Samurai

qas: question: What was William Scott Wilson's occupation?
answers: text: translator

question: What are samurai usually called in Japanse?
answers: text: bushi (武士?, [bu.ɕi]) or buke (武家?)

question: Where is the first known use of 'samurai'?
answers: text: Kokin Wakashū

question: When is the first known use of 'samurai'?
answers: text: 905–914
context: In Japanese, they are usually referred to as bushi (武士?, [bu.ɕi]) or buke (武家?). According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning "to wait upon" or "accompany persons" in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility", the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai. According to Wilson, an early reference to the word "samurai" appears in the Kokin Wakashū (905–914), the first imperial anthology of poems, completed in the first part of the 10th century.

qas: question: What did samurai mean nearly the same thing as?
answers: text: bushi

question: What were samurai affiliated with?
answers: text: a clan

question: How much of Japan were samurais?
answers: text: less than 10%

question: Where do samurais' teachings live on?
answers: text: everyday life and in modern Japanese martial arts

question: What class were samurais?
answers: text: middle and upper echelons of the warrior class
context: By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class. The samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, were trained as officers in military tactics and grand strategy, and they followed a set of rules that later came to be known as the bushidō. While the samurai numbered less than 10% of then Japan's population, their teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in modern Japanese martial arts.

qas: question: When was the Battle of Hakusukinoe?
answers: text: 663 AD

question: Who was the Battle of Hakusukinoe against?
answers: text: Tang China and Silla

question: What was the effect of the Battle of Hakusukinoe?
answers: text: a Japanese retreat from Korean affairs

question: Who led the Taika Reform?
answers: text: Prince Naka no Ōe (Emperor Tenji)

question: When was the Taika Reform?
answers: text: 646 AD
context: Following the Battle of Hakusukinoe against Tang China and Silla in 663 AD that led to a Japanese retreat from Korean affairs, Japan underwent widespread reform. One of the most important was that of the Taika Reform, issued by Prince Naka no Ōe (Emperor Tenji) in 646 AD. This edict allowed the Japanese aristocracy to adopt the Tang dynasty political structure, bureaucracy, culture, religion, and philosophy. As part of the Taihō Code, of 702 AD, and the later Yōrō Code, the population was required to report regularly for census, a precursor for national conscription. With an understanding of how the population was distributed, Emperor Mommu introduced a law whereby 1 in 3–4 adult males was drafted into the national military. These soldiers were required to supply their own weapons, and in return were exempted from duties and taxes. This was one of the first attempts by the Imperial government to form an organized army modeled after the Chinese system. It was called "Gundan-Sei" (軍団制) by later historians and is believed to have been short-lived.[citation needed]

qas: question: In what period did Emperor Kammu rule?
answers: text: early Heian period

question: When was the early Heian?
answers: text: the late 8th and early 9th centuries

question: Who did Kammu fail to conquer?
answers: text: Emishi

question: What was the full title for Shogun?
answers: text: sei'i-taishōgun

question: Who introduced the Shogun concept?
answers: text: Emperor Kammu
context: In the early Heian period, the late 8th and early 9th centuries, Emperor Kammu sought to consolidate and expand his rule in northern Honshū, but the armies he sent to conquer the rebellious Emishi people lacked motivation and discipline, and failed in their task.[citation needed] Emperor Kammu introduced the title of sei'i-taishōgun (征夷大将軍) or Shogun, and began to rely on the powerful regional clans to conquer the Emishi. Skilled in mounted combat and archery (kyūdō), these clan warriors became the Emperor's preferred tool for putting down rebellions.[citation needed] Though this is the first known use of the "Shogun" title, it was a temporary title, and was not imbued with political power until the 13th century. At this time (the 7th to 9th century) the Imperial Court officials considered them merely a military section under the control of the Imperial Court.

qas: question: When was the Genpei war?
answers: text: late 12th century

question: Who was given the right to appoint shugo?
answers: text: Minamoto no Yoritomo

question: What was Minamoto's position?
answers: text: clan leader

question: Who opened the Kamakura Bakufu Shogunate?
answers: text: Minamoto no Yoritomo

question: When did the Kamakura Bakufu Shogunate open?
answers: text: 1192
context: After the Genpei war of the late 12th century, a clan leader Minamoto no Yoritomo obtained the right to appoint shugo and jito, and was allowed to organize soldiers and police, and to collect a certain amount of tax. Initially, their responsibility was restricted to arresting rebels and collecting needed army provisions, and they were forbidden from interfering with Kokushi Governors, but their responsibility gradually expanded and thus the samurai-class appeared as the political ruling power in Japan. Minamoto no Yoritomo opened the Kamakura Bakufu Shogunate in 1192.

qas: question: What rebellion happened in 1160?
answers: text: Heiji Rebellion

question: Who fought in the Heiji Rebellion?
answers: text: the rival Minamoto and Taira clans

question: How long were the toryos' terms supposed to be?
answers: text: four-year

question: What clans were most regional clans' chiefs also a member of?
answers: text: Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira clans
context: Originally the Emperor and non-warrior nobility employed these warrior nobles. In time, they amassed enough manpower, resources and political backing in the form of alliances with one another, to establish the first samurai-dominated government. As the power of these regional clans grew, their chief was typically a distant relative of the Emperor and a lesser member of either the Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira clans. Though originally sent to provincial areas for a fixed four-year term as a magistrate, the toryo declined to return to the capital when their terms ended, and their sons inherited their positions and continued to lead the clans in putting down rebellions throughout Japan during the middle- and later-Heian period. Because of their rising military and economic power, the warriors ultimately became a new force in the politics of the court. Their involvement in the Hōgen in the late Heian period consolidated their power, and finally pitted the rival Minamoto and Taira clans against each other in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160.

qas: question: Who was the first warrior to become imperial advisor?
answers: text: Taira no Kiyomori

question: Who established the first samurai-led administration?
answers: text: Taira no Kiyomori

question: What role did the Emperor have in the samurai-controlled government?
answers: text: figurehead

question: Who succeeded the Taira clan?
answers: text: the Minamoto

question: How did the Taira clan expand power?
answers: text: had its women marry Emperors
context: The winner, Taira no Kiyomori, became an imperial advisor, and was the first warrior to attain such a position. He eventually seized control of the central government, establishing the first samurai-dominated government and relegating the Emperor to figurehead status. However, the Taira clan was still very conservative when compared to its eventual successor, the Minamoto, and instead of expanding or strengthening its military might, the clan had its women marry Emperors and exercise control through the Emperor.

