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Samurai Armor Lesson Plan
Compiled by Rebecca L. Hull
Japanese, Sengoku Period (mid-16th-17th century)
Samurai Armor
Steel, iron, silk, leather, wood, hemp, and lacquer
Gift of William Traeger
Museum # 2002.8.1A-D
Background Information on Samurai Armor
This samurai ranking officer’s armor was produced in some of the most turbulent times for the island of Kyushu and Imperial Japan. During the latter part of the “Sengoku period (1560 - 1605), three samurai clans were fighting for control of Kyushu: The Otomo in the north, the Shimazu in the south, and the Ryuzoji in the west. Simultaneously, Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideoyoshi, and Tokugawa Leyasu were campaigning to bring all of Japan under their respective banner. This suit of armor provided its wearer protection from the dangers of late 16th-century warfare. Musket balls made the five indentations found on the front and back plates of this armor. Portuguese merchants brought the first muskets to Japan in the 1550s. Samurai warlords, seeing their power, had factories built to mass-produce these firearms. Muskets soon became as common as swords, bows and arrows on the battlefield. Japanese armorers responded to this new threat by hardening the iron and steel plates on body armor. In fact, each piece of armor as well as the weapons were hand-made for a specific individual (never factory-produced). This craftsmanship and precision allowed the plates to absorb the impact of the shot without harm to the wearer.
What was the Sengoku Period?
Sengoku is the shortened form of Sengoku jidai that literally means the “Era of the country at war." From the late 15th to the early 17th century, Japan was in the grips of civil war. Samurai warlords, or daimyo, constantly fought each other for more land and power. A daimyo was a powerful samurai clan that controlled one or more provinces in Japan. Weaker or “retainer” clans would join themselves to a daimyo for a share of rewards reaped from war.
In the mid-1500s Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), the first of the three great unifiers of Japan, rose to power. He fought a series of campaigns that brought much of Japan under his control. On his death, his general Toyotomi Hideoyoshi (1536-1598) continued the campaign to unify Japan. It was not Toyotomi but one of his generals, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), who finally unified Japan. Tokugawa established himself as shogun, the supreme ruler. His family then held the shogunate for another 250 years, a time known as the Edo period.
Who were the Samurai?
The word samurai translates as “One who serves.” A samurai shared many similarities with the medieval European knight. One had to be born into a samurai or knightly family; only infrequently, as in the case of Toyotomi Hideoyoshi, was one made a samurai. A samurai was part of the ruling elite and had many privileges afforded him. These warriors held land or fiefs given to them by their lords in exchange for service. Tax revenue and the produce from the land enabled the samurai to devote their time to martial training. Some samurai, especially during the unification period, did not have lords. These samurai were known as ronin, “wave men.” Frequently, these men turned to banditry to make money, a not so honorable profession.
Like European medieval knights, samurai had a strict code of conduct on how to lead their lives. Chivalry was the code for knights, while Bushido was the code of the samurai. Honor and the upholding of it was very important to the samurai. If one lost honor through defeat in battle, the code expected the samurai to kill himself. However, Bushido and Chivalry were the ideals, but not the norm. Sometimes these warriors would commit acts not allowed by their code but would not be punished.
During the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled Japan, samurai no longer needed to train for war. Instead, they concentrated on running the government and on gentlemanly pursuits like calligraphy or painting. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogun rule came to an end and the samurai disbanded. The emperor of Japan, who was only a figurehead during the shogunate, reasserted his power. One of his acts was officially dissolving the samurai as a class in Japan. Although the samurai are gone, their code and way of life are still admired to this day.
Samurai Armor Lesson Plan
Exploring Pattern, Samurai Helmet
Written by Tiya Karaus
Objectives:- Students will create a patterned design to fold into an origami samurai helmet.
- Students will learn the following vocabulary: samurai, bushido, Sengoku period, origami
State core links: (Standard 2, Objective 2)- The student will analyze, reflect on, and apply the structures of art.
- Create works of art using the elements and principles.
- Create the illusion of common patterns and textures by the repetition of dots, lines, shapes, tones, colors, and value contrasts.
