Japanese beliefs and values within society had a significant impact on the role of the Samurai warriors during the time of the Shogunate. The samurai warrior class was placed just below the daimyo in the feudal structure and provide protection, loyalty and kept order among the peasants. In Japan they valued Samurai as they are well known for their supremacy of honour, service and duty and strongly reflected the culture and values of the Japanese society. Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol was the sword representing a Samurai warriors’ soul. The sword was the symbol of the Samurai class and a Samurai carried two of them, the long katana and the short wakizashi passed …show more content…
Knights in medieval Europe showed loyalty and courtesy. The weapons use in by the medieval knights in combat included the long sword, wooden lance with an iron tip, metal- headed mace, battle-axe and dagger. The sword was an especially powerful symbol for a medieval knight as it was the weapon used to give them status as a knight in their initiation ceremony. As a knight they are “supposed to show bravery, strength and skill in battle (this was called prowess), to respect women, to defend the weak and the poor, to be generous to others and loyal to his lord, his family and his friends”. In The night with the lion (source 7), created in 1996, shows that they had to show courtesy when fighting, with the quote; “It was not courteous to try to injure an enemy’s horse. If a knights knocked his enemy off his horse, he should wait until the other knight mounted again before attacking,” which shows that knights were respectful to their opponent. Similar to the Japanese Samurai warrior’s the medieval European knight’s strong costumes and beliefs significantly impacted their roles within society. Their demonstration of loyalty, courtesy and honour within their role of society reflected their statues providing protection to the higher class from the lower-class