qas: question: When did the Gempei War begin?
answers: text: 1180

question: When did the Gempei War end?
answers: text: 1185

question: Which clans fought in the Gempei War?
answers: text: The Taira and the Minamoto

question: What does the Shimonoseki Strait divide?
answers: text: Honshu and Kyushu

question: When was the Kamakura Shogunate established?
answers: text: 1192
context: The Taira and the Minamoto clashed again in 1180, beginning the Gempei War, which ended in 1185. Samurai fought at the naval battle of Dan-no-ura, at the Shimonoseki Strait which separates Honshu and Kyushu in 1185. The victorious Minamoto no Yoritomo established the superiority of the samurai over the aristocracy. In 1190 he visited Kyoto and in 1192 became Sei'i-taishōgun, establishing the Kamakura Shogunate, or Kamakura Bakufu. Instead of ruling from Kyoto, he set up the Shogunate in Kamakura, near his base of power. "Bakufu" means "tent government", taken from the encampments the soldiers would live in, in accordance with the Bakufu's status as a military government.

qas: question: Which Chinese dynasty was founded by Mongols?
answers: text: Yuan

question: How many troops did the Yuan send to invade Japan?
answers: text: 40,000

question: How many ships did the Yuan send to invade Japan?
answers: text: 900

question: Where did the Yuan invade Japan?
answers: text: northern Kyūshū

question: How many samurai did Japan defeat the Yuan invasion with?
answers: text: 10,000
context: In 1274, the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty in China sent a force of some 40,000 men and 900 ships to invade Japan in northern Kyūshū. Japan mustered a mere 10,000 samurai to meet this threat. The invading army was harassed by major thunderstorms throughout the invasion, which aided the defenders by inflicting heavy casualties. The Yuan army was eventually recalled and the invasion was called off. The Mongol invaders used small bombs, which was likely the first appearance of bombs and gunpowder in Japan.

qas: question: What was built around Hakata Bay?
answers: text: a great stone barrier

question: When did Japan begin building the Hakata Bay barrier?
answers: text: 1276

question: When did Japan finish building the Hakata Bay barrier?
answers: text: 1277

question: How long was the Hakata Bay barrier?
answers: text: 20 kilometers

question: What happened to diplomatic envoys the Mongols sent to Japan?
answers: text: executed
context: The Japanese defenders recognized the possibility of a renewed invasion, and began construction of a great stone barrier around Hakata Bay in 1276. Completed in 1277, this wall stretched for 20 kilometers around the border of the bay. This would later serve as a strong defensive point against the Mongols. The Mongols attempted to settle matters in a diplomatic way from 1275 to 1279, but every envoy sent to Japan was executed. This set the stage for one of the most famous engagements in Japanese history.

qas: question: When did Toyotomi Hideyoshi first send an army to Korea?
answers: text: 1592

question: When did Toyotomi Hideyoshi send an army to Korea a second time?
answers: text: 1597

question: How many troops did Toyotomi Hideyoshi send to Korea?
answers: text: 160,000

question: When was the Battle of Sacheon?
answers: text: 1598

question: When did Toyotomi Hideyoshi die?
answers: text: 1598
context: In 1592, and again in 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, aiming to invade China (唐入り) through Korea, mobilized an army of 160,000 peasants and samurai and deployed them to Korea. (See Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, Chōsen-seibatsu (朝鮮征伐?). Taking advantage of arquebus mastery and extensive wartime experience from the Sengoku period, Japanese samurai armies made major gains in most of Korea. Kato Kiyomasa advanced to Orangkai territory (present-day Manchuria) bordering Korea to the northeast and crossed the border into Manchuria, but withdrew after retaliatory attacks from the Jurchens there, as it was clear he had outpaced the rest of the Japanese invasion force. A few of the more famous samurai generals of this war were Katō Kiyomasa, Konishi Yukinaga, and Shimazu Yoshihiro. Shimazu Yoshihiro led some 7,000 samurai and, despite being heavily outnumbered, defeated a host of allied Ming and Korean forces at the Battle of Sacheon in 1598, near the conclusion of the campaigns. Yoshihiro was feared as Oni-Shimazu ("Shimazu ogre") and his nickname spread across not only Korea but to Ming Dynasty China. In spite of the superiority of Japanese land forces, ultimately the two expeditions failed (though they did devastate the Korean landmass) from factors such as Korean naval superiority (which, led by Admiral Yi Sun-shin, harassed Japanese supply lines continuously throughout the wars, resulting in supply shortages on land), the commitment of sizeable Ming forces to Korea, Korean guerrilla actions, the underestimation of resistance by Japanese commanders (in the first campaign of 1592, Korean defenses on land were caught unprepared, under-trained, and under-armed; they were rapidly overrun, with only a limited number of successfully resistant engagements against the more-experienced and battle-hardened Japanese forces - in the second campaign of 1597, Korean and Ming forces proved to be a far more difficult challenge and, with the support of continued Korean naval superiority, limited Japanese gains to parts southeastern Korea), and wavering Japanese commitment to the campaigns as the wars dragged on. The final death blow to the Japanese campaigns in Korea came with Hideyoshi's death in late 1598 and the recall of all Japanese forces in Korea by the Council of Five Elders (established by Hideyoshi to oversee the transition from his regency to that of his son Hideyori).

