The Culture of Samurai Warriors Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Culture of Samurai Warriors - Research Paper Example In addition, how did the institution of Samurai warriors affect the political system of the Japanese society? The military nobles of ancient Japan are referred to as Samurai. The term was associated with the top and the middle ranks of the Japanese society, a warrior class.1 This class of skilled warriors developed after the Taika reforms which introduced heavy taxes and the redistribution of land. This, in turn, resulted in many small farmers selling their lands and engaging in tenant farmers, since the reforms favored the owners of large tracts of land1. This system served to create a social system where there were a few wealthy farmers wielding immense power and a large population of those who had low income, namely, peasants and tenant farmers who barely had enough for themselves. Consequently, wealthy and powerful landowners and farmers required to protect their interests against the large groups of Japan citizenry who had fewer resources. This saw the birth of the Samurai warri ors tasked to protect the interest of the mighty, wealthy and powerful landowners1. While some of these Samurai warriors were hired individuals, others were the relatives of the wealthy farmers. There was a fundamental principle that guided the institution of Samurai warrior, loyalty to the master. ...The wealthy landowners have organized themselves in clans that amassed wealth by influencing the laws of the land to impose higher taxes on the peasants and the tenant farmers, to make them lose more lands to them. These organized clans eventually established protective agreements that, in turn, allowed them to wield more powers than the traditional ruling aristocracy2. These clans, some of which were made by a formation of alliances of landowners to guard themselves against the collection of taxes by the authorities, established armies to fight for them against the authorities. Such alliances and eventual establishments of armies and weaponry by the farmers’ clans finally creat ed a tradition of Japanese armor that was the basis of the foundation of the Samurai warrior institution. The Samurai grew stronger and started to collect certain taxes but eventually emerged as the political ruling power in Japan1. By 1100, the Samurai had already moved in to fill the vacant position that was left by the loss of control of the traditional Japanese aristocracy. Consequently, they wielded both political and military power over Japan6. The further factor that promoted the rise of the Samurai to power was the death of emperor Toba in 1156 without appointing an heir. His two sons struggled to rise to emperorship and ended up in a civil war in which both lost. The civil war led to the fight between two Samurai clans, the Minamoto and Taira Samurai clans, for power in which the Taira clan won. Consequently, Taira clan established the first Samurai government, and the Minamoto clan was expelled from Kyoto3.

Social Science in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Science in Australia - Essay Example Sexuality has had diverse perceptions over decades. These include people, who are distinctively either male or female, and the heterosexuals- men and women in possession of both the male and the female sex-organs. In efforts to exploit sexual desires, divisions such as the homosexuals come up, composed of two different groups, the lesbians- women practicing sexual acts with fellow women and the gay-basically men who find sexual acts with their counterpart males compatible; and yet others practicing masturbation which is seeking to fulfill ones own sexual desire or pleasure. People have different understanding and beliefs in regard to sexuality and what is best for them sexually. Lesbians view the pleasure from fellow women as most fulfilling and the gay see it vice versa. A majority though think that its all abnormal saying that woman was made for man and likewise. In fact it has been approved with time after thorough investigations and research on homosexuals that is lesbians and ga ys. The debate over homosexual "marriage" for instance, often becomes focused on whether homosexuality is a learned behavior or a genetic trait. Many homosexual activists insist that "science" has shown that homosexuality is inborn, cannot be changed, and that therefore they should have the right to marry each other. (CWA, 2008).Because no single study can be regarded as definitive; more research on people who have overcome homosexuality needs to be done. But a considerable body of certain literature about change from homosexuality to heterosexuality has been compiled, and the sheer number of exceptions to the "born gay" theory should be a warning to researchers and media to proceed with caution before declaring that science has proved that homosexuality is genetic. Other recent developments suggest that homosexuality is not genetically determined but made. Another instance is given by Simone de Beauvoir who says "One is not born, but becomes a woman. No biological, psychological, or economic fate determines the figure that the human female presents in society: it is civilization as a whole that produces this creature, intermediate between, male and eunuch, which is described as feminine". This belief also applies to the case of men (WCA, 1981). To support the above motion, there are a number of factors to look into which include: political, socialization, work/family (gender equality), early environment, cultural background, economical, and religion. Other factors contributing to this are attitudes, discipline, effort and style. Firstly, talking about politics which has imposed oppression on especially women, a lesbian society pragmatically reveals that the division from men of which women has been the object is a political one and shows that women have been ideologically rebuilt into a "natural group." In the case of women, ideology goes far since their bodies as well as their minds are the product of this manipulation. They have been compelled in their bodies and in their minds to correspond, feature by feature, with the idea of nature that has been established for them. Distorted to such an extent that their deformed body is what they call "natural," what is supposed to exist as such before oppression Distorted to such an extent in the end, oppression seems to be a consequence of this, "nature" within them. Experience by both men and a woman in such a field finally