Samurai & Shogun

Nobles Rise to Power During the AD 800s, emperors power began to weaken in Japan. Regents handled the city’s day-to-day government. Other nobles took control of out lying provinces. Government gave these nobles land for their support.

Protecting their land The nobles were responsible for governing the lands under their control. Large land owners were known as daimyo (DY-mee- oh). These nobles needed warriors to protect their land. These warriors came to be known as samurai.

Feudalism Many samurai became vassals of a daimyo. Vassal: In return for an oath to protect & serve the daimyo in battle, the samurai received land. This bond of loyalty between a lord and a vassal is known as feudalism. a person receiving privileges (land, protection) from a lord to whom he has vowed loyalty.

Rise of the Samurai The word samurai comes from the Japanese word for Most samurai came from noble families and were required to be loyal to the emperor. Only the most powerful samurai received land for their service. servant.

Becoming a Samurai Young men and even some young women trained to become samurai warriors in feudal Japan. Their training included learning the art of warfare, and later, the way of peace. To become a samurai demanded strict training in the martial arts.

Read “The Samurai Lives Honorably” & answer the following questions. The Bushido Code Read “The Samurai Lives Honorably” & answer the following questions. What were two things that samurai could not do? What was Bushido, and who was expected to live by its rules? List 4 things samurai were required or expected to do. What samurai values are still admired in modern-day Japan?

Shoguns Assume Power By the early 1100s, noble families of Japan used their samurai armies to fight one another over land. This fighting lasted almost 30 years. In the end, the Minamoto family won. The leader of the Minamoto’s received the title of the shogun, (commander of military forces) This military government was known as a shogunate. For about the next 700 years, shoguns ran Japan's government. This created two governments in Japan: The emperor at Heian-kyo The shogun at Kamakura

Hunger Games?? Under the shoguns, Japan produced more goods and grew richer. However, only the emperor and his family, noble families of the emperor’s court, and leading military officials enjoyed this wealth. Most Japanese remained poor.

Complete the Story Complete the following story using words from the Word Bank and your knowledge of Feudalistic Japan