Activity
Samurai: Design Your Own Symbol
The imagery on a samurai’s armor expresses that samurai’s identity and source of inspiration or empowerment. Is there an image you connect with most?
Samurai helmet with a half-face mask.
HSS Historical Interpretation.3: Students explain the sources of historical continuity and how the combination of ideas and events explains the emergence of new patterns.
HSS 7.5.3: Describe the values, social customs, and traditions prescribed by the lord-vassal system consisting of shogun, daimyo, and samurai and the lasting influence of the warrior code in the twentieth century.
HSS 7.5.6: Analyze the rise of a military society in the late twelfth century and the role of the samurai in that society.
VPA/VA 7.3.1: 3.1 Research and describe how art reflects cultural values in various traditions throughout the world.
VPA/VA 7.4.2: Analyze the form (how a work of art looks) and content (what a work of art communicates) of works of art.
VPA/VA 7.5.3: Examine art, photography, and other two and three-dimensional images, comparing how different visual representations of the same object lead to different interpretations of its meaning, and describe or illustrate the results.
Worksheets: Theoretical Hierarchy of the Warrior State; Key Vocabulary; Samurai Military Gear; Teacher Key; Line Drawing of Samurai Armor; Artwork: Helmet and half-face mask; Short sword and long sword; Matchlock pistol; Military camp jacket; Suit of armor; War fan; Signal fan; Other: Paper to create fans
Summarize that daimyo and their samurai valued the military arts equally with the cultural arts. This value is evident in the integration of beauty and design into the function of the Samurai’s military gear.