The Samurai and their World

Catalog description

This course is a survey of the origins, history, and legacy of the samurai of Japan and their place in Japanese society and politics. It begins with the establishment of warrior rule in medieval Japan then continues through the bloody civil wars of the sixteenth century to pacification during the Tokugawa period. The course also examines the effect of modernization on the samurai as a class and how their ideals lived on and were spread to the entire population in the 20th century. Finally, the course assesses the samurais’ appeal in popular culture in Japan and the world today.