Samurai And Knights Were The Similarities Greater Than The Differences

Sohan Pai

Mrs. Beauchamp

Advanced Social Studies: 5

23 May 2023

Samurai and Knights: Were the Similarities Greater Than the Differences?

The Knights of Feudal Europe and the Samurai of Feudal Japan were excellent warriors. There are a lot of similarities and differences between the two groups. However, the differences between the Knights of Feudal Europe and the Samurai of Feudal Japan are more significant than the similarities. Fighting played a key role in the lifestyles of knights and samurai. Although both the knights and samurai wore iron-plated armor, they were designed for different purposes. It states in Document D, “In samurai armor, small iron scales were tied together, lacquered, and then bound into armor plates with silk or leather cords.” The quote illustrates that Samurai armor is a type of lightweight, mobile armor meant

In contrast, Knights wore heavy, full-body metal armor made to withstand heavy and powerful close-range weapons. This is demonstrated in Document D, which states, “knights began to wear complete suits of plate armor, constructed from metal… knights also wore helmets, gloves, and shoes of steel.” Moreover, the process and ages when novices become samurai and knights are different. Young warriors have to go through 1 step to become a samurai while it takes 2 steps to knight. It states in Document C, “At about age 14 the trainees officially became samurai in a ceremony called genpuku” This quote identifies that a young warrior can become a samurai in just one step. However, a young warrior has to become a page, then a squire, and finally a knight. This is described in Document C, which states, “A prospective knight’s training began at age four or five… By the age of seven or eight, he would be sent to serve as a page… By the age of 14, pages were