Samurai

How did Samurai first start?: Japan was broken up into several separate clans, and the environment became unstable and bandits roamed the vast land of Japan. Wealthy landowners raised armies to protect them. Thus the start of Samurai.

Code of Bushido and Samurai Values:
This is also called “The Way of the Warrior”. Samurai existed in order to protect and serve the Shogun. Samurai must be honest, fair, and they had to be fearless in the face of death. They had to value loyalty and personal honor over their own lives. In many cases they had to take their own lives for failing duties or betraying the Shogun. This was called Seppuku or ritual suicide.
Seppuku was an elaborate ceremony. Guests were invited. You would eat you last meal after bathing, and changing into white clothing. Then a Tanto, or ceremonial dagger would be placed in front of you.

Training:
Usually a Samurai would begin their training at ages 5-7. Since you reading this you must be older than that, or you have someone reading this to you, or your just a really good reader. Anyway, they started at such a young age because they believed a child should be able to protect themselves from the surrounding dangers, like family enemies or robbers. The father and male relatives would provide the early combat training. They were taught archery, military tactics, unarmed combat, riding, and how to handle a spear.
They also trained using self control, mental training, and meditation. Samurai would train their body to be able to withstand the harshest of conditions, and always being prepared for anything, like attacks from enemies. Samurai trained their minds as well. They stayed aware of their surroundings.
Samurai were also taught literature and writing. They practiced calligraphy and wrote poetry. They wrote haiku’s. They learned this because they were expected to be students of culture and not just fierce warriors. Writing and literature was important to their culture.

Religion:
Most Samurai were Buddhists. There were two types of Buddhism. Zen, and Amida. The original religion of Japan was Shinto, the belief or nature spirits and sacred power. If you really wanted to get a feel of being a Samurai, you should study up on their religion and beliefs. Samurai based they way they lived off their religion. Japan borrowed Buddhism from China. Zen is based on meditation. The word “Zen” itself means meditation. It is for enlightenment and self knowledge. Amida Buddhism oriented from the figure Amida Buddha. Amida means “Immeasurable Life and Light”.

Armor:
Every Samurai needs armor and weapons. The down part about Samurai armor was that is was heavy. Samurai wore a colorful robe called a Hitatare kamishimo underneath all of their armor, though most sources say kimono. The armor was made of rows of small metal plates that are coated with lacquer and laced together with colorful silk cords. Their armor was made to make it easy for them to move, but was still good for protection. Since their armor was heavy, the Samurai needed help putting it on so their wives would help them put it on.
Samurai used bows and arrows, spears, their hands, and swords as weapons. A Samurai’s sword was the most prized weapon. They were the finest swords in the world. They were flexible but hard enough not to break. They were also razor sharp. Samurai swords were sharp enough to cut off a persons head.

Vocabulary:

Shogun: commander of Japan’s armed force

Samurai: a member of a powerful military caste, meaning “those who serve”

Haiku: Japanese poem, invented by the Samurai, three lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables

Seppuku: another term for harakiri, ritual suicide

Shinto: Japanese religion for worship or ancestors, nature spirits and a belief in sacred powers

Buddhism: no creator god, belief in karma
Zen: enlightenment through meditation
Amida: believed all people could reach paradise by relying on the mercy of Amida Buddha.

Lacquer: liquid made hard to protect metal, and wood when drys

Tanto: Japanese short sword or dagger

Important Person behind the scenes in the Revolutionary War

James Craik

James Craik was a surgeon and soldier in the American Revolution. James studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He was part of the British Army until 1754, when he joined the Virginia Regiment. He became good friends with George Washington. James not only took care of wounded soldiers, he fought in the war. James Craik accompanied General Edward Braddock, treating his wounds. Craik also served under George Washington, as his personal physician. James Craik became the Physician General of the army. After the war, Craik opened a medical practice in Virginia. James Craik was called upon by George Washington when he became ill. James and 2 other doctors did what they could, with no luck. George Washington dies the next day. James Craik died in 1814.
James Craik was one of the top surgeons in the Revolutionary War. He had warned Washington of a man named Conway Cabal, who wanted George Washington replaced. Craik also saved the life of La Fayette, a French Nobleman who helped raise the spirits of the American soldiers. If James Craik had not been a leading surgeon at the time, I don’t think La Fayette or George Washington himself would have survived as long at they did. James Craik was a very brave and smart man. He was fighting beside the troops at gunpoint and kneeling in the battlefield saving a man’s life.

Question: Why did we have the Revolutionary War?

I was asked this question, Why did we have the Revolutionary War?, by my teacher. This is what I wrote in reply to the question.


The American Revolution was a giant leap to freedom. The American colonists wanted freedom. They wanted to govern themselves without having to pay up to Great Britain. They were tired of being bullied and pushed around. We had the American Revolution because the ideal government wanted for the colonies by the colonists, were not given to the colonies. The American Revolution was the start of freedom. We would not have our Declaration of Independence or have influenced France and many other counties to stand against Great Britain, without the sacrifices the colonists and American soldiers made.
The American Revolution was a key role in how many of us were raised. Our our families were raised. We live “The American Dream” because we stood up for what we thought was the right thing even without a lot of supplies of soldiers. There is no way our laws or economy would be the same under Greta Britain's rule.

