Medieval Japan

Activity 2 – Daily Life & Social Structure

Created by Marion Wadowski for Ancient History Encyclopedia

Essential Question  Can the Japanese and European feudal systems in medieval ages
be compared?

Objectives  Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information in order to

summarize and compare societal structures
 Question and verify the reputability and reliability of sources

Needed Materials and  Worksheets included

Information  Computers, as per your school policies
 Weblinks:
o [Link]
o [Link]
medieval-japan/
o [Link]
medieval-japan/
 Optional tips for students and marking grids for teachers:
[Link]

We would like to thank the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation very much for giving us the
opportunity to develop this resource.

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Lesson Plan Daily Life & Social Structure

Instructions
1 to 2 50 minute class periods needed, including the wrap-up activity. It could be less if students are required to
complete some parts at home.

 We start with an overview of Japanese daily life in the middle ages. Hand over the
word web (Worksheet 1) and ask your students to fill in what they can before
reading anything, even if it’s not much. It would be interesting to see what former
knowledge they may have. You may expect answers like samurai, kimono, ninja,
Buddhism, etc.
 Then, send them onto the following article to complete their answers:
[Link] They can work in
pairs and you may choose to give them only three categories to fill in, if you are
pressed for time.
 Discuss the answers in class or on your class forum. You can also give the completed
word web. It will also make for a good revision tool!
 The next activity challenges your students’ research skills, especially when it comes
to verifying and quoting their sources. What we are looking for here is a comparison
between feudalism in Japan on one side and feudalism in Europe on the other side.
 This time, we have chosen to not guide or point students into any direction but
simply ask them to compare and contrast both systems. They will have to choose
their sources and explain why they chose those sources. For example, some students
may prefer to choose a video, some may prefer gathering a couple of texts either
from the internet or the library.
 We would suggest leaving them complete freedom as to what they choose but we
would ask them to justify their choice. Why have they chosen this medium/media?
Did they check if it was trustworthy? How did they know it was?
 This can be done in various ways:
o The students can answer the initial question, however you see fit, according
to your learning objectives and your students’ abilities. It could be an essay, a
presentation, a video, a PowerPoint, etc. We would encourage having the
students draw pyramids to show both structures, with brief definitions of
each category of the population (see example in this lesson’s answer keys).
o You can have students working in small groups or individually. This activity
can be done at home for homework or assignment, or in class.
o We would recommend handing over Worksheet 2 to guide your students a
little bit but, again, you may want to leave them entirely to their own devices!

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Lesson Plan Daily Life & Social Structure

To go further…
 As homework or assignment, you could give two articles to your students,
describing both the European and Japanese feudal systems for them to read, to
cross-check the information they gathered and have them evaluating what
differences, discrepancies they can identify…
o [Link]
o [Link]

 If you wish to do so, we have included this in Worksheet 2. Feel free to remove it if
you don’t see this exercise as appropriate for your students or your time constraints.
 If you are looking for other compare/contrast exercises or activities, this lesson is a
great opportunity to do so. For example you could have a more in-depth look at:
o Samurai vs ninja
o Samurai vs knights
o European castles vs Japanese castles

 This could be done as homework or assignment and could take the form of an
essay, video presentation or class discussion (online or not).
 Should you have to teach this class online, you could use sharing tools such as
Flipgrid or Book Creator in addition to Google Classroom forum and discussion
boards.

Note: You will find tips for students and marking grids to save you some time on our website:
[Link]

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Worksheet 1 Daily Life in Medieval Japan
Name Date

1) Read the following article: [Link]

medieval-japan/

2) Extract key information for each aspect of daily life in medieval Japan to fill
in the mind map below.

Note: We will not study the first paragraph “society”. This will be seen in more detail later.

Death & Funerals

Marriage
Family

Education

Entertainment & T ravel Daily L ife in

Medieval
Japan

Shopping and Meals

Clothing

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Worksheet 2 Social Structure in Medieval Japan
Name Date

3) Compare and contrast feudal systems in both Japan and Europe.

a) Carefully choose your sources to answer this question and make sure to cite them in
your presentation. Describe both systems of feudalism and note similarities or
differences between the two.

b) Finally, in the text box below (use extra space if necessary), explain:

o Why did you choose the sources you used to answer the question? What were
your criteria?

o How did you know they were trustworthy and what would/did you do if you
encountered some untrustworthy resources?

c) Read the two articles below and compare the information with what you gathered for
your presentation. Do you see any discrepancies? How do you explain them?

- [Link] (in Europe)

- [Link]

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Answer Keys Worksheet 1

Here is a mind map describing the main aspects of daily life in medieval
Japan:

Death & Funerals

People lived long for the time Marriage
(50 yo) Family
More formal in upper-class.
Main challenges: famine, Unit = home (ie), extended
Divorce would be in favor of the
vitamin deficiency, disease and family, servants and their
illness man
children
Women could be executed or run
Cremation: most common 3 values to take care of the ie:
away to a covent
When a person died: spirit went obligation, obedience, loyalty
to the land of darkness, or if
buddhist: hell or reincarnation
but always honored

Education
Skill training or tutors in
Buddhist monasteries
Daily L ife in Monks helped with secular
Entertainment & T ravel
Sumo, martial arts, badmington,
Medieval affairs
Other sources of education:
board games, Noh theater, etc. Japan samurai libraries and Christian
Children toys: dolls, kite, missionaries' schools
spinning tops...
T ravel restricted, except
pilgrimage (expensive)
T ransport: foot, horse,
waterways. Upper class on
bamboo chairs Shopping and Meals
Dangers = bandits and pirates Markets with more food thanks
Clothing to agriculture and innovation.
K imono for upper class women. A lso pottery, tools, furniture, and
Rich embroidery on finer sometimes exotic items
clothing Bartering and coinage used
If working in fields, next to no Rice as basemeal. Drinks: green
clothes tea and sake for special
Straw hats and fans reveal social occasions
status
Makeup was used too

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Answer Keys Worksheet 2

As mentioned in the lesson plan, we would recommend taking the pyramid route, as it is
very visual and a clear comparison. Then, you can explore their main similarities and
differences.

Emperor
Monarch
Shogun

Nobles Daimyos

Samurai

Knights - vassals
Ronin

Craftmen, farmers, Peasants

merchants

Artisans

Peasants, serfs
Merchants

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2
 Answer Keys Worksheet 2

Here are some elements of the answer:

 Similarities
o Nobles – Daimyos
o Knights – Samurai
o Castles with similar architecture, although different materials were used in
both Japan and Europe
o Both samurais and knights had a code which they abided by
o In both systems there was none or almost no social mobility. The son of a
peasant would be a peasant himself.
o Religion played an essential role for warriors in both systems

 Differences
o Japanese samurai would commit suicide and die in honor for their master,
while European knights could not kill themselves, as suicide was strictly
forbidden in Christianity
o Samurai could count strong women among their ranks, whereas women
were considered too fragile in Europe
o Samurai would also cultivate their artistic side as part of their training unlike
knights who favored jousting and were rarely known for their poetry or
calligraphy

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[Link] –Medieval Japan – Activity 2