Menu On Course Print

Answer Key

Youve probably come across the term samurai before. Maybe

you know that it has something to do with warriors, or with
martial arts, or with Japan. But did you know that the samurai
go all the way back to the tenth century? If youre wondering
why a way of life that old is still a part of Japanese culture,
youll appreciate this informative article.

Reading
Standard 2.4
Clarify an
understanding
of texts by
creating
outlines,
logical notes,
summaries,
or reports.

Paul Varley
A samurai is one who serves. In ancient times, the term
described lowly servants supplied to the households of
elderly people by the Japanese government. Later it became

Locate the authors name

and the captions in this
article. Circle them.

one of several terms used for members of the warrior class

that developed in the provinces of Japan during the tenth
century. Although the word bushi (military gentry)
appears most often in old official records, the term samurai
has become widely known among people outside Japan.
Today the Japanese themselves also use this word when
10

they refer to the fighting men of their country before

modern times.

samurai (sam r) n.:

Japanese warriors. Note the
meaning of the word given
in the text.
provinces (prvins z )
n.: administrative divisions
of a country.

The samurai first appeared in the eastern provinces of

Japanthat is, in the Kant plain that contains the modern

Notes

city of Tokyo. In the tenth century, the central government

consisted of court officials in the service of the emperor in
Kyoto, then the capital city. The samurai arose because
these officials paid little attention to affairs in the provinces
The Samurai by Paul Varley from Faces: The Magazine About People, vol. 6, no. 7, April 1990.
Copyright 1990 by Cobblestone Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

The Samurai

83

Menu On Course Print

Answer Key

except for making sure that they received the income from
You can often find a clue to
the meaning of an unfamiliar
new word by breaking it up
into smaller words that you
know. Look at the word
oversight (line 19). What
smaller words do you see?
Circle the words. Use the
meanings of the smaller
words to help you define
oversight.

their agricultural estates. Without effective oversight from

20

the Kyoto court, men in the provinces took up arms to

become a professional military class.
In that period, the Kanto was a frontier area, rich in
farmland and especially in need of men to maintain order
as the territory developed. The samurai in the Kant and
elsewhere organized themselves into bands whose members
were joined together as lords and vassals (followers under
a lords protection), much like the knights of medieval
Europe.
Although Japan is far from Europe and had no contact

30

with Europeans until the mid-sixteenth century, the

frontier (frun tir) n.: developing, often still uncivilized

or lawless region of a
country.

Japanese developed a system of organizing society remark-

shogun (gun) n.: any of

the military governors of
Japan who, until 1868, had
absolute rule.

of its first military government, or shogunate (government

ably similar to that of medieval Europe. This system,

known as feudalism, took root in Japan with the founding
headed by a shogun, or great general), in 1185. As in
Europe, feudalism in Japan was based almost entirely on
agriculture. Land divided into estates, or manors, was
worked by peasants called serfs who had to remain on the

Underline the definitions of

these words, which are given
right in context on this page:
vassals; shogunate; serfs.

land and could not move about freely. Feudalism also

40

featured a ruling warrior or military class made up of lords

and their vassals.
In samurai society, a vassal was supposed to give
absolute, unquestioning loyalty to his lord and even be

Read the boxed passage

aloud as if you were reading
to a group of classmates who
are taking notes as you read.
Make sure you emphasize
the words and phrases that
are given special treatment
in the paragraphthose in
italics, in parentheses, and
within quote marks.

84

Chapter 2

prepared to die for him in battle. In fact, the relationship

between a lord and vassal went both ways: In return
for performing military service, a vassal expected rewards
and protection from his lord. The idea of the loyal,
self-sacrificing vassal was often ignored. Many vassals,

Characters: The People Youll Meet

Menu On Course Print

Answer Key

Notes

Frightening the enemy was part of the strategy of the

samurai. In battle, these warriors wore fierce-looking
masks and fought fiercely, too.

especially in the tumultuous fifteenth and sixteenth

50

centuries, betrayed or rebelled against their lords.

The samurai continued to rule Japan until the beginning of the modern period in 1868. During the time of the
last military government, the shogunate of the Tokugawