Why does popular culture uphold Japanese samurais as the Eastern antipodes of the European knights? As opposed to Islamic, Indian or Chinese cavalry?
>bushido and chivalry
But surely other warrior castes had a warrior philosophy?
>zen and Christianity
I find it interesting how universalist, nominally pacifist religions came to be devoutly followed by the warrior castes of Europe and Japan. Maybe this parallel helps explain why the samurais attract us so much?
>cool armor
it's probably this
Because Europeans liked and respected Japan.
In the 19th century, Islam was thought of as cruel and backwards, but at least you get sex slaves, Indians as lazy wife-burners, and Chinese as arrogant barbarians who can't fight.
>>349444
Because the guy who 'invented' bushido in its modern form had a hard on for Europe (naturally being it was during europes peak) and made the obvious parallels to show similarities between japan was to europe.
>>349491
>between japan and europe.
>>349444
The greatest irony is that Bushido is based on the philosophy of Chinese neo-Confucianism
>>349491
D-, please be specific
>>349444
Cause the cool thing about antipodes is to have them far from you, the farthest east seems like the best choice.
>>349444
But they pretty much where knights, it's a fine comparison to make.
It sounds like you don't know what european knights were.
Because the Samurai lived in castles, warred with one another constantly, and invaded their neighbors as soon as they could get away with it.
The Europeans saw them as kindred spirits.
>>349444
Cool armor, feudal warrior class, weaboo's, mutual respect and cooperation.
>>349618
>It sounds like you don't know what european knights were.
Because I'm interested in exploring parallels? I know more about the holy way of chivalry than you could ever comprehend, knave.
>>349469
There is nothing fundamentally flawed with any of that tbpfhwymmm.
>>349663
Well then you'd recognise that the analogy is perfectly fine. It's only once you start to romanticise either that you get the big incompatibilities.
>>349687
The analogy is fine, but so would be an analogy with the Kshatriya or whatever the Chinese warrior caste was but we don't see that.
Kurosawa, thats why
>>349444
>Why does popular culture
Because weeaboos and popular culture is always unfaithful, shallow, and shit.
popular culture is fucking idiotic and it's a misconception built on a misconception built on a myth that's why
so many retards believe katana was their main weapon
after 13th century they switched from horseback to fighting on foot
>>349444
Because bushido code is roughly equivalent to the chivalry code.
This is mainly attributing to the high level knights/samurai romanticism. Low level knights/samurais were regular soldiers
>>349444
>Zen is like Christianity
wait, is this an actual meme?
>>349444
I can't think of an equivalent warrior class forming in China.
>>351302
The Fubing system.
Which the Samurai caste was based off.
>>349444
Because it's a good comparison, they're largely identical philosophies for a largely identical situation. Europe had a bunch of rich armed ruffians running around and starting shit, so the local leadership tried to brainwash them into behaving with a bunch of pseudo-spiritual platitudes and arm twisting to try and instill loyalty and good behavior.
Fast forward in time and look at Japan, Edo period had a bunch of young men from Samurai families running around with weapons but no wars to fight, starting shit and not having to work due to their stipend. So the local leadership tried to brainwash them into behaving with a bunch of pseudo-spiritual platitudes and arm twisting to try and instill loyalty and good behavior.
If you look at their fighting styles in the periods people use as the typical analogue, they're both mounted heavy infantry with a spear.
>knight (n.) Look up knight at Dictionary.com
Old English cniht "boy, youth; servant, attendant," common West Germanic (cognates: Old Frisian kniucht, Dutch knecht, Middle High German kneht "boy, youth, lad," German Knecht "servant, bondman, vassal"), of unknown origin.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=knight
>samurai (n.) Look up samurai at Dictionary.com
1727, from Japanese samurai "warrior, knight," originally the military retainer of the daimio, variant of saburai, nominal form of sabura(h)u "to be in attendance, to serve."
>tfw samurais and knights were literally the same things independently developed on opposite sides of the world
>>349701
Est less people Knowles about those things. That's all there is to it.
