There were two highly impactful warrior groups of Japan and Europe: the samurai and the knights. Samurai were warriors who owed loyalty and military service to daimyos for land or regular payment. They used to make up 10 percent of Japan’s population. Knights were also warriors who gave loyalty and military service to lords in return for land. They had an estimated population of 12,000 in England and Normandy, France. Samurai and knights were similar militarily and socially, but differed in some societal and ethical aspects.
Samurai and knights had the same relative positions in the social orders of their countries.
Both were required to give service to the leaders above them. Members of both warrior groups began training in early childhood, learning combat skills and religion as well as preparing themselves for military service and other obligations later in life. Samurai had more specific and strict guidelines to follow. They had to live according to "Bushido", which was a strict ethical code that enforced loyalty and discipline.
The armor for battle was constructed differently because they utilized different battle techniques and were influenced by differing cultural backgrounds.
Samurai armor was comprised of small iron scales tied together and bound into armor plates with silk or leather cords. Knights on the other hand originally wore chain mail before eventually switching to complete suits of metal plated armor in order to protect themselves against more powerful weapons. Both methods had deficiencies. For the Japanese, the silk cords of the armor would become too heavy when wet. For knights, their original chain mail armor was insufficient against weapons like crossbows and longbows. The metal armor they later used completely lost its use after the development of guns.
The samurai and knights had differing codes to live by.
In Japan, they followed the code of Bushido, while Europeans obeyed the "code of Chivalry." They were both required to maintain allegiance to their masters and follow the ethics outlined in their codes of honor as they upheld them throughout their day-to-day lives. Bushido principles focused on enforcing loyalty and maintaining honor when dealing with other people. The chivalry had more friendly societal aspects, as knights were supposed to show mercy to those who asked of it and be courteous to women.
On another note, death was perceived differently by the two warrior groups. Samurai tended to have a less religious and more straightforward take on death. Knights, on the other hand, were heavily influenced by Christianity. Through samurai death poems, they showed how Zen Buddhism inclined their outlook on death.