qas: question: Which military leader avoided sending his soldiers to Korea?
answers: text: Tokugawa Ieyasu

question: What force were most commanders opposed to the Korea invasion part of?
answers: text: Eastern Army

question: Which commander loyal to Hideyoshi was in the Eastern Army?
answers: text: Katō Kiyomasa

question: Where did the Eastern and Western armies battle?
answers: text: Battle of Sekigahara

question: Which army won the Battle of Sekigahara?
answers: text: Eastern Forces
context: It should be noted that many samurai forces that were active throughout this period were not deployed to Korea; most importantly, the daimyo Tokugawa Ieyasu carefully kept forces under his command out of the Korean campaigns, and other samurai commanders who were opposed to Hideyoshi's domination of Japan either mulled Hideyoshi's call to invade Korea or contributed a small token force. Most commanders who did opposed or otherwise resisted/resented Hideyoshi ended up as part of the so-called Eastern Army, while commanders loyal to Hideyoshi and his son (a notable exception to this trend was Katō Kiyomasa, who deployed with Tokugawa and the Eastern Army) were largely committed to the Western Army; the two opposing sides (so named for the relative geographical locations of their respective commanders' domains) would later clash, most notably at the Battle of Sekigahara, which was won by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Eastern Forces, paving the way for the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

qas: question: Who used arquebuses a lot?
answers: text: Oda Nobunaga

question: What did Oda Nobunaga value?
answers: text: innovation

question: Who disarmed Japan's Buddhist monks?
answers: text: Oda Nobunaga

question: When did Oda Nobunaga die?
answers: text: 1582

question: Who caused Oda Nobunaga's death?
answers: text: Akechi Mitsuhide
context: Oda Nobunaga made innovations in the fields of organization and war tactics, heavily used arquebuses, developed commerce and industry and treasured innovation. Consecutive victories enabled him to realize the termination of the Ashikaga Bakufu and the disarmament of the military powers of the Buddhist monks, which had inflamed futile struggles among the populace for centuries. Attacking from the "sanctuary" of Buddhist temples, they were constant headaches to any warlord and even the Emperor who tried to control their actions. He died in 1582 when one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide, turned upon him with his army.

qas: question: When were samurai becoming less warrior-like?
answers: text: During the Tokugawa shogunate

question: When had samurai last been used in battle?
answers: text: the early 17th century

question: What was another name for the Tokugawa era?
answers: text: the Edo period

question: What was the samurai's long sword called?
answers: text: katana

question: What was the samurai's short sword called?
answers: text: wakizashi
context: During the Tokugawa shogunate, samurai increasingly became courtiers, bureaucrats, and administrators rather than warriors. With no warfare since the early 17th century, samurai gradually lost their military function during the Tokugawa era (also called the Edo period). By the end of the Tokugawa era, samurai were aristocratic bureaucrats for the daimyo, with their daisho, the paired long and short swords of the samurai (cf. katana and wakizashi) becoming more of a symbolic emblem of power rather than a weapon used in daily life. They still had the legal right to cut down any commoner who did not show proper respect kiri-sute gomen (斬り捨て御免?), but to what extent this right was used is unknown. When the central government forced daimyos to cut the size of their armies, unemployed rōnin became a social problem.

qas: question: Who were most samurais' lords?
answers: text: daimyo

question: Whose teachings did all samurai read?
answers: text: Confucius and Mencius

question: What did Bushido transcend?
answers: text: social class, time and geographic location

question: When was Bushido formalized?
answers: text: before the Edo Period

question: Who formalized Bushido?
answers: text: several influential leaders and families
context: Theoretical obligations between a samurai and his lord (usually a daimyo) increased from the Genpei era to the Edo era. They were strongly emphasized by the teachings of Confucius and Mencius (ca 550 BC), which were required reading for the educated samurai class. Bushido was formalized by several influential leaders and families before the Edo Period. Bushido was an ideal, and it remained fairly uniform from the 13th century to the 19th century — the ideals of Bushido transcended social class, time and geographic location of the warrior class.

qas: question: Which force invaded Japan in 1853?
answers: text: U.S. Navy

question: Who lead the US Navy's invasion of Japan?
answers: text: Commodore Matthew Perry

question: What was Perry's goal in Japan?
answers: text: force Japan to open its borders to trade

question: What technology helped the downfall of samurai?
answers: text: arquebus
context: The relative peace of the Tokugawa era was shattered with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry's massive U.S. Navy steamships in 1853. Perry used his superior firepower to force Japan to open its borders to trade. Prior to that only a few harbor towns, under strict control from the Shogunate, were allowed to participate in Western trade, and even then, it was based largely on the idea of playing the Franciscans and Dominicans off against one another (in exchange for the crucial arquebus technology, which in turn was a major contributor to the downfall of the classical samurai).

qas: question: When was the samurai military modernized?
answers: text: 1854

question: Where did Japan open a military school in 1855?
answers: text: Nagasaki

question: What kind of military school did Japan open in 1855?
answers: text: Naval

question: What nationality of engineers did Japan hire to build naval arsenals?
answers: text: tradition

question: How many steam warships did Japan have in 1867?
answers: text: eight
context: From 1854, the samurai army and the navy were modernized. A Naval training school was established in Nagasaki in 1855. Naval students were sent to study in Western naval schools for several years, starting a tradition of foreign-educated future leaders, such as Admiral Enomoto. French naval engineers were hired to build naval arsenals, such as Yokosuka and Nagasaki. By the end of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1867, the Japanese navy of the shogun already possessed eight western-style steam warships around the flagship Kaiyō Maru, which were used against pro-imperial forces during the Boshin war, under the command of Admiral Enomoto. A French Military Mission to Japan (1867) was established to help modernize the armies of the Bakufu.

qas: question: Who established a western-style army in Japan?
answers: text: Emperor Meiji

question: When was a western-style army established in Japan?
answers: text: 1873

question: What did samurai become in 1873?
answers: text: Shizoku

question: Who had samurai been allowed to kill?
answers: text: commoners who paid them disrespect

question: In what century were the Meiji reforms?
answers: text: 19th
context: Emperor Meiji abolished the samurai's right to be the only armed force in favor of a more modern, western-style, conscripted army in 1873. Samurai became Shizoku (士族) who retained some of their salaries, but the right to wear a katana in public was eventually abolished along with the right to execute commoners who paid them disrespect. The samurai finally came to an end after hundreds of years of enjoyment of their status, their powers, and their ability to shape the government of Japan. However, the rule of the state by the military class was not yet over. In defining how a modern Japan should be, members of the Meiji government decided to follow the footsteps of the United Kingdom and Germany, basing the country on the concept of noblesse oblige. Samurai were not a political force under the new order. With the Meiji reforms in the late 19th century, the samurai class was abolished, and a western-style national army was established. The Imperial Japanese Armies were conscripted, but many samurai volunteered as soldiers, and many advanced to be trained as officers. Much of the Imperial Army officer class was of samurai origin, and were highly motivated, disciplined, and exceptionally trained.

