ipl-logo

The Sign Of The Chrysanthemum Analysis

869 Words4 Pages

The Sign of the Chrysanthemum- Katherine Paterson The novel The Sign of the Chrysanthemum by Katherine Paterson is a story a sef boy named Muna who runs away from his manor to the capital city of 12th century feudal Japan, Kyoto, in search of his samurai father. I will discuss the primes of social structure and politics. Katherine Paterson’s The Sign of the Chrysanthemum accurately portrays the Heiji Disturbance and the status of craftsmen and ronins. The Heiji Disturbance is one of the biggest events in the book and as the book progresses the tension level rises between the two clans the Heike and rebels the Genji. Finally the much anticipated Genji rebellion took place in the book, “When he was nearly a week’s journey from the capital, …show more content…

Although they became more powerful throughout the feudal period, at the beginning, they were considered one of the lowest sub categories in the hierarchy.”

Katherine Paterson’s depiction of Fukuji the swordsmith was accurate in the sense that artisans could earn themselves a title in feudal Japan however the fact that a swordsmith would deny Lord Kiyomori a sword is not accurate because they were still thought as one of the lowest positions in the hierarchy. Feudal Japan had unemployed people much like today, a ronin in the japanese feudal system was a samurai without a lord or master. In the book Katherine Paterson depicts a ronin named Takanobu. Takanobu meets the main character Muna who snuck onto the ship Takanobu is guarding from pirates. The captain of the ship is irritated with the behavior of Takanobu because he has slept and ate food the whole time however in the feudal system he is a higher ranking citizen the captain needs to respect him. According to Legends and …show more content…

Ronins were simply those samurais who did not belong to any masters, daimyo. There could have been a number of different reasons to how these soldiers became ronins, for example, due to the death of their previous daimyo from losing a battle. Freelance workers in today’s society are often compared to ronins who worked for multiple employers.
Later on in the story Takanobu and Fukuji meet. Takanobu is very rude and disrespectful to Fukuji and yet Fukuji takes the impolite behavior from the ronin. This is partly because the character of Fukuji is a respectful and wise man who understands when he is being baited but he is also considered lower than the ronin in the hierarchy.

Katherine Paterson accurately depicted Takanobu the ronin in the story and his position in the japanese feudal system. Takanobu is a low ranking soldier who works for any employer much like a ronin in that time

Show More
Related
283 Words | 2 Pages

In this case the Japan and Europe are being classified. The samurais and knights are more alike than different mostly because of the social positions in their communities when they are classified on the social pyramids of Japan for the Samurai and Europe for the Knight. In one of the documents I have read (Document A) it shows the Classification for Japan and Europe. The Samurai and the Knight are both classified in the middle of each pyramid underneath the Shogun and the King but above the peasants in both societies. Also in Document B with Catharina Blomberg as the source it talks about being loyal to their lords.

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

Cecilio Sandoval                                                                                                                  3-3-17  Per. 4-5                                                                                                                  Mr.Montemayor           Samurais and Knights         Have you ever wondered who was a better warrior between a samurai and a knight. You might be thinking well..aren’t they the same thing? No, a samurai is not the same because for example a samurai is a strong warrior who gives military service and loyalty the their master in Japan and a knight is also a strong warrior who gives military service and loyalty the their master but in Europe.

Read More
482 Words | 2 Pages

The Watanabe name was equated with prosperous military men, so naturally, success was foreseen in Mutsuhiro’s future once he enlisted in the Japanese Army (173). Even though everyone had high expectations for him, “when he applied to become an officer, he was rejected” (173). This seemingly minuscule failure made him a living nightmare for those who were near, especially high ranking prisoners of war. The Bird, as the captives named him, “beat POWs every day, fracturing their windpipes, rupturing their eardrums, shattering their teeth,

Read More
788 Words | 4 Pages

The societies of Tokugawa Japan (c.1603-1867C.E.) and medieval Europe (c.1000-1500C.E.) had two things in common; a feudal system. A feudal system is something that features hierarchies or social structures. The feudal system normally starts with a religion, which is at the very top of the social pyramid, then it’s the King or monarch for Europe and the shogun for Japan, then there are the nobles for Europe and the daimyos for Japan. As we go down the pyramid there are the warriors, like the knight in Europe and the samurai in Japan, then there are the peasants. The peasants were included in both eras and are at the lowest part of the pyramid.

