armies
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were formed by feudal Lords or damios in
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order to protect their land the
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legendary Samurai were born however at
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first they were just a class of people
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rather than Elite Warriors Samurai means
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attendant and they were used by the
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domyos to fight off enemies threatening
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their power and property eventually the
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damios amassed large armies of skilled
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Warrior Samurai who began to wield more
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power than the government in 1180 the
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two most powerful Clans the minamoto and
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Tyra Clans battled it out with control
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of the island nation in the genpei war
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this conflict caused estimates of one
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hundred thousand lives both Warriors and
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non-combatants this led to the
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foundation of the Kamakura period and
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the estab of the Shogun system where
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Shoguns were basically the leaders of
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the country despite the fact that there
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was technically still an emperor the
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Shoguns and their Samurai would rule
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Japan for the next 700 years during this
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time though there would be several
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devastating civil battles that were
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kicked off over succession disputes it
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started with the owning war in 1467
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which resulted in the collapse of the
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feudal system the downfall of the
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muramachi shogunate and the fracturing
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of Japan and a hundreds of independent
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city-states that fought for control of
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the country for more than a hundred
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years
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[Music]
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and if samurais were not already in
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imminent danger it was during this time
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that ninjas began slinking in the
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shadows and taking people out originally
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called Shinobi not much is known about
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the secret of Assassins they seem to
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have been excluded from much of Japanese
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history because of their different ways
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ninjas were hired by local damios to
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infiltrate rival lands and create chaos
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they would set fire to crops and
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buildings collect information that could
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be used against Rivals and conduct other
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kinds of secretive raids and gorilla
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style combat they were used as a kind of
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status symbol among rival damios
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basically a muscle flex and they were
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usually told to avoid direct combat by
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any means possible and return to their
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masters once a job was done we know
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they're training mostly because of a
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book called bonxing shukai which
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outlines the methods of these stealth
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Warriors in the remote Mountain Villages
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of IgA and Koga in it 48 points are laid
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out for the ninjas fighting techniques
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in preparation including how to make
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weapons out of bamboo how how to make
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silent shoes how to use a sword at night
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how to listen to small sounds and how to
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fight when surrounded by enemies
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[Music]
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in 1543 a Portuguese trading ship was
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blown off course and landed on the
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island of tanakashima where the first
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European set foot on Japanese soiled it
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ushered in a period known as the non-bun
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trade the term non-bond translates to
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Southern barbarians and before European
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contact the Japanese used it to refer to
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pirates from Southern China and
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Southeast Asia that began pillaging
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coastal towns around the turn of the
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11th century but when the Europeans
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arrived a few things happened at once
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first of all over 300 000 muskets were
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introduced to the islands and this was
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still during the chaos of the shengoku
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period now armed with gunpowder and
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Firepower two powerful warlord damios
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Oda Nobunaga and toyotomi hiriyoshi were
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able to consolidate Power by 1600 though
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Nobunaga had died after unsuccessfully
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invading China and Korea the Tokugawa
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Clan would fill the vacuum he left and
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rule for the next 200 years the Ado
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period had begun
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during the idle period a series of
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brutal isolationist policies were
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introduced by the new Shogun Tokugawa
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yemitsu the closed country Edict of 1635
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made it illegal for any Japanese ship to
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sail to a foreign country but it went
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even farther than that any Japanese
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citizen caught trying to leave the
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country faced death according to the
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edict any Portuguese ship that landed on
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Japanese soil would be destroyed and all
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of its crew would be ended a very dark
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chapter in the country's history but
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despite this International Trade somehow
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persisted Korea China and the Dutch were
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still allowed to trade although with
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very strict regulations
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Diego period marked a time of incredible
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art and cultural development in Japan
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however this development was only for
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the higher classes the average person in
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Japan lived in abject poverty records
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from the 1600 show that the average
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height of men was only five foot one and
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women only four foot nine this was
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because malnourishment was rampant
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families were starving and were even
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forced to permanently abandon their
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young so they didn't have as many mouths
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to feed to make matters worse Japan was
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rocked by a series of famines During the
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edel period econi famine lasted for
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three years from 1640 to 1643 stemming
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from a rebellion against the Tokugawa
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shogunate that led to the destruction of
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cattle and farmland one hundred thousand
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non-combatants lost their lives 140
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years later the tenmai famine led to
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outbreaks of disease and starvation that
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would reduce the Japanese population by
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nearly a million people in 1783 several
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volcanoes erupted in quick succession
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volcanic ash suffocated farmland and cut
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off the sun which led to colder
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temperatures that further devastated
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crop yields not a great time to be
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living on the islands
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a huge part of the Samurai mentality
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involves something called Bushido their
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code of conduct which was developed
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during the Kamakura and miramachi
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periods between 1200 and 1500 and then
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formalized during the Edo period after
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1600. shishito was much more than
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Battlefield tactics it was an entire
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framework for how a samurai should live
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values like frugality righteousness
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courage benevolence respect sincerity
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honor loyalty and self-control were held
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up on pedestals Buddhism was a religion
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of the land at the time but in general
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the samurai actually believed they were
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doomed to the Japanese version of Hell
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called jigoku because they were trained
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to fight and kill
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what developed was a very Buddhist State
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of Mind one where the samurai were said
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to be unafraid of death
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the samurai referred to it as the Divine
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Shield it made them formidable Warriors
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who were completely committed to their
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craft the idea of the warrior poet the
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noble educated discipline fighter was
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really all the rage back then the only
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thing that Samurai did apparently fear
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was bringing dishonor to their damios
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the noble Lords they worked for bringing
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dishonor to their Lords was a huge No-No
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it was so frowned upon that if a samurai
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committed this highest of sins he would
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often take himself out with his own
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sword in a practice called harakire what
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else do you want to know about feudal
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Japan let us know in the comments and
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don't forget to like And subscribe for
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more nutty history 1. Main Idea
What is the main topic or theme of the video?
2. Key Points
List 3-5 key points or important facts from the video:
Point 1:
Point 2:
Point 3:
Point 4:
Point 5:
3. Vocabulary
Write down any new or important vocabulary words:
Word 1: Definition
Word 2: Definition
4. Questions
What questions do you have after watching the video?
Question 1:
Question 2:
5. Connections
How does the video connect to what you already know or other things you’ve learned?
Connection 1:
Connection 2:
6. Reflection
What did you find most interesting or surprising in the video?
How might you use the information from this video in real life?

