A comparison to feudal Europe.

Grade/Subject Liberty Middle School – EDI LO: We will compare and contrast 1 the feudal societies of Medieval Europe and Medieval Japan. APK: Review the following feudal hierarchy of Europe with your partner. What does this mean for people living in that time period? Connect APK to LO: (T) Students, you already know that life in Medieval Europe was based around Feudalism and the feudal hierarchy. Now, we will explore a very similar culture in Medieval Japan. Be on the lookout for similarities and differences. 1 tell the similarities and differences of

Grade/Subject Liberty Middle School – EDI Concept Development: Both the societies in Medieval Europe and Japan were based on feudalism 2. Similarities exist in their hierarchies, warrior class and weapons, and codes of behavior.. Japan’s feudal hierarchy Japanese warriors= Code of Behavior the samurai 2 Feudalism: a political, economic, and social system based on land, loyalty, and military service. Chivalry = Bushido CFU A’s tell B’s one way Europe and Japan were similar. B’s tell A’s another way Europe and Japan were similar

Grade/Subject Liberty Middle School – EDI Skill Development/Guided Practice: (Text based – Students use text to find and organize information then do a task matching the learning objective) 1. Read the text given to you by your teacher carefully. CFU 2. Underline information in the text that is different for Europe and Japan. 3. Circle information that is the same for Europe and Japan. 4. Add to the graph below CFU Europe OnlySimilaritiesJapan Only Hierarchies Warrior code of behavior Armor and weapons (find and organize information) King, noble, knight, serf Lord and vassal relationships based on loyalty and obligation. Built castles, land worked by peasants. Extra layer: emperor, then shogun, daimyo, samurai, peasant Knights followed Chivalry. Samurai followed Bushido. Samurai would kill themselves rather than lose honor. Loyalty, bravery, respect Suits of armor were hard. Broadswords are important Archery is important. Samurai had the katana (curved sword) and their armor was flexible.

Grade/Subject Liberty Middle School – EDI Text: (Option 2: Provide text from other source written or edited by the teacher ) Comparing Japan and Europe in the Middle Ages Japan of the samurai* period was both like and unlike Europe during the Middle Ages. Both systems were based on feudalism and had a hierarchy. In both societies, ties of loyalty and obligation bound lords and vassals. Both had rulers who rose to power as military chiefs. But in Europe, a military leader like Charlemagne ruled as king. In Japan, the shogun ruled in the name of the emperor. The daimyos (DIE-ME-OH’s) of Japan were like the landholding lords of medieval Europe. Both types of lords built castles and held estates that were worked by peasants. Both the samurai of Japan and the knights of Europe were warriors who wore armor, rode horses, and owned land. Just as European knights had a code of chivalry, the samurai had the code of Bushido. The code of Bushido, like the code of chivalry in medieval Europe, governed a samurai’s life. It called on samurai to be honest, fair, and fearless in the face of death. Samurai were expected to value loyalty and personal honor even more than their lives. The samurai code, however, was much more strict, since it demanded that a samurai kill himself to maintain his honor. If ever he lost in battle, he was expected to kill himself in a ritual suicide. An European knight would not do this because, as a Catholic, suicide was a sin that would condemn his soul after death. Learning the skills of a samurai or a knight required extensive training. Archery** was important in both societies. The art of fencing, or swordsmanship, was just as demanding. Europeans practiced with broadswords, and Japanese practiced with curved swords called katanas. Both societies had suits of armor, but the Japanese suits were more able to move freely. (More flexible). *Samurai: Japanese knight **Archery: Bows and arrow

Grade/Subject Liberty Middle School – EDI Enrichment Activity: Watch the video about Samurai armor. (+short commercial first.) samurai video 1 (2 min) Follow your teacher’s instructions to make your own samurai mask. This was traditionally worn under the helmet to cover the lower part of the face and was made to be as fierce and scary looking as possible, to strike fear into the heart of the enemy.

Grade/Subject Liberty Middle School – EDI Closure / Exit Ticket: How was feudal Japan similar to feudal Europe?