Japanese History Spotlight: The Last Samurai

The samurai occupy an immense place in Japanese history and cultural heritage, but what brought an end to them after they became so legendary? In this six week class, we will explore the feudal world in which the samurai were at the height of their power and then examine the various factors of foreign influence and internal strife that lead to rapid modernization in Japan. The samurai played a major role in this modernization, but they seemed to lose their place of honor in the process. What did this mean for them and for the Japanese people who would continue to look back on their legendary history?

This will be a joint lecture and discussion based class! Some sort of lecture is of course important in history classes, but discussion is incredibly helpful in the development of comprehension. Every student is encouraged to participate in class discussion as much as they feel comfortable, whether asking clarifying questions or pointing out connections or new ideas. Students will also have the chance to look at and analyze historical artwork and documents so they can interact more directly with material from the time periods we will be studying. This is a valuable skill to learn for all history classes! We will occasionally watch videos to break up the pace of class and approach the subject in different ways. Each student will also conduct guided research on a famous samurai that they will share in a short presentation on the last day of class.

Learners do not need any prior knowledge of the topics. This course builds from the ground up in terms of information about Japanese history. I only expect interest and enthusiasm! That being said, students should be able to read at least a middle school level as we will be looking at some historical documents. They should also have the ability to do some more independent work as they will be asked to do some guided research outside of class hours.

Week 1 - Background Information. Where did the samurai come from? What was their early history? We'll explore several different samurai legends and their roles in early wars, so we can learn how the idea of the samurai became so significant in Japan and even the rest of the world!
Week 2 - The First Samurai vs Edo Samurai. Things became different for the samurai during the Edo period (1603-1868). There was less warfare, so what were the samurai to do? What was going on in Japan at the time? How were the samurai similar to and different from the first samurai legends? What's a shogun, who's the emperor, and what did the samurai think of either of them?
Week 3 - Opening the Country. Japan had closed itself off to foreigners for centuries, what happened when America came knocking on their door? What did opening up the country mean for the shogun, for the samurai, and for the common people? 
Week 4 - Entering Modern Japan. After years of warfare, Japan had a new government and entered the world stage. What did this mean for the country? Samurai helped make this new government, but would they have a place in it now, or would some try to turn back the clock?
Week 5 - Samurai Legacy. What would the lasting impact of the samurai be? How did they and the idea of them influence the Japanese in World War II? What is their legacy today?
Week 6 - Student Projects. Each student will be assigned a famous samurai in Week 2 of the class. They will have several weeks to do guided research on their samurai. They will work individually, but I will check in and help throughout the process. In this final class, each student will be given the chance to give a short presentation on the samurai they researched. Class discussion will follow!