Me: Hey, buddy I have some Critical Thinking questions. Do you mind going over them with me, Donkey Kong. DK: Yeah, sure why not!
Me: Why do you think the Fujiwaras and the central government were declining?
DK: Daimyos had a lot of power because of the vast amount of land they had. The government was losing money because they didn’t pay taxes.
Me: Following that why did you think daimyos didn’t pay taxes?
DK: Well, they had a lot more power than the government. Having more power than the government they probably didn’t feel like it and grew even more power while the government weakened.
Me: Then, why did the daimyos fight for land?
DK: The land helped to increase their wealth and power over the other daimyos …show more content…
and the other government.
Me: Why do you think the lord-vassal system started?
DK: The soon to be vassals knew they had little power for themselves so they swore their loyalty to their lord for free protection, food, and land.
Me: Let’s get back to the government, why was there still an emperor?
DK: The shoguns need a political figure for the public, but really the shoguns manipulated the emperor to gain power. The emperor was also for tradition because a big change in government would shake the public’s view of the government.
Me: Why do you think the shogun gained so much power?
DK: The shogun acted for their personal interest, so they had manipulated the emperor and became the real people running the show. They were also the strongest warriors, so they weren’t thought of as suspicious people.
Me: Why do you think women of samurai learned to handle weapons?
DK: While the samurai were away fighting someone had to protect the family from bandits. Some women also inherited land they needed to take care of and others had become samurai themselves.
Me: Why do you think the samurai showed generosity to the poor and to the gods?
DK: Samurais had a warrior code that told them to live honorably and to do so they had to die an honorable death, give to the poor, and show respect for the gods. Also, the samurais practiced Zen Buddhism, so they had to find inner peace and one way to do that was to help
others.
Me: Well thanks for the help see you next time.
DK: You too.