qas: question: What group made up most of Japan's first exchange students?
answers: text: Samurai

question: Who started Mitsubishi?
answers: text: Iwasaki Yatarō

question: What was Iwasaki's relationship to samurai?
answers: text: great-grandson of a samurai

question: What kind of schools did samurai start?
answers: text: private schools for higher educations

question: Who did samurai write for?
answers: text: newspaper companies
context: Samurai were many of the early exchange students, not directly because they were samurai, but because many samurai were literate and well-educated scholars. Some of these exchange students started private schools for higher educations, while many samurai took pens instead of guns and became reporters and writers, setting up newspaper companies, and others entered governmental service. Some samurai became businessmen. For example, Iwasaki Yatarō, who was the great-grandson of a samurai, established Mitsubishi.

qas: question: What philosophies were the samurai influenced by?
answers: text: Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto

question: What type of meditation did samurai do?
answers: text: Zen

question: What caused some samurai to stop fighting?
answers: text: The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth

question: What was the contribution of Confucianism to samurai?
answers: text: to stress the importance of the lord-retainer relationship
context: The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching due to it offering a process to calm one's mind. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth led samurai to abandon torture and needless killing, while some samurai even gave up violence altogether and became Buddhist monks after realizing how fruitless their killings were. Some were killed as they came to terms with these realizations in the battlefield. The most defining role that Confucianism played in samurai philosophy was to stress the importance of the lord-retainer relationship—the loyalty that a samurai was required to show his lord.

qas: question: When was Hojo Shigetoki born?
answers: text: 1198

question: When did Hojo Shigetoki die?
answers: text: 1261

question: What were gunki?
answers: text: 13th and 14th century warrior writings

question: When was Shiba Yoshimasa born?
answers: text: 1350

question: When did Shiba Yoshimasa die?
answers: text: 1410
context: In the 13th century, Hōjō Shigetoki (1198–1261 AD) wrote: "When one is serving officially or in the master's court, he should not think of a hundred or a thousand people, but should consider only the importance of the master." Carl Steenstrup noted that 13th and 14th century warrior writings (gunki) "portrayed the bushi in their natural element, war, eulogizing such virtues as reckless bravery, fierce family pride, and selfless, at times senseless devotion of master and man". Feudal lords such as Shiba Yoshimasa (1350–1410 AD) stated that a warrior looked forward to a glorious death in the service of a military leader or the Emperor: "It is a matter of regret to let the moment when one should die pass by....First, a man whose profession is the use of arms should think and then act upon not only his own fame, but also that of his descendants. He should not scandalize his name forever by holding his one and only life too dear....One's main purpose in throwing away his life is to do so either for the sake of the Emperor or in some great undertaking of a military general. It is that exactly that will be the great fame of one's descendants."

qas: question: What does a samurai has his heart in the wrong place dislike?
answers: text: battle

question: What debt should samurai not forget?
answers: text: the great debt of kindness one owes to his master and ancestors

question: What virtues should samurai not be dismissive of?
answers: text: loyalty and filial piety
context: "First of all, a samurai who dislikes battle and has not put his heart in the right place even though he has been born in the house of the warrior, should not be reckoned among one's retainers....It is forbidden to forget the great debt of kindness one owes to his master and ancestors and thereby make light of the virtues of loyalty and filial piety....It is forbidden that one should...attach little importance to his duties to his master...There is a primary need to distinguish loyalty from disloyalty and to establish rewards and punishments."

qas: question: When was Kato Kiyomasa in power?
answers: text: the Sengoku Era

question: When did Japan begin invading Korea?
answers: text: 1592

question: When did Japan finish invading Korea?
answers: text: 1598

question: What did Kato Kiyomasa think samurais' duty was?
answers: text: to "...grasp the long and the short swords and to die"

question: What concept did Kato Kiyomasa think should be studied every day?
answers: text: Bushido
context: Katō Kiyomasa was one of the most powerful and well-known lords of the Sengoku Era. He commanded most of Japan's major clans during the invasion of Korea (1592–1598). In a handbook he addressed to "all samurai, regardless of rank" he told his followers that a warrior's only duty in life was to "...grasp the long and the short swords and to die". He also ordered his followers to put forth great effort in studying the military classics, especially those related to loyalty and filial piety. He is best known for his quote: "If a man does not investigate into the matter of Bushido daily, it will be difficult for him to die a brave and manly death. Thus it is essential to engrave this business of the warrior into one's mind well."

qas: question: Who did Torii Mototada serve?
answers: text: Tokugawa Ieyasu

question: When was Torii Mototada born?
answers: text: 1539

question: When did Torii Mototada die?
answers: text: 1600

question: How many people were in Ishida Mitsunari's army?
answers: text: 40,000

question: How many soldiers defended Torii's last stand?
answers: text: 2,000
context: Torii Mototada (1539–1600) was a feudal lord in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. On the eve of the battle of Sekigahara, he volunteered to remain behind in the doomed Fushimi Castle while his lord advanced to the east. Torii and Tokugawa both agreed that the castle was indefensible. In an act of loyalty to his lord, Torii chose to remain behind, pledging that he and his men would fight to the finish. As was custom, Torii vowed that he would not be taken alive. In a dramatic last stand, the garrison of 2,000 men held out against overwhelming odds for ten days against the massive army of Ishida Mitsunari's 40,000 warriors. In a moving last statement to his son Tadamasa, he wrote:

qas: question: Who was Takeda's rival?
answers: text: Uesugi Kenshin

question: What did Uesugi encourage?
answers: text: the "way of the warrior as death"

question: What was Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki's occupation?
answers: text: Japanese historian

question: When was Takeda born?
answers: text: 1521

question: When was Uesugi born?
answers: text: 1530
context: The rival of Takeda Shingen (1521–1573) was Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), a legendary Sengoku warlord well-versed in the Chinese military classics and who advocated the "way of the warrior as death". Japanese historian Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki describes Uesugi's beliefs as: "Those who are reluctant to give up their lives and embrace death are not true warriors.... Go to the battlefield firmly confident of victory, and you will come home with no wounds whatever. Engage in combat fully determined to die and you will be alive; wish to survive in the battle and you will surely meet death. When you leave the house determined not to see it again you will come home safely; when you have any thought of returning you will not return. You may not be in the wrong to think that the world is always subject to change, but the warrior must not entertain this way of thinking, for his fate is always determined."