Materials:- Square sheet of paper (one per student)
- An 8 ½ inch sheet makes a helmet that is 6x3 inches
- Black felt-tip pens (one per student)
- Scrap paper
Initiation:
Discussion of Samurai Armor
Ask students where they think this piece of armor came from and during which period of time. Who wore this suit? What led to the musket ball marks on the torso of the armor? Specific information on this piece of armor is attached to assist you in leading the discussion. It may be helpful to display the following terms for the discussion: samurai, bushido, Sengoku period, origami.
Points to highlight: The Samurai were the warrior class in Japan. They operated under a strict code of conduct called Bushido. Honor, loyalty, and truthfulness were important principles of Bushido. It is said that on the battlefield, samurai warriors would call out their years of experience in order to find a worthy adversary to fight. The Sengoku period (1560-1605) was a time when warlords were using samurai to fight for control of land in Japan.
Ask students why this suit of armor is in a fine arts museum, rather than a history museum. Students may further be questioned about what materials the armor is made of and how it was constructed. Ask students to observe and describe patterns on the armor. Pattern is the repetition of a series of shapes or forms. Close inspection of the samurai suit of armor reveals an amazing variety of pattern. Look at the armor from left to right as well as top to bottom. Students can be invited to draw some of the patterns they notice in the armor on the chalkboard or overhead projector. Explain that today's project will focus on pattern; however, the end product will be an origami samurai helmet. (Students will probably be familiar with origami. Folding paper has a long tradition in Japan, and may well have been a leisure pursuit of the samurai.)
Project:- Give students 5 minutes to create interesting patterns using only straight lines, rectangles, and circles on a scrap piece of paper.
- Pass out square sheets of paper. Students will fill only one side of the paper with at least three different patterns composed of lines, circles, and squares.
- The directions for folding an origami samurai helmet can be displayed as an overhead, copied to be used individually, or the teacher can model the folds while giving step-by-step directions.
Assessment:
(see attached rubric)
Samurai Helmet Rubric
The helmet is extremely neat in appearance. 5 points
The helmet is very neat in appearance. 4 points 3 points
The helmet is pretty neat. 2 points 1 point
The helmet is not neat in appearance. 0 points
Pattern is entirely complete and high quality 5 points
Pattern covers one side of paper and is folded into a helmet 4 points 3 points
Pattern covers one side of paper, but helmet is incomplete 2 points 1 point
Neither pattern side of paper nor helmet is complete 0 points
4 or more patterns are present 5 points
3 or more patterns are present 4 points 3 points
At least two patterns are present 2 points 1 point
Only one pattern is present 0 points
Patterns contain lines, circles, squares and another shape 5 points
Patterns contain only lines, circles, and squares 4 points 3 points
Patterns contain mostly lines, circles, and squares 2 points 1 point
Patterns contain no lines, circles, or squares 0 points
Total: 20 points
Sources: Books on Japan:- Japan by Irene Flum Galvin
- Japan by Carol Greene
- Japan by Rebecca Stefoff
Books on the samurai:- Samurai warriors by Jenny Roberts; illustrated by Tony Smith
- A Samurai warrior by Anne Steel; illustrated by John James
Samurai-related websites:- http://www.samurai-archives.com/
- http://www.northnet.org/americankangdukwon/samurai.html
Bushido-related website:http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/bushido/bindex.html
Variations:
The samurai helmet may be designed with a wide variety of materials including crayons, markers, colored pencils. (Black pen was chosen for the lesson on pattern). Younger students may find shape stencils helpful in creating pattern, as well as assistance in folding their helmets.
Extension(s):
Social Studies:
This introduction into Japanese history is a great jumping-off point for a comparison between Asian, European, and North American history. Timelines can be created by groups of students for a specific time span (1500-1800).
The samurai lived by Bushido. How is their code of conduct similar and different from the code of chivalry practiced by European knights?
Art:
When the samurai were not needed in warfare they turned their attention to pursuits like calligraphy and painting. Both calligraphy and sumi-e (oriental brush painting) make interesting follow-up projects.
Mathematics:
Numerical patterns can be explored in conjunction with this lesson. Ask students what pattern a series of numbers follows and what the next three numbers would be.
For example:- 0, 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16* (the pattern is add 1, add 3)
- 0,4,3,7,6,10,9,13,12* (the pattern is add 4, subtract 1)
- 1,8,4,32,16,128, 64*(the pattern is multiple by 8, divide by 2)
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