Feudal Japan Webquest
Introduction
We have just finished learning about Japan’s geography, Korea and China’s influence on Japan, and
the nobles’ lives in Heian (Kyoto).
Now you need to make sure you really understand how Japan’s military society developed. What
was life like for the samurai? How did the shoguns become powerful? How long did this time period
last? Was it longer than Europe’s feudal system?
In the years 1200-1900AD, Japan lived under a feudal system not unlike of Europe during the Middle
Ages. Within that society there was a clear hierarchy. While Japan had an emperor, he was nothing
more than a figurehead. The true leader of Japan was the shogun. The shogun was the most
powerful military leader in Japan. All other military leaders were known as the daimyo, and they
controlled vast territories within Japan. Trained warriors serving the daimyo were known as
samurai. Samurai were well-trained warriors who lived by a code of honor known as Bushido.
Task
You have recently finished studying what life was like in Japan during the samurai time period, but
could you survive if you changed places with a samurai? Imagine you wake up tomorrow and you are
in the body of a samurai living when Oda Nobunaga was the shogun. What would you need to know
to survive as a samurai? The process section of this assignment will help guide in the areas of your
research. Throughout your stay in feudal Japan, you will be writing a desperate letter home to your
parents about your first week as a samurai. Will you be able to fool the shogun and the other
samurais? How long will you be stuck in Japan?
Process
Step 1- Research
Topics to be researched:
1. -What were the main duties of samurai?
2. -Rank the social classes from most to least powerful.
3. -What did the samurais do to help them create disciplined lives?
4. -How did Zen Buddhism influence samurai warriors' daily life?
5. -Describe a samurai warriors' role.
6. -Describe the political structure of Japan in the 1400s (find info in textbook).
As you read the websites, take notes on the important details.
Visit the following websites. Check with Mrs. Oehler if you are uncertain about the time period and
the information you find. There is a lot of info out there, and you must be able to recognize what you
need and don’t need.
Please limit your research to the websites that I have provided. I have personally viewed these sites to
ensure content accuracy and appropriateness. Remember to focus on the main ideas that you will
need to survive in feudal Japan.
Resources:
Feudal Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2127.html
Structure of Feudal Japan
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/midlsoc/gr7/74info1.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/glossaryae/g/GlosDaimyo.htm
Samurai/Bushido
http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo_8.html
http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/bushido/bsamurai.html
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/bsamurai.html
Samurais: Zen Buddhism, Discipline
http://gallery.sjsu.edu/oldworld/asiangate/ageofsamurai/lifestyle.htm
http://www.thedailymind.com/mindfulness/what-samurai-philosophy-can-teach-you-about-modern-life-1/
Other Great websites to help your research:
Click on the bold titles.
Early Japan: Scroll down to get information on the Heian Period.
Samurai Information: There are great links in the left side bar.
More Samurai Information: War, Warfare, Weapons: This site is good for
artifacts dealing with war.
Prince Shokotu and Korean influence: This site is great for life under his
reign. This site will be helpful for clothing artifacts.
Artwork photos
Process continued…
Step 2
Organize your information and make sure you have collected enough information to survive.
Step 3
Start writing your letter home about your first week in feudal Japan. You may add pictures to
help explain what is happening to you. It must include the following info:
1. -What were the main duties of samurai?
2. -Rank the social classes from most to least powerful.
3. -What did the samurais do to help them create disciplined lives?
4. -How did Zen Buddhism influence samurai warriors' daily life?
5. -Describe a samurai warriors' role.
6. -Describe the political structure of Japan in the 1400s (find info in textbook).
Step 4
Once you have written your letter, you want to try and get it home. What can you do? Brainstorm
w/ Mrs. Oehler.
Step 5
Since you were not born of this time period, you have everlasting life and continue to live. You
stop writing letters home since you don’t know if your family received the first one, and you are so
involved in your new life that you don’t feel as homesick as before, but you do continue to miss
your previous life. You do start keeping a journal. Complete one journal entry summarizing the
end of feudalism in Japan. Use the textbook and your notes. Make sure you include the following:
1. -Describe the failed Mongol attacks
2. -Who unified Japan in the 1500s?
3. -Why did the samurai period last until the 1800s (3 main reasons)?
Evaluation: How you will be graded
Outstanding (+)

Research




Letter
and

Scans ALL websites
carefully and doesn’t
give-up
Correct time period
and info that’s relevant
Focuses on main ideas
that accurately answer
question/topic posed
On task and productive
Contains all of the
required info
Uses paragraphs,
Meets Standard (√)






Looks at most of the
sites
Mostly correct and
relevant
Focus on main ideas
that answer
question/topic posed
Mostly on task
Contains most of the
required info
Uses paragraphs,
Below Standard (-)






Gives up without looking
carefully at all websites
Does not focus on main
ideas and does not
answer question/topic
posed
Insufficient amount of
notes
Off task
Missing most of the
required info
Does not use paragraphs,
Journal Entry

correct spelling,
punctuation
Neat in pen

correct spelling,
punctuation
Neat in pen

correct spelling,
punctuation
Messy, in pencil
Conclusion
Great job! You have completed your task of exploring Medieval Japan and having a deeper
understanding of this time period. Reflect on the letter and journal you have written. What do you
now know about life in Feudal Japan? Do you think you would have survived? Is your life in the 21 st
century easier than a samurai’s life? As you will later learn, the samurai code of honor known as
Bushido did not disappear with feudalism; in fact, it was so infused into Japanese society and effects
their beliefs even today!
You showed off your skills in researching and ingenuity through your letter and journal writing. Your
success could not have been accomplished without your effort. If you have any further
questions regarding this unit or the project feel free to ask me!
Jenny Oehler
Japan and the Growth of a Military Society
Content Standards:
7.5 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the
civilizations of Medieval Japan.
3. Describe the values, social customs, and traditions prescribed by the lord-vassal system
consisting of shogun, daimyo, and samurai and the lasting influence of the warrior code in the
twentieth century.
6. Analyze the rise of a military society in the late twelfth century and the role of the samurai in
that society.
I used the following webquests to create this webquest:
1. Amanda Dixon’s “Exploring Medieval Japan through story telling”
http://questgarden.com/101/72/2/100419204550/
2. Patricia Peterson’s “Life of the Samurai Warrior”
http://questgarden.com/69/85/9/080907205426/t-index.htm
3. Deborah Thompson’s “The Samurai in Feudal Japan”
http://questgarden.com/88/23/3/091012115414/index.htm