Answer 1

1. Main Idea The video discusses the strict hierarchies and power struggles of feudal Japan, particularly focusing on the roles of samurai, damios, and the impact of historical events and conflicts across several centuries.

2. Key Points

   • Point 1: The samurai class initially emerged as attendants to feudal lords (damios) and evolved into powerful warriors that often wielded more influence than the government.
   • Point 2: The Genpei War (1180-1185) between the Minamoto and Taira clans led to significant loss of life and resulted in the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, marking the beginning of samurai rule.
   • Point 3: The Sengoku period was characterized by chaos, including the rise of ninjas who were hired by damios for espionage and sabotage against rival clans.
   • Point 4: The Tokugawa shogunate established a long period of peace (Edo period) but also enforced strict isolationist policies that restricted trade and foreign contact.
   • Point 5: The samurai adhered to the Bushido code, which emphasized loyalty, honor, and discipline, and led to practices like harakiri as a means of maintaining one’s honor.

3. Vocabulary

   • Damios: Feudal lords in Japan who held land and had private armies of samurai.
   • Harakiri: A form of ritual suicide by disembowelment, practiced by samurai to restore honor.
   • Shogunate: A form of government in Japan where a shogun held the highest power, often overshadowing the emperor.

4. Questions

   • Question 1: How did the social structure of feudal Japan influence the daily lives of common people and samurai?
   • Question 2: What were the long-term effects of Tokugawa's isolationist policies on Japan as a whole?

5. Connections

   • Connection 1: The discussion of the samurai and their code of conduct relates to my understanding of other historical warrior classes that had similar codes of honor, such as the knights in medieval Europe.
   • Connection 2: The influence of foreign trade and the introduction of firearms parallels the impacts of colonial trade on societies and how technology can shift power dynamics.

6. Reflection I found it particularly interesting how the samurai's adherence to the Bushido code shaped their lives and society's expectations of them, resulting in drastic actions like harakiri for restoring honor. This deeply rooted cultural concept of honor still resonates in various forms in modern society, emphasizing integrity and loyalty. Understanding this could help inform my perspective on conflict resolution and personal ethics in real life.