Sources
Ikegami, The Taming of the Samurai, Chapters 2-8
“Goseibai Shikimoku, 1232″ Lu, pp. 109-116
“Asakura House Law,” Lu, pp. 175-178
“Unification by Toyotomi Hideyoshi”, Lu, pp. 189-197
“Laws of Military Households (Buke Shohatto)” (and amendments), Lu, pp. 206-208
“Education of Children,” Lu, pp. 258-261
“Death and a Samurai,” Lu, pp. 261-263
Yamaga Sokō, “The way of the Samurai,” de Bary, Tsunoda, Keene, pp. 389-391.
Assignment
For each paper, pick one of the suggested topics and write a short (800-1200 words) essay applying that theme to the relevant readings. You may take any position you feel justified, as long as you have good documentary support for your position. You will need to focus the question somewhat to keep it under 1200 words, either by applying the question specifically to the most relevant/striking texts or by posing a narrower version of the question. Papers will be graded primarily on how effectively they use historical (including literary) evidence and knowledge to support your conclusions. However, standard writing forms and conventions are appreciated.
Topics
1. Compare and contrast the Goseibai shikimoku (Lu, pp. 109-116) with the Buke shohatto (Lu 206-208): how has the life of samurai changed?
2. Compare and contrast the Yamamoto’s “Death and a Samurai” (Lu, pp. 261-263) with Yamaga’s “The Way of the Samurai” (Sources, pp. 389-391): are these compatible visions of warrior values?
3. Compare the Goseibai shikimoku (Lu, pp. 109-116) with the “Asakura House Law” (Lu, pp. 175-178): how is discipline maintained?
4. Pick any of the following documents and describe which laws/rules are focused on reliability and which emphasize efficacy?
a. Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s reforms (Lu, pp. 189-197)
b. “Goseibai Shikimoku” (Lu, pp. 109-116)
c. “Asakura House Law” (Lu, pp. 175-178)
d. “Laws of Military Households (Buke Shohatto)” (Lu, pp. 206-208)
5. Using Ikegami (and any documentary evidence from the class) trace the history of one of the following from the Heian (9th to 12 centuries) to the Tokugawa eras (17th to 19th centuries)
a. women in samurai families
b. peasant villages
c. samurai weaponry and tactics
Guidance
- I am expecting a real essay, with introductions, thesis, paragraphs, conclusions, etc.
- Clarity is crucial; structure is essential to a clear and effective argument.
- These questions can be answered more than adequately with reference to assigned readings and lectures. You are welcome to do more research and include outside sources, but you must be sure that they are relevant and of sufficient quality to enhance your argument. Using outside sources instead of relevant course materials will be penalized.
- The grade will be based primarily on the quality of the historical arguments that you make: thesis, the use of evidence, the attention to context. You don’t need to summarize the sources — this is too short of a paper for that — but you do need to give the reader a clear idea of what you’re talking about. Secondary to the quality of your analysis is the clarity of the presentation: how easy is it for the reader to follow your line of argument and be persuaded by your evidence?
Specifics
- Length: 800-1200 words. If you use standard double-spaced pages, that’s 3-5 pages. I do not penalize for shorter essays, if it really answers the questions well; I do not penalize for longer essays, if it really is on topic and substantive. I do penalize for missing important questions and for excessive verbiage.
- No Title Page. Include your name, the course, and the assignment at the top. You may also include a title for your essay.
- Double-spacing is not required. Reasonable font, however, is: something standard and readable and a nice size. Normal margins are also a must: 1-1.5 inches.
- Don’t try to make the paper look longer or shorter by playing with font and margins.
- Spellcheck and grammarcheck your work. Don’t assume the computer is right, however: read it over yourself (reading out loud often helps). I don’t take off points for grammatical or spelling errors unless they are so numerous as to distract from the message of the paper. That doesn’t mean that I enjoy reading papers with errors, or that I won’t mark them when I notice them.
Plagiarism and citations
Plagiarism is the use of the words or ideas of another without proper attribution and will not be tolerated. For details see the plagiarism page, or ask. If you cite material from the textbook, you only need to note page number; for outside sources you must include bibliographic information, either in a note or in a works cited section. You shouldn’t need outside sources to answer these questions, however.
Don’t forget: there are TWO essays due 9/25
