Design to Survive Project

Feudal Japan – Part 1Kon’nichiwa, young samurai! You have been born into a turbulent time in history, Feudal Japan. The ruling emperor and shogun (military leader) share power, but powerful warlords (daimyo) send their samurai warriors, you, to fight for honor.

You could become one of the greatest samurai of all, but the time is now, so rise, and fulfill your destiny! Follow the steps below as you create your world famous Kenjutsu, samurai school, and the village and castle that you will protect!

InstructionsYou will have a set number of days to craft your samurai’s world. The project is broken into steps, and at the culmination of your project, you will give an informational presentation about life in Feudal Japan from the point of view of a samurai.

Step 1 – Suitable Land – Locate a build space that is large enough and flat enough to begin your build. Like Medieval Europe, you will need to protect your land, so higher ground will allow you to see enemies coming. Also, if part of your land is protected by hills/mountains, it may help you in later stages of your quest (hint/hint). You should be near a water source (ocean, lake, or river), and you should have enough space to build multiple buildings without cutting down too many trees and without spending a lot of time flattening the ground. Some hills are fine, since this would be realistic of Japan’s geography. Once you have located the right space, build two beacons at the corners of your space and continue to STEP 2.

Step 2 – Sacred Arch – As a samurai, your life is dedicated to practicing the Bushido Code, much like Medieval Knights practiced the Code of Chivalry. Choose the perfect location for the entrance to your village, and build a red, Sacred Arch that

will give good luck to all who enter and exit your land. Your arch should be simplistic by design. It should be at least 10 blocks tall and 8 blocks wide and shaped like the sample image. Once you have completed your arch, continue to STEP 3.

Step 3 – Kenjutsu/Samurai House – Your Kenjutsu will be the building where you live and train. As you rise to power, you must teach other samurai in your clan your fierce fighting techniques with the katana, a samurai’s long sword, and with the wakizashi, your short sword. This building should be 12 blocks in length, 8 blocks wide, and 8 blocks high (counting the wall). It should be made only of wood. Include open spaces for windows, a main entrance that is left open, and a bed. Your roof should be sloped like the roof in the sample house below. Again, this house should be simple. Samurai’s strict adherence to Zen Buddhism meant that they appreciated nature and simplicity. See the sample image below. Once you have completed your Kenjutsu/House, continue to STEP 4.

Step 4 – Zen Garden – Though a samurai’s role in Feudal Japan is to fight for their daimyo, or landowning lord/noble, you also seek inner peace and tranquility in order to appreciate the beauty of nature around you and to prepare for fierce combat. Create a Zen Garden that is at least 14 blocks wide by 14 blocks long. Choose the most beautiful area of your village to create your garden. Your Zen Garden should be made of sand, rocks, flowers, and water and it should have a sitting area (or areas) where you and your fellow samurai can meditate and reflect. See the sample image below. Once you have completed your Zen Garden, move to STEP 5.

Step 5 – Japanese Pagoda – Everything is proceeding perfectly! You have mastered your emotions and your patience and abilities are growing. In order to make your village prominent and known throughout the land, you must now build a Pagoda to represent your respect for the Kami, or spirits, that live in all things. Your Pagoda must be red, with white walls, a sloping gray roof, and many open windows. Your Pagoda needs to impress the emperor if you are to gain his favor! It should have 2-3 levels, and each level should be 8 blocks tall, 10 blocks wide, and include a grey sloping roof. The Pagoda should be placed in one of the most beautiful areas of your village, near the water or at the top of a hill. See the Sample Images below. This will be your greatest achievement, young Samurai! All of Japan will know your name, and your fame will spread like wildfire!

Congratulations!

You have successfully completed Part 1 of your challenge and built the basic elements that were essential to samurai in Feudal Japan!

However, the emperor sees greatness in you! Your unsurpassed fighting skills and dedication to the Bushido Code led you to be promoted to the rank of Shogun. You are the now the military leader of Japan, but there is no time to rest! The emperor wants to move his Imperial Castle to your village, and you do not have the defenses in place to ensure his safety!

Now, you must prepare for the ultimate test…

Design to Survive Project

Feudal Japan – Part 2

Step 6 – Imperial Walled City – Civil War has broken out in Feudal Japan, and much like the Roman Civil War that started when Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, the Emperor needs protection from the warring daimyos and their samurai armies. Rome was a walled city, and unless you can create an Imperial Wall surrounding your village, it will be an easy target for other samurai to attack. Your Imperial Wall can be made of stone or wood. If part of your village is protect by hills, cliffs, or mountains, then you do not need a wall around these parts. Your wall should be 4+ blocks tall. Make sure everything that you have already built is located within your Imperial Wall. You should have 1 main entrance where your arch is and you should build 3 small towers on top of the wall at different points and place a scout in each tower to watch for attacking samurai. Scouts should be able to see the other towers, so that they could light a torch or raise a flag to warn you of an invasion. Once you have completed your Imperial Wall, move to STEP 6.

Step 7 –Peasant/Merchant Houses – As your village grows, the peasants and merchants need places to live and sleep. Ironically, peasants are higher in Japanese Feudal society than merchants because merchants produce nothing on their own. Build quickly, though, because your towers have sighted a warring samurai patrol near your village. Making sure that you build INSIDE your wall, construct 4 small houses. Each house should be made of wood and should be 6 blocks wide, 6 blocks long, and 4 blocks tall. Put a bed and leave an open space for a door on each house. The houses can be next to each other or in different parts of the village. War is imminent, so hurry! Once you have completed your houses, continue to STEP 8.

Step 8 – Imperial Castle – The emperor must have an Imperial Castle that provides him with the protection and luxury he expects. Command your peasants and merchants to construct a castle that is located in the SAFEST position within your village and within your wall. Your castle should be made of stone (white or

grey) and have 3 levels. Each level should be a little smaller than the one beneath it, and the top level should have an arched roof. The largest level should be 12 by 12, the next 10 by 10, and the last 8 by 8. Build a small moat (filled with water) around your Imperial Castle, and build a small bridge that goes over the moat into the front gate/door of the castle. Around 2 levels of the castle, place a fence and put a few samurai on each level to protect your emperor in case of attach. Add design touches that make your castle uniquely your own, and that are also accurate based on Feudal Japanese castles. See the sample image below. Once you have completed your Imperial Castle…

success!

You completed your castle just in time. The emperor’s rule was challenged by a coalition of samurai armies, but your defenses and the samurai you trained in your Kenjutsu school were able to defend the Imperial Castle and save the emperor. He rewarded you with the ultimate honor; your son will now serve as personal protector for the emperor’s family as long as he rules.

Life is good. You have practiced the Bushido Code. You have respected nature and sought answers from the simplicity of life. You have risen in the Japanese Feudal Hierarchy from samurai to shogun!

As you meditate in your Zen Garden, you practice the ancient Japanese Tea Ceremony for victory and reflect back on all that you have accomplished. Your favorite Haiku, or three-line nature poem, fills your heart with peace as you relax…

Divine wind’s favorStrengthens and nurtures

The fortress within