y put demanded little more than complete loyalty to a lord and did not expect any less of women. Reischauer writes, “the Japanese warriors expected their women to as tough as they were and to accept self-destruction out of loyalty to lord and family. In fact, there are several accounts of women playing vital roles in military actions, especially in the tasks dealing with espionage. A further distinction between the Knight and Samurai is the area of fine arts. The western warrior often showed contempt for pursuing poetry, art, and the like. However, the warrior of Japan prided himself on poetry and calligraphy.The European feudal system, like that of Japan, depended on bonds of personal loyalty. However, in Europe the relationship between lord and vassal was a legal contract. In Japan the relationship was one of master and subordinate. This was due to the belief that the ruler had superior wisdom and morality. Thus, in Japan the lord – vassal relationship was one of complete subordination and absolute loyalty on the part of the vassal. In Europe the title of Knight was earned through an apprenticeship most often based on kinship. In Japanese society family lineage also played a great role the destiny of title and property. However, unlike the European the Japanese avoided the problem of having a number of heirs to divide the property among by using a unique adoption system. In Japan a father would choose one of his sons to leave all of his inheritance. Furthermore, if the man had no son he may give his property to an in-law or non-relative. After further examination it is evident that although Europe and Japan are separated by great distance and had no contact with one another for a great many years they still managed to share several elements. This is demonstrated by their most esteemed warriors the samurai of Japan and the knight of Europe. . BibliographyEdwin O. Reisher, Marius Jansen. The Japanese T...
