ior." He led his people from Kyushu to the Kinki region and conquered the people there. Eventually Emperor Jimmu settled in the area of Yamato. This eventually gave rise to the Yamato dynasty and state. The leaders of Yamato believed themselves to be of divine origin. Later, the Yamato clans conducted many military campaigns on the Asian mainland. The targets included Korea and China and these campaigns led to the importation of Korean and Chinese culture, technology and military arts. A comparison between the knight of Europe and the samurai of Japan may demonstrate how these two countries had more in common than one might originally suppose. The samurai and the knight had his origins in military and economic need. His role was as a warrior, and like the samurai in some cases he was little more than a thug rewarded for his viciousness. But if a knight was to succeed, he had to take his role in the military seriously. Furthermore, like the samurai of Japan as time went on, success required more than brawn: it required loyalty to his liege-lord in society as well as strategy and ingenuity on the battlefield. Born of Noble blood and birth in the time of Charlemagne, in the 9th and 10th Centuries of France, and his successors. The knight emerged from the cavalry of Carolinian times a free man owing military services. Similar to the Samurai the knight was given land by provincial landowners and swore allegiance to a lord in return for military and sometimes other services, all of which were to protect the interests of their lords. With little to no Central government sanctioned army Kingdoms struggled to survive, constantly faced by the threat of invasion by nomadic tribes and aggressive neighbors, including Magyars and Vikings. Thus, the knight came from little more than mediocre status raised above the peasant by his expensive horse, armor, and violent manner. His violence was illustrated when Georges Duby wrote, “moral oblig...
