Ninja vs. Samurai Webquest
http://people.howstuffworks.com/samurai.htm
Samurai Page 1: Besides being warriors, Samurai were also known to be: Poets, politicians, fathers, and
farmers.
Samurai Page 2: What are the 4 factors that define a samurai?
1. The samurai is a well-trained, highly skilled warrior
2. The samurai serves his daimyo, or master, with absolute loyalty, even to the death. In fact, the
word Samurai means, “those who” serve”
3. The samurai is a member of an elite class, considered superior to common citizens and ordinary
foot soldiers.
4. The samurai’s life is ruled by Bushido, a strict warrior code emphasizing honor.
Samurai Page 3: Name at least 3 skills that Samurai had to learn about:
Calligraphy, poetry, dance, self-control, preparedness, hand to hand fighting, martial arts
Samurai Page 4: Describe 1 piece of Samurai armor in detail:
Answers will vary. Could include lamellar armor, helmet, yoroi, do-maru.
Samurai Page 5: The most famous Samurai weapon was the katana which was never worn without its
companion the wakizashi. Other weapons that Samurai carried included the pole arms, naginata.
Samurai Page 6: Bushido means warrior and under the Bushido, Samurai pledged their loyalty to their
lord or daimyo.
Which religion was extremely popular with the Samurai? Buddhism
Samurai Page 7: What was the Seppuku and when would it be performed?
A way for a samurai to restore honor to his lord and family and to fulfill his obligation of loyalty
even if he had failed as a samurai.
Samurai Page 8: During the Tokugawa period, what rule made Samurai stand out as a class higher than
common citizens? By powerful families passing land and prestige from one generation to the next for
hundreds of years, Tokugawa also banned the carrying of swords by anyone who wasn’t a samurai. All
swords owned by non-samurai were confiscated and melted down to make statues.
During the Tokugawa period, since the Samurai were seldom in combat, what other roles did they take
on? Escorting their lords back and forth from the capital, working as bureaucrats in the bakufu, and
collecting tribute in the form of rice payments from the daimyos vassals.
Samurai Page 9: What happened in 1876 that marked the end of the Samurai?
Urbanization of Japan and the end of isolationism
Ninja
http://people.howstuffworks.com/ninja.htm
Ninja Page 1: Watch the video on Ninja weapons video. Write 1 fact about the ninja weapons
Skip question. No video on website
Ninja Page 2: Ninja got their inspiration for deception and sabotage from a Chinese philosopher. Who
was he? Sun Tzu What book did he write? The Art of War
Was the use of deception in battles popular to the Japanese? Why or Why not? No because the samurai
were used to lining up and calling each other out to battle in an honorable way.
Ninja Page 3: According to Japanese legend, Prince Yamato was considered to be the first ninja.
However, instead of dressing in all black, he dressed as a woman to attract two barbarian chieftains.
In another legend, Kumawaka was a 13 year old swore to avenge his father’s death. How was he able to
take his revenge? He pretended to be sick to gain access to the monk and his family. At night, he would
sneak around and see where everyone slept and when the guards patrolled. One night he opened a
window so the moths would cover the lamp. With the room in darkness, he murdered the monk.
Ninja Page 4: Unlike Samurai, who would only be loyal to their daimyo, a ninja would hire themselves
out as mercenaries fighting for whichever daimyo paid the most.
Unlike the Samurai, who practiced a strict code of loyalty called the bushido, the ninja had a reputation
for being disloyal. Besides being disloyal, ninja had another reputation for stealthy skills that helped
obtain secret information, sabotaging enemy supplies, and stealing food and weapons.
Ninja Page 5: Besides being espionage mercenaries, ninja also played other roles such as: spies, scouts,
or commando groups.
What was the primary role of a ninja? assassin
How would daimyo try to protect themselves from ninja? They would use “nightingale floors” and
required everyone to wear ling pants that dragged across the floor.
Ninja Page 6: What sorts of supernatural powers did ninja believe to have? Able to fly, become invisible,
walk through walls, shape shift
Why do you think ninja wanted to promote these mystical rumors about the ninja? Answer will vary.
Ninja Page 7: Describe 1 component to ninja gear in detail. Answer will vary.
Ninja Page 8: Where can you find modern equivalents of ninja? Special operatives and espionage agents
in the military