qas: question: What religious order was St. Francis Xavier in?
answers: text: Jesuit

question: When was St. Francis Xavier born?
answers: text: 1506

question: When did St. Francis Xavier die?
answers: text: 1552

question: When did Xavier try to convert Japan to Christianity?
answers: text: 1549–1551

question: Who were the Japanese regarded as braver than?
answers: text: the people of China, Korea, Ternate and all of the other nations around the Philippines
context: Historian H. Paul Varley notes the description of Japan given by Jesuit leader St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552): "There is no nation in the world which fears death less." Xavier further describes the honour and manners of the people: "I fancy that there are no people in the world more punctilious about their honour than the Japanese, for they will not put up with a single insult or even a word spoken in anger." Xavier spent the years 1549–1551 converting Japanese to Christianity. He also observed: "The Japanese are much braver and more warlike than the people of China, Korea, Ternate and all of the other nations around the Philippines."

qas: question: Where was Malacca?
answers: text: Malaysia

question: Where was Goa?
answers: text: India

question: Who impressed Xavier by taking notes in church?
answers: text: Anjiro

question: In what language did Anjiro speak to Xavier?
answers: text: Portuguese

question: How did Anjiro think the Japanese would accept Christianity?
answers: text: en masse
context: In December 1547, Francis was in Malacca (Malaysia) waiting to return to Goa (India) when he met a low-ranked samurai named Anjiro (possibly spelled "Yajiro"). Anjiro was not an intellectual, but he impressed Xavier because he took careful notes of everything he said in church. Xavier made the decision to go to Japan in part because this low-ranking samurai convinced him in Portuguese that the Japanese people were highly educated and eager to learn. They were hard workers and respectful of authority. In their laws and customs they were led by reason, and, should the Christian faith convince them of its truth, they would accept it en masse.

qas: question: Who wrote 'Ideals of the Samurai'?
answers: text: William Scott Wilson

question: Who were the models for future generations of samurai?
answers: text: The warriors in the Heike Monogatari

question: Where did Japanese warriors come to literary maturity?
answers: text: the Heike Monogatari
context: In his book "Ideals of the Samurai" translator William Scott Wilson states: "The warriors in the Heike Monogatari served as models for the educated warriors of later generations, and the ideals depicted by them were not assumed to be beyond reach. Rather, these ideals were vigorously pursued in the upper echelons of warrior society and recommended as the proper form of the Japanese man of arms. With the Heike Monogatari, the image of the Japanese warrior in literature came to its full maturity." Wilson then translates the writings of several warriors who mention the Heike Monogatari as an example for their men to follow.

qas: question: Whose culture included tea ceremonies?
answers: text: samurai

question: What kind of painting did samurai do?
answers: text: monochrome ink

question: What was Japanese culture influenced by?
answers: text: Chinese arts

question: Who brought Chinese arts to Japan?
answers: text: Zen monks

question: When was Muso Soseki born?
answers: text: 1275
context: As aristocrats for centuries, samurai developed their own cultures that influenced Japanese culture as a whole. The culture associated with the samurai such as the tea ceremony, monochrome ink painting, rock gardens and poetry were adopted by warrior patrons throughout the centuries 1200–1600. These practices were adapted from the Chinese arts. Zen monks introduced them to Japan and they were allowed to flourish due to the interest of powerful warrior elites. Musō Soseki (1275–1351) was a Zen monk who was advisor to both Emperor Go-Daigo and General Ashikaga Takauji (1304–58). Musō, as well as other monks, acted as political and cultural diplomat between Japan and China. Musō was particularly well known for his garden design. Another Ashikaga patron of the arts was Yoshimasa. His cultural advisor, the Zen monk Zeami, introduced tea ceremony to him. Previously, tea had been used primarily for Buddhist monks to stay awake during meditation.

qas: question: What was Oda Nobunaga's full name?
answers: text: Oda Kazusanosuke Saburo Nobunaga

question: What did Oda mean?
answers: text: a clan or family name

question: What did Kazusanosuke mean?
answers: text: a title of vice-governor of Kazusa province

question: What did Saburo mean?
answers: text: a formal nickname (yobina)

question: What did Nobunaga mean?
answers: text: an adult name (nanori) given at genpuku, the coming of age ceremony
context: For example, the full name of Oda Nobunaga would be "Oda Kazusanosuke Saburo Nobunaga" (織田上総介三郎信長), in which "Oda" is a clan or family name, "Kazusanosuke" is a title of vice-governor of Kazusa province, "Saburo" is a formal nickname (yobina), and "Nobunaga" is an adult name (nanori) given at genpuku, the coming of age ceremony. A man was addressed by his family name and his title, or by his yobina if he did not have a title. However, the nanori was a private name that could be used by only a very few, including the Emperor.

qas: question: How did the samurai treat concubines?
answers: text: akin to a marriage

question: How did the samurai view kidnapping concubines?
answers: text: shameful, if not criminal

question: Who thought being a concubine was better than being a wife?
answers: text: many wealthy merchants

question: Why did merchants prefer that their daughters not marry samurai?
answers: text: her family's money erased the samurai's debts

question: What happened if a commoner concubine had a son?
answers: text: the son could inherit his father's social status
context: A samurai could take concubines but their backgrounds were checked by higher-ranked samurai. In many cases, taking a concubine was akin to a marriage. Kidnapping a concubine, although common in fiction, would have been shameful, if not criminal. If the concubine was a commoner, a messenger was sent with betrothal money or a note for exemption of tax to ask for her parents' acceptance. Even though the woman would not be a legal wife, a situation normally considered a demotion, many wealthy merchants believed that being the concubine of a samurai was superior to being the legal wife of a commoner. When a merchant's daughter married a samurai, her family's money erased the samurai's debts, and the samurai's social status improved the standing of the merchant family. If a samurai's commoner concubine gave birth to a son, the son could inherit his father's social status.

qas: question: How common was divorce for samurai?
answers: text: rare

question: What could samurai do instead of divorce if their wife couldn't produce a son?
answers: text: adoption of a male heir

question: Why did samurai avoid divorcing for reasons of dislike?
answers: text: it would embarrass the person who had arranged the marriage

question: What financial concern prevented divorce?
answers: text: After a divorce samurai had to return the betrothal money
context: A samurai could divorce his wife for a variety of reasons with approval from a superior, but divorce was, while not entirely nonexistent, a rare event. A wife's failure to produce a son was cause for divorce, but adoption of a male heir was considered an acceptable alternative to divorce. A samurai could divorce for personal reasons, even if he simply did not like his wife, but this was generally avoided as it would embarrass the person who had arranged the marriage. A woman could also arrange a divorce, although it would generally take the form of the samurai divorcing her. After a divorce samurai had to return the betrothal money, which often prevented divorces.

qas: question: What did samurai wives spend most of their time on?
answers: text: Maintaining the household

question: What did okugatasama mean?
answers: text: one who remains in the home

question: What did samurai wives' duties include when their husbands were away?
answers: text: manage all household affairs, care for the children, and perhaps even defend the home forcibly

question: What was a naginata?
answers: text: a polearm

question: What was tantojutsu?
answers: text: the skill of the knife
context: Maintaining the household was the main duty of samurai women. This was especially crucial during early feudal Japan, when warrior husbands were often traveling abroad or engaged in clan battles. The wife, or okugatasama (meaning: one who remains in the home), was left to manage all household affairs, care for the children, and perhaps even defend the home forcibly. For this reason, many women of the samurai class were trained in wielding a polearm called a naginata or a special knife called the kaiken in an art called tantojutsu (lit. the skill of the knife), which they could use to protect their household, family, and honor if the need arose.

qas: question: What characteristics did samurais want their wives to have?
answers: text: humility, obedience, self-control, strength, and loyalty

question: Who did samurai wives have to teach?
answers: text: the children (and perhaps servants, too)

question: Who did samurai wives have to take care of?
answers: text: elderly parents or in-laws that may be living under her roof

question: Who was a woman supposed to be subservient to?
answers: text: her husband

question: What defined the samurais' code?
answers: text: Confucian law
context: Traits valued in women of the samurai class were humility, obedience, self-control, strength, and loyalty. Ideally, a samurai wife would be skilled at managing property, keeping records, dealing with financial matters, educating the children (and perhaps servants, too), and caring for elderly parents or in-laws that may be living under her roof. Confucian law, which helped define personal relationships and the code of ethics of the warrior class required that a woman show subservience to her husband, filial piety to her parents, and care to the children. Too much love and affection was also said to indulge and spoil the youngsters. Thus, a woman was also to exercise discipline.

qas: question: Who was Ashikaga Yoshimasa?
answers: text: 8th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate

question: Who was Ashikaga Yoshimasa's wife?
answers: text: Hino Tomiko

question: Why did Ashikaga let his wife take over?
answers: text: lost interest in politics

question: Who was Nene?
answers: text: wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi

question: Who was Yodo-dono the concubine of?
answers: text: Toyotomi Hideyoshi
context: This does not mean that samurai women were always powerless. Powerful women both wisely and unwisely wielded power at various occasions. After Ashikaga Yoshimasa, 8th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, lost interest in politics, his wife Hino Tomiko largely ruled in his place. Nene, wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was known to overrule her husband's decisions at times and Yodo-dono, his concubine, became the de facto master of Osaka castle and the Toyotomi clan after Hideyoshi's death. Tachibana Ginchiyo was chosen to lead the Tachibana clan after her father's death. Chiyo, wife of Yamauchi Kazutoyo, has long been considered the ideal samurai wife. According to legend, she made her kimono out of a quilted patchwork of bits of old cloth and saved pennies to buy her husband a magnificent horse, on which he rode to many victories. The fact that Chiyo (though she is better known as "Wife of Yamauchi Kazutoyo") is held in such high esteem for her economic sense is illuminating in the light of the fact that she never produced an heir and the Yamauchi clan was succeeded by Kazutoyo's younger brother. The source of power for women may have been that samurai left their finances to their wives.

qas: question: In what period did Japanese women begin being more educated?
answers: text: Tokugawa

question: What were added to marriage criteria in the Tokugawa period?
answers: text: intelligence and education as desirable attributes

question: What types of advanced books did some Japanese women read?
answers: text: philosophical and literary classics

question: When had most samurai wives learned to read?
answers: text: the end of the Tokugawa period
context: As the Tokugawa period progressed more value became placed on education, and the education of females beginning at a young age became important to families and society as a whole. Marriage criteria began to weigh intelligence and education as desirable attributes in a wife, right along with physical attractiveness. Though many of the texts written for women during the Tokugawa period only pertained to how a woman could become a successful wife and household manager, there were those that undertook the challenge of learning to read, and also tackled philosophical and literary classics. Nearly all women of the samurai class were literate by the end of the Tokugawa period.

qas: question: Who was the first Western samurai?
answers: text: William Adams

question: Who made William Adams a samurai?
answers: text: Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu

question: What was William Adams's Japanese name?
answers: text: Anjin Miura

question: What did hatamoto mean?
answers: text: bannerman

question: How many servants did William Adams have?
answers: text: eighty or ninety
context: The English sailor and adventurer William Adams (1564–1620) was the first Westerner to receive the dignity of samurai. The Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu presented him with two swords representing the authority of a samurai, and decreed that William Adams the sailor was dead and that Anjin Miura (三浦按針), a samurai, was born. Adams also received the title of hatamoto (bannerman), a high-prestige position as a direct retainer in the Shogun's court. He was provided with generous revenues: "For the services that I have done and do daily, being employed in the Emperor's service, the Emperor has given me a living" (Letters). He was granted a fief in Hemi (逸見) within the boundaries of present-day Yokosuka City, "with eighty or ninety husbandmen, that be my slaves or servants" (Letters). His estate was valued at 250 koku. He finally wrote "God hath provided for me after my great misery", (Letters) by which he meant the disaster-ridden voyage that initially brought him to Japan.

qas: question: What nationality was Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn?
answers: text: Dutch

question: Around when was Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn born?
answers: text: 1556

question: What was Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn's Japanese name?
answers: text: Yayousu

question: What permission allowed trade between Japan and Indo-China?
answers: text: a Red Seal Ship

question: How did Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn die?
answers: text: drowned after his ship ran aground
context: Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn (1556?–1623?), a Dutch colleague of Adams' on their ill-fated voyage to Japan in the ship De Liefde, was also given similar privileges by Tokugawa Ieyasu. It appears Joosten became a samurai[citation needed] and was given a residence within Ieyasu's castle at Edo. Today, this area at the east exit of Tokyo Station is known as Yaesu (八重洲). Yaesu is a corruption of the Dutchman's Japanese name, Yayousu (耶楊子). Also in common with Adam's, Joostens was given a Red Seal Ship (朱印船) allowing him to trade between Japan and Indo-China. On a return journey from Batavia Joosten drowned after his ship ran aground.

qas: question: What nationality was Edward Schnell?
answers: text: Prussian

question: What duties did Edward Schnell have?
answers: text: military instructor and procurer of weapons

question: Who did Edward Schnell work for?
answers: text: the Aizu domain

question: What was Edward Schnell's Japanese name?
answers: text: Hiramatsu Buhei

question: Where did Edward Schnell live?
answers: text: Wakamatsu
context: In the same war, the Prussian Edward Schnell served the Aizu domain as a military instructor and procurer of weapons. He was granted the Japanese name Hiramatsu Buhei (平松武兵衛), which inverted the characters of the daimyo's name Matsudaira. Hiramatsu (Schnell) was given the right to wear swords, as well as a residence in the castle town of Wakamatsu, a Japanese wife, and retainers. In many contemporary references, he is portrayed wearing a Japanese kimono, overcoat, and swords, with Western riding trousers and boots.

qas: question: What type of armor did Japanese wear in the 7th century?
answers: text: a form of lamellar armor

question: What was the first samurai armor called?
answers: text: yoroi

question: What were the small scales in yoroi called?
answers: text: kozane

question: What were kozane made of?
answers: text: iron or leather

question: What was a full chest armor called?
answers: text: dou
context: As far back as the seventh century Japanese warriors wore a form of lamellar armor, this armor eventually evolved into the armor worn by the samurai. The first types of Japanese armors identified as samurai armor were known as yoroi. These early samurai armors were made from small individual scales known as kozane. The kozane were made from either iron or leather and were bound together into small strips, the strips were coated with lacquer to protect the kozane from water. A series of strips of kozane were then laced together with silk or leather lace and formed into a complete chest armor (dou or dō).

qas: question: Why were there armor changes in the 1500s?
answers: text: the advent of firearms, new fighting tactics and the need for additional protection

question: What type of armor was replaced?
answers: text: kozane dou

question: What new type of armor replaced the old?
answers: text: plate armor

question: What was the new armor called?
answers: text: Tosei-gusoku

question: When was samurai armor last used?
answers: text: 1877
context: In the 1500s a new type of armor started to become popular due to the advent of firearms, new fighting tactics and the need for additional protection. The kozane dou made from individual scales was replaced by plate armor. This new armor, which used iron plated dou (dō), was referred to as Tosei-gusoku, or modern armor. Various other components of armor protected the samurai's body. The helmet kabuto was an important part of the samurai's armor. Samurai armor changed and developed as the methods of samurai warfare changed over the centuries. The known last use of samurai armor occurring in 1877 during the satsuma rebellion. As the last samurai rebellion was crushed, Japan modernized its defenses and turned to a national conscription army that used uniforms.

qas: question: What did 'samurai' mean at first?
answers: text: those who serve in close attendance to nobility

question: What did 'samorapu' mean?
answers: text: to watch, to keep watch, to observe, to be on the lookout for something; to serve, to attend

question: What did 'saburahu' mean?
answers: text: to serve, to attend

question: What did 'saburahi' mean?
answers: text: servant, attendant

question: When was the word 'samurahi' used?
answers: text: the Edo period
context: The term samurai originally meant "those who serve in close attendance to nobility", and was written with a Chinese character (or kanji) that had the same meaning. In Japanese, it was originally recorded in the Nara Period as a verb *samorapu ("to watch, to keep watch, to observe, to be on the lookout for something; to serve, to attend"), which is believed to be derived from the frequentative form (*morapu 守らふ) of the verb moru (守る, "to watch, to guard, to be on the lookout; to keep, to protect, to take care of, to be in charge of, to have as one's ward"). By the Heian period, this word had developed into the verb saburahu (さぶらふ, "to serve, to attend"), from which a deverbal noun saburahi (さぶらひ, "servant, attendant") was later derived, and this noun then yielded samurahi (さむらひ) in the Edo period. In Japanese literature, there is an early reference to samurai in the Kokinshū (古今集, early 10th century):

qas: question: Who were the bushi class?
answers: text: ancient Japanese soldiers from traditional warrior families

question: Where did the bushi live?
answers: text: mainly in the north of Japan

question: Where did the imperial family live?
answers: text: Kyoto

question: What does Bushido mean?
answers: text: the "way of the warrior"

question: What was a bukeyashiki?
answers: text: the mansion of a warrior
context: Bushi was the name given to the ancient Japanese soldiers from traditional warrior families. The bushi class was developed mainly in the north of Japan. They formed powerful clans, which in the 12th century were against the noble families who were grouping themselves to support the imperial family who lived in Kyoto. Samurai was a word used by the Kuge aristocratic class with warriors themselves preferring the word bushi. The term Bushidō, the "way of the warrior", is derived from this term and the mansion of a warrior was called bukeyashiki.

qas: question: What was a synonym for seppuku?
answers: text: hara kiri

question: What was the reason for seppuku?
answers: text: allowed a disgraced samurai to regain his honor by passing into death

question: How idealistic were samurai?
answers: text: as practical on the battlefield as were any other warrior

question: How were samurai unrealistically portrayed?
answers: text: romanticized
context: Most samurai were bound by a code of honor and were expected to set an example for those below them. A notable part of their code is seppuku (切腹, seppuku?) or hara kiri, which allowed a disgraced samurai to regain his honor by passing into death, where samurai were still beholden to social rules. Whilst there are many romanticized characterizations of samurai behavior such as the writing of Bushido (武士道, Bushidō?) in 1905, studies of Kobudo and traditional Budō indicate that the samurai were as practical on the battlefield as were any other warrior.

qas: question: Who was an example of a disloyal samurai?
answers: text: Akechi Mitsuhide

question: Who was an example of an excessively loyal samurai?
answers: text: Kusunoki Masashige)

question: Some feudal lords shifted loyalties from Toyotomi to whom?
answers: text: Tokugawa

question: What sometimes overrode samurais' loyalty to the daimyo?
answers: text: loyalty to the Emperor was seen to have supremacy
context: Despite the rampant romanticism of the 20th century, samurai could be disloyal and treacherous (e.g., Akechi Mitsuhide), cowardly, brave, or overly loyal (e.g., Kusunoki Masashige). Samurai were usually loyal to their immediate superiors, who in turn allied themselves with higher lords. These loyalties to the higher lords often shifted; for example, the high lords allied under Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉) were served by loyal samurai, but the feudal lords under them could shift their support to Tokugawa, taking their samurai with them. There were, however, also notable instances where samurai would be disloyal to their lord or daimyo, when loyalty to the Emperor was seen to have supremacy.

qas: question: What is Jidaigeki?
answers: text: historical drama

question: Who is Akira Kurosawa? 
answers: text: One of Japan’s most renowned directors

question: Who directed 'Seven Samurai'?
answers: text: Akira Kurosawa

question: What Japanese movie is 'Star Wars: A New Hope' said to be similar to?
answers: text: Seven Samurai

question: What western was inspired by 'Seven Samurai'?
answers: text: The Magnificent Seven
context: Jidaigeki (literally historical drama) has always been a staple program on Japanese movies and television. The programs typically feature a samurai. Samurai films and westerns share a number of similarities and the two have influenced each other over the years. One of Japan’s most renowned directors, Akira Kurosawa, greatly influenced the samurai aspect in western film-making.[citation needed] George Lucas’ Star Wars series incorporated many aspects from the Seven Samurai film. One example is that in the Japanese film, seven samurai warriors are hired by local farmers to protect their land from being overrun by bandits; In George Lucas’ Star Wars: A New Hope, a similar situation arises. Kurosawa was inspired by the works of director John Ford and in turn Kurosawa's works have been remade into westerns such as The Seven Samurai into The Magnificent Seven and Yojimbo into A Fistful of Dollars. There is also a 26 episode anime adaptation (Samurai 7) of The Seven Samurai. Along with film, literature containing samurai influences are seen as well.

qas: question: Who is Eiji Yoshikawa?
answers: text: one of the most famous Japanese historical novelists

question: Why are Eiji Yoshikawa's books popular?
answers: text: for their epic narratives and rich realism in depicting samurai and warrior culture

question: What are Japanese comic books called?
answers: text: manga

question: What are Japanese animation called?
answers: text: anime
context: Most common are historical works where the protagonist is either a samurai or former samurai (or another rank or position) who possesses considerable martial skill. Eiji Yoshikawa is one of the most famous Japanese historical novelists. His retellings of popular works, including Taiko, Musashi and Heike Tale, are popular among readers for their epic narratives and rich realism in depicting samurai and warrior culture.[citation needed] The samurai have also appeared frequently in Japanese comics (manga) and animation (anime). Samurai-like characters are not just restricted to historical settings and a number of works set in the modern age, and even the future, include characters who live, train and fight like samurai. Examples are Samurai Champloo, Requiem from the Darkness, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Afro Samurai. Some of these works have made their way to the west, where it has been increasing in popularity with America.

qas: question: Who said America hyperbolizes the samurai?
answers: text: Moscardi, N.D.

question: What kind of animation did Afro Samurai have?
answers: text: hack-and-slash

question: What kind of music did Afro Samurai have?
answers: text: gritty urban
context: Just in the last two decades,[when?] samurai have become more popular in America. “Hyperbolizing the samurai in such a way that they appear as a whole to be a loyal body of master warriors provides international interest in certain characters due to admirable traits” (Moscardi, N.D.). Through various medium, producers and writers have been capitalizing on the notion that Americans admire the samurai lifestyle. The animated series, Afro Samurai, became well-liked in American popular culture due to its blend of hack-and-slash animation and gritty urban music.

qas: question: Who created Afro Samurai?
answers: text: Takashi Okazaki

question: Who made Afro Samurai into an animated TV show?
answers: text: Studio Gonzo

question: When did Afro Samurai first air?
answers: text: 2007

question: On what channel did Afro Samurai air?
answers: text: Spike TV

question: Who was the star voice actor of Afro Samurai?
answers: text: Samuel L. Jackson
context: Created by Takashi Okazaki, Afro Samurai was initially a doujinshi, or manga series, which was then made into an animated series by Studio Gonzo. In 2007 the animated series debuted on American cable television on the Spike TV channel (Denison, 2010). The series was produced for American viewers which “embodies the trend... comparing hip-hop artists to samurai warriors, an image some rappers claim for themselves (Solomon, 2009). The storyline keeps in tone with the perception of a samurais finding vengeance against someone who has wronged him. Starring the voice of well known American actor Samuel L. Jackson, “Afro is the second-strongest fighter in a futuristic, yet, still feudal Japan and seeks revenge upon the gunman who killed his father” (King 2008). Due to its popularity, Afro Samurai was adopted into a full feature animated film and also became titles on gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox. Not only has the samurai culture been adopted into animation and video games, it can also be seen in comic books.

qas: question: In what company's comics did Silver Samurai appear?
answers: text: Marvel

question: What is Silver Samurai's weapon?
answers: text: an energy charged katana

question: How many comic books has Silver Samurai appeared in?
answers: text: over 350

question: Who starred in The Last Samurai?
answers: text: Tom Cruise

question: Who did Tom Cruise play in The Last Samurai?
answers: text: US Army Captain Nathan Algren
context: American comic books have adopted the character type for stories of their own like the mutant-villain Silver Samurai of Marvel Comics. The design of this character preserves the samurai appearance; the villain is “Clad in traditional gleaming samurai armor and wielding an energy charged katana” (Buxton, 2013). Not only does the Silver Samurai make over 350 comic book appearances, the character is playable in several video games, such as Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 and 2. In 2013, the samurai villain was depicted in James Mangold’s film The Wolverine. Ten years before the Wolverine debuted, another film helped pave the way to ensure the samurai were made known to American cinema: A film released in 2003 titled The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, is inspired by the samurai way of life. In the film, Cruise’s character finds himself deeply immersed in samurai culture. The character in the film, “Nathan Algren, is a fictional contrivance to make nineteenth-century Japanese history less foreign to American viewers”.(Ravina, 2010) After being captured by a group of samurai rebels, he becomes empathetic towards the cause they fight for. Taking place during the Meiji Period, Tom Cruise plays the role of US Army Captain Nathan Algren, who travels to Japan to train a rookie army in fighting off samurai rebel groups. Becoming a product of his environment, Algren joins the samurai clan in an attempt to rescue a captured samurai leader. “By the end of the film, he has clearly taken on many of the samurai traits, such as zen-like mastery of the sword, and a budding understanding of spirituality”. (Manion, 2006)