Read More
763 Words | 4 Pages

Samurai and Knight society, beliefs, and training were very similar to each other during this time. In the late 400’s when there were rulers and a social class, Japan and Europe both had a relatable social pyramid. These two pyramids, have an almost spitting image of each other, excluding the names. In the Japanese society, as stated in Document A, the top of the society was the emperor, who had symbolic power.

Read More
532 Words | 3 Pages

Samurai were warrior class who lived by an unwritten code called “Bushido.” They fought for the large landowners called Daimyo, they worked for the Daimyo’s protection and against other powerful landowners. The Samurai was taught the values and traditions, and had to be educated in literature and writing. Therefor samurai were also trained in meditation and fighting techniques such as archery, swordsmanship, and martial arts.

Read More
552 Words | 3 Pages

The samurai follows his feudal lord’s orders and never disobeys him, along with knights. However, the samurai shared a greater bond between his feudal lord than a knight

Read More
1403 Words | 6 Pages

Japan’s rich history of power, wealth, and influence had many remarkable eras. One of the more notable periods in Japanese history was that of the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). The Tokugawa Period was talked about in Musui’s Story, an autobiographical book, written by Kokichi Katsu. (Katsu ix) Katsu wrote Musui’s Story for three main reasons: to share how he had transformed from a low-ranking samurai to a well-known hero, to show his sense of self, and to serve as a cautionary tale for his descendants.

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

From the Kamakura Period of the late twelfth century to the Meiji Restoration in the nineteenth century, the samurai have held prominent positions as noble warriors in Japanese society. They have come to be famous in modern, Western pop culture as the fierce, stoic guards of feudal Japan, but their practices and rituals extended beyond wielding katanas and donning impressive armor. Samurai practices were rich and complex, with strict codes, ritual suicide, and a history of influencing culture and politics (“Samurai”). Samurai code was influenced by traditional Japanese culture, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism. Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior,” was the code of conduct the samurai class were expected to uphold.

Read More
505 Words | 3 Pages

They made it through the first layer of defense, killing 30 samurais in the process. Tyrone was stopped short by being stabbed in the back by a high-class ninja. Henry fought killing countless more ninja and samurai with his iron fist. He fought until he came face to face with the emperor of Japan, Emperor Maximoto. “Now you're going to pay,” yelled

Read More
201 Words | 1 Pages

In Yellow Wallpaper,The Chrysanthemums and Boys and Girls women/girls role in society is often limited. In yellow wallpaper John’s wife is suffering from postpartum depression. John does not let her do anything even write in her diary or read. In chrysanthemums Elisa is the best at what she does which is planting chrysanthemums. A guy came to Elisa in a wagon and told her i travel and fix pots for a living.

Read More
469 Words | 2 Pages

The setting shapes the mood and tone of a story and has a great affect on what happens in a story. The setting influences the events that take place, how the characters interact and even how they behave. Settings show where and how the character lives, what they do, and what they value. Characters have a relationship with the setting just as much as they do with other characters in the story. This is seen in the effects the setting has on the development of the Character Elisa in the story “The Chrysanthemums.”

Read More
358 Words | 2 Pages

Although the downfall of Samurai occurred in the late 1800s, many of these attributes are still well known and followed. Mishima presents Shinji,

Read More
995 Words | 4 Pages

Youssef Marakby ID:900130817 Instructor: Richard Byford Rhet 1020 The Samurai’s affect on Japan’s culture For many years, the legendary Japanese samurai warriors showed that they are the most well known class of ancient Japan and also known with their supremacy of honor, service, and duty which the Japanese society still have today. The samurai helped lay the foundations of Japan 's culture.

Read More
1507 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction In 1876, Captain Nathan Algren, an ex- United States Army Captain is traumatized by experience fighting in the civil war and Indian war. Algren accepts a job by a Japanese businessman to train the Imperial Japanese Army to inhibit a samurai rebellion, led by Katsumoto Moritsugu. He sails to Japan. Most of the soldiers being trained are just slightly better than peasants and farmers that are not experienced.

Read More

More about The Sign Of The Chrysanthemum Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document