Shoguns, Samurai, and the Japanese Middle Ages
Shoguns, Samurai, and the Japanese Middle Ages
Japan and Western Europe both went through a Middle Ages—but was Japan’s era of samurai, shoguns, and warfare a “dark age,” too? Explore and decide.
Key Ideas
As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
Key Ideas
Think about the following questions as you watch the video
- 00:35 Beginning around the late twelfth century, what class became increasingly powerful? Who lost power?
- 00:45 What new political system emerged around this time?
- 02:03 Was power centralized under the shogunate or bakufu system? Who held power under this system?
- 02:13 What are some similarities between the bakufu system in Japan and feudalism in Europe?
- 05:00 What did guns have to do with Japanese reunification?