Medicine in the Revolutionary War

The American soldiers were worn out and malnourished. More men died of disease than on the battlefield. The lack of medical supplies and lack of experienced doctors impacted the amount of deaths. Medicine that was used in the American Revolution was not sterile either. They would amputate limbs with a saw, and drain blood from patients by leaches, or cut a piece of flesh and drain out the amount of blood they found necessary into a bowl. Many soldiers didn’t survive some of the procedures. It wasn’t always the procedure that killed them, it also depended on the skill of the surgeon. Wounds to the head, chest, and stomach were hopeless in these times. Doctors and nurses did what they could to ease the pain, but with supplies being so low, they used alcohol and tobacco to ease the amount of pain. In these days, you could not put someone to sleep to perform surgery, instead they were given drugs to ease the pain, then perform the awake surgery. Many soldiers who stayed at the hospital for a few days died of infection. The lack of ability they had to save lives in those times is upsetting, but it did save some lives.

Chinese Inventions and Discoveries

The inventions the Chinese made ranged from voyages, to games at home. Several inventions helped to guide the sailors who were out at sea, and benefited traders.
In the 3rd century, the Chinese created the first magnetic compass. They were pieces of a magnetic mineral called lodestone. If you were to put a piece of lodestone on a piece of wood, and float it in a bowl of water, the lodestone with turn until it is pointing in the North, South direction. They soon found that they could easily replace the lodestone with a steel needle. Inorder for the steel needle to work though, you would have to rub the lodestone and the needle together to make the needle magnetic. During the Song dynasty, Chinese inventors eventually created a compass for voyages, to help the sailors. The compass is still important even today.
To make travel on lakes, and up rivers the paddlewheel boat was invented. These boats made travel across lakes and up and down rivers much faster. Another invention, the canal lock, was invented to keep boats from being seriously damaged. The canal locks could raise a boat up to 100ft above sea level. The segmental arch bridge was also created. These bridges were broader and flatter. They took less materials to build and were stronger. All these inventions spread around the world.
The Chinese discovered different ways for disease prevention. If some one died from an infectious disease, they would burn a chemical that gave off a poisonous smoke. They believed that the smoke would destro whatever caused the death. Another way to preventing disease was discovered by a Chinese monk. The monk suggested boiling the clothes of the sick in hot water, to get rid of the germs. The Chinese decided to use a persons own imune system to fight off the sickness, such as smallpox. To prevent people from getting sick from smallpox, Chinese physicians took a scab from a sick person and turned it into a powder. They then took the powder and put it into the nose of the person they wanted to protect against the disease. Sometimes this would actually cause the person to catch this disease. The knowledge they gained from this helped us create vaccines for many diseases.
More inventions such as gunpowder, the seismometer, porcelain, printing, paper money, mechanical clock, spinning wheel, fireworks, and paper were created and some have been improved.

China's New Economy

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, agriculture progressed. Trade and commerce flourished. Cities grew and spread throughout China along with trade and commerce.
During the Tang Dynasty Northern China was wealthier than Southern China. Most of the land owners went south because of the wars and attacks from Mongolia that occurred. By 1207 about 65 million people lived in Southern China, and 50 million lived in Northern China.
Norther farmers grew mostly wheat and millet because of the cold and dry climate. Southern farmers grew mostly rice because of their warm and wet climate. Rice was the most popular product to grow in all China. Peasants also grew tea, cotton, and sugar. They also raised silk worms, feeding them with mulberry trees, to create silk. Tea was first used as a medicine until the 9th century where it became a national drink.
A new type of rice was brought from Southeast Asia. The rice was resistant from drought and grew within 2 months instead of 5. This product made the rice production boom. Farmers could plant more within the year with this new type of rice.
New tools helped the production of crops as well. Tools like the harrow, plow and chain pump improved productivity. The plow and harrow made it easier to prepare the fields for planting. Farmers used buffaloes to plow the fields. The chain pump helped irrigate land. Dams, dikes and gated channels helped move the water to where it was needed.
Farmers created flat areas called terraces on hillsides so they could farm. More and more land was used for farming causing land owners to become wealthier. They used paddies to raise the rice in. Paddies are flooded fields.
Trade and commerce was helped by water transportation. Traders used barges to transport the goods from place to place. Barges could travel up to 45 miles a day, which was faster than the oxcart, which traveled on land at 25 miles a day. To help the sailors find their way, the magnetic compass was created. It helped them find North, South, East, and West.
The growth of commerce cause people to want to move to cities and towns in China. Chinese cities became the largest in the world. People that moved to cities and towns in China could make a living as Merchants, traders, peddlers and shopkeepers. Also people preferred the social life in a town instead of on their farms. For some time, China's streets were very busy. Musicians, jugglers, acrobats and puppeteers began preforming in the streets for money. The change in urbanization changed the life or many Chinese people.

Ancient China Geography and The Great Wall

China's land is made up of mainly mountains and deserts. The Himalayan mountains lay in Western part of China. The Altia mountains lay North of the Himalayan mountains. The Taklimakin desert is in the Western part of China. The Gobi desert lays in the Eastern part of China.

China is home to the third largest river, the Yangzi River. Some other rivers in China are the Huang He, the Yellow river, the Huai river, and the Yarlung Zangbo river.

The weather in the old days of China wasn't much of a variety for each region. China was not very cold in the winter, but could get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. In the summer it was either hot and humid, or hot and not humid.

Emperor Qin, from the Qin dynasty had the Great Wall of China built. Many people died, building The Great Wall. The Great Wall of China was created to keep bandits from attacking, and other states from trying invade, or attack.