Rise of the Samurai
This title, meaning "commander-in-chief," was held by military leaders like Minamoto Yoritomo who truly ruled Japan.
Answer: What is shogun?
Under their armor, samurai wore a colorful robe called this.
Answer: What is a kimono?
The earliest style of samurai training focused on mastering these two skills.
Answer: What are horseback riding and archery?
To overcome fear, samurai were taught to think of themselves in this way.
Answer: What is already dead?
Samurai practiced this art of beautiful writing using brushes, ink, and paper or silk.
Answer: What is calligraphy?
Samurai pledged to protect and serve this leader in exchange for land grants and appointments.
Answer: Who is the shogun?
Samurai armor was made from small, lacquer-coated metal plates tied together with these.
Answer: What are colorful silk cords?
Samurai sword training taught warriors to force this from an enemy before attacking.
Answer: What is making the first move?
Young samurai developed endurance by marching barefoot in this harsh condition.
Answer: What is snow?
A calligrapher needed three main tools: a brush, an ink block, and this surface to write on.
Answer: What is paper or silk?
During the rise of the samurai, boys and girls alike were trained in these two main areas of war.
Answer: What are riding horses and archery?
Samurai wore iron masks to protect themselves and to do this to their enemies.
Answer: What is frighten them?
If a samurai lost his sword, he might fight with these two types of alternative weapons.
Answer: What are metal fans and wooden staffs?
A samurai’s fencing master helped him stay alert by doing this without warning.
Answer: What is striking him with a wooden sword?
This famous samurai invented a new form of poetry called haiku.
Answer: Who is Matsuo Basho?
These warrior-lords gained power under the shogun but eventually began ruling their lands like independent kingdoms.
Answer: Who are the daimyos?
This weapon, sometimes up to eight feet long, required great strength and was used by samurai on horseback.
Answer: What is a wooden bow?
In martial arts, samurai were trained to do this instead of overpowering their opponents directly.
Answer: What is use the opponent’s strength against them?
In a famous story, a samurai writing in peace sensed danger and escaped by doing this.
Answer: What is flicking ink into the attacker’s eyes?
A haiku has this many syllables in total, arranged in three lines.
Answer: What is 17 syllables?
In 1603, this leader became shogun and moved the capital to Edo, beginning 250 years of peace.
Answer: Who is Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Even after peace was established, samurai proudly wore these as a symbol of their rank.
Answer: What are swords?
Before battles, samurai would loudly announce these three things about themselves.
Answer: What are their name, their ancestors, and their heroic deeds?
Samurai trained to develop this ability to sense danger, even while dancing or playing music.
Answer: What is a sixth sense?
In haiku, poets use this literary device to suggest an idea or create a mood.
Answer: What is imagery?