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Medieval sword fighting

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Japanese Feudalism and European Feudalism. Although Japan and Europe did not have any direct contact with one another during the medieval and early modern periods, they independently developed very similar socio-political systems. Often, these systems are labeled as feudal. What is feudalism? The great French historian Marc Bloch defined it this way: "A subject peasantry; widespread use of the service tenement (i.e. the fief) instead of a salary...; supremacy of a class of specialized warriors; ties of obedience and protection which bind man to man...; [and] fragmentation of authority - leading inevitably to disorder.

" In other words, there are peasants who are tied to the farm land and work for protection plus a portion of the harvest, rather than for money. Warriors dominate the society and are bound by codes of obedience and ethics. Similarities between Japanese and European Feudalism Feudal Japanese and European societies were built on a system of hereditary classes. Differences between Japanese and European Feudalism. Comparison of Japanese and European Feudalism by The Historian. The Historian's image for: "Comparison of Japanese and European Feudalism" Caption: Location: Image by: Although many people consider feudalism a European invention, the Japanese invented a form of feudalism independent of the Europeans at about the time that feudalism was at its height in Europe. Although these two feudalistic societies differed in several important ways, they also exhibited some key commonalities.

This article will compare and contrast feudal Japan with feudal Europe while offering some explanations for the differences. Since the ownership of land is what defines feudalism, both Japan and Europe had landowning and non-landowing castes during the Middle Ages. Secondly, although the lower nobility in Japan (the samurai) swore fealty to their local lords, the local lords did not give the samurai any land of their own.

Obviously, the Japanese and European feudalistic systems were based on radically different legal and cultural structures. The Medieval European Knight vs. The Feudal Japanese Samurai. The Medieval European Knight vs. The Feudal Japanese Samurai? By J. Clements ARMA Director From time to time it is interesting to ponder the outcome of an encounter between two of history's most formidable and highly skilled warriors: the Medieval European knight and the feudal Japanese samurai. The thought of "who would win" in an actual fight between these martial experts of such dissimilar methods is intriguing.

Who would emerge victorious or who was historically the better fighter is a question occasionally raised, but it is really a moot question. In the case of comparing a knight to a samurai, each warrior used armor, weapons, and methods oriented towards the particular opponents of their day and age. The Scenario First of all, we must ask where is it these two lone warriors would meet? There are a great many intangibles to consider here. Of course, if we are supposing a clash between two "typical warriors", we must also ask exactly what will be considered typical? The Warriors. Crusaders, Condottieri, and Cannon: Medieval Warfare in Societies Around the ... Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat: Hans Talhoffer: 9781848327702: Amazon.com: Books.