A Comparison of Bushido & Chivalry

Bushido of the Samurai, Chivalry of the Knights of old... how do they compare?

Both codes of conduct come from the days before guns had been invented. Fighting was face to face, even at some distance. So warriors couldn't hide behind cover and ambush their foe.

And both the Samurai of Japan and the Mediaval Knights of Europe were people of high status in a Feudal system. Ordinary people, the peasants, were at the bottom of the ladder and were treated little differently from animals by those further up the power scale.

The King or Emperor was at the top. He had absolute power. One word from him and people died... sometimes tens of thousands of people. His word was the law.

European kings believed they had a "Divine Right" to rule, that they were chosen by God. In Japan, the people believed their Emperor was god.

Below this absolute ruler were his Lords. These men were rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams. They owned land estates as big as whole counties, and they owned everyone who lived and worked on those lands.

The peasants were absolute slaves. They were their Lord's property. The peasants did not own the land they slaved upon, and then they were taxed heavily on the food and animals they produced.

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