romikgosai/squad_modified huggingface dataset:
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What rebellion happened in 1160?
A: Heiji Rebellion', '
Q: Who fought in the Heiji Rebellion?
A: the rival Minamoto and Taira clans', "
Q: How long were the toryos' terms supposed to be?
A: four-year", "
Q: What clans were most regional clans' chiefs also a member of?
A: Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira clans"]
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who was the first warrior to become imperial advisor?
A: Taira no Kiyomori', '
Q: Who established the first samurai-led administration?
A: Taira no Kiyomori', '
Q: Who succeeded the Taira clan?
A: the Minamoto', '
Q: What role did the Emperor have in the samurai-controlled government?
A: figurehead', '
Q: How did the Taira clan expand power?
A: had its women marry Emperors']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When did the Gempei War begin?
A: 1180', '
Q: When did the Gempei War end?
A: 1185', '
Q: Which clans fought in the Gempei War?
A: The Taira and the Minamoto', '
Q: What does the Shimonoseki Strait divide?
A: Honshu and Kyushu', '
Q: When was the Kamakura Shogunate established?
A: 1192']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Which Chinese dynasty was founded by Mongols?
A: Yuan', '
Q: How many troops did the Yuan send to invade Japan?
A: 40,000', '
Q: How many ships did the Yuan send to invade Japan?
A: 900', '
Q: Where did the Yuan invade Japan?
A: northern Kyūshū', '
Q: How many samurai did Japan defeat the Yuan invasion with?
A: 10,000']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What was built around Hakata Bay?
A: a great stone barrier', '
Q: When did Japan begin building the Hakata Bay barrier?
A: 1276', '
Q: When did Japan finish building the Hakata Bay barrier?
A: 1277', '
Q: How long was the Hakata Bay barrier?
A: 20 kilometers', '
Q: What happened to diplomatic envoys the Mongols sent to Japan?
A: executed']
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).

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When did Toyotomi Hideyoshi first send an army to Korea?
A: 1592', '
Q: When did Toyotomi Hideyoshi send an army to Korea a second time?
A: 1597', '
Q: How many troops did Toyotomi Hideyoshi send to Korea?
A: 160,000', '
Q: When was the Battle of Sacheon?
A: 1598', '
Q: When did Toyotomi Hideyoshi die?
A: 1598']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Which military leader avoided sending his soldiers to Korea?
A: Tokugawa Ieyasu', '
Q: What force were most commanders opposed to the Korea invasion part of?
A: Eastern Army', '
Q: Which commander loyal to Hideyoshi was in the Eastern Army?
A: Katō Kiyomasa', '
Q: Where did the Eastern and Western armies battle?
A: Battle of Sekigahara', '
Q: Which army won the Battle of Sekigahara?
A: Eastern Forces']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who used arquebuses a lot?
A: Oda Nobunaga', '
Q: What did Oda Nobunaga value?
A: innovation', "
Q: Who disarmed Japan's Buddhist monks?
A: Oda Nobunaga", '
Q: When did Oda Nobunaga die?
A: 1582', "
Q: Who caused Oda Nobunaga's death?
A: Akechi Mitsuhide"]
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When were samurai becoming less warrior-like?
A: During the Tokugawa shogunate', '
Q: When had samurai last been used in battle?
A: the early 17th century', '
Q: What was another name for the Tokugawa era?
A: the Edo period', "
Q: What was the samurai's long sword called?
A: katana", "
Q: What was the samurai's short sword called?
A: wakizashi"]
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.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: Who were most samurais' lords?
A: daimyo", '
Q: Whose teachings did all samurai read?
A: Confucius and Mencius', '
Q: What did Bushido transcend?
A: social class, time and geographic location', '
Q: When was Bushido formalized?
A: before the Edo Period', '
Q: Who formalized Bushido?
A: several influential leaders and families']
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).

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Which force invaded Japan in 1853?
A: U.S. Navy', "
Q: Who lead the US Navy's invasion of Japan?
A: Commodore Matthew Perry", "
Q: What was Perry's goal in Japan?
A: force Japan to open its borders to trade", '
Q: What technology helped the downfall of samurai?
A: arquebus']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When was the samurai military modernized?
A: 1854', '
Q: Where did Japan open a military school in 1855?
A: Nagasaki', '
Q: What kind of military school did Japan open in 1855?
A: Naval', '
Q: What nationality of engineers did Japan hire to build naval arsenals?
A: tradition', '
Q: How many steam warships did Japan have in 1867?
A: eight']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who established a western-style army in Japan?
A: Emperor Meiji', '
Q: When was a western-style army established in Japan?
A: 1873', '
Q: What did samurai become in 1873?
A: Shizoku', '
Q: Who had samurai been allowed to kill?
A: commoners who paid them disrespect', '
Q: In what century were the Meiji reforms?
A: 19th']
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.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What group made up most of Japan's first exchange students?
A: Samurai", '
Q: Who started Mitsubishi?
A: Iwasaki Yatarō', "
Q: What was Iwasaki's relationship to samurai?
A: great-grandson of a samurai", '
Q: What kind of schools did samurai start?
A: private schools for higher educations', '
Q: Who did samurai write for?
A: newspaper companies']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What philosophies were the samurai influenced by?
A: Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto', '
Q: What type of meditation did samurai do?
A: Zen', '
Q: What caused some samurai to stop fighting?
A: The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth', '
Q: What was the contribution of Confucianism to samurai?
A: to stress the importance of the lord-retainer relationship']
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."

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When was Hojo Shigetoki born?
A: 1198', '
Q: When did Hojo Shigetoki die?
A: 1261', '
Q: What were gunki?
A: 13th and 14th century warrior writings', '
Q: When was Shiba Yoshimasa born?
A: 1350', '
Q: When did Shiba Yoshimasa die?
A: 1410']
"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."

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What does a samurai has his heart in the wrong place dislike?
A: battle', '
Q: What debt should samurai not forget?
A: the great debt of kindness one owes to his master and ancestors', '
Q: What virtues should samurai not be dismissive of?
A: loyalty and filial piety']
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."

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When was Kato Kiyomasa in power?
A: the Sengoku Era', '
Q: When did Japan begin invading Korea?
A: 1592', '
Q: When did Japan finish invading Korea?
A: 1598', '
Q: What did Kato Kiyomasa think samurais\' duty was?
A: to "...grasp the long and the short swords and to die"', '
Q: What concept did Kato Kiyomasa think should be studied every day?
A: Bushido']
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:

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who did Torii Mototada serve?
A: Tokugawa Ieyasu', '
Q: When was Torii Mototada born?
A: 1539', '
Q: When did Torii Mototada die?
A: 1600', "
Q: How many people were in Ishida Mitsunari's army?
A: 40,000", "
Q: How many soldiers defended Torii's last stand?
A: 2,000"]
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."

Questions and answers:
["
Q: Who was Takeda's rival?
A: Uesugi Kenshin", '
Q: What did Uesugi encourage?
A: the "way of the warrior as death"', "
Q: What was Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki's occupation?
A: Japanese historian", '
Q: When was Takeda born?
A: 1521', '
Q: When was Uesugi born?
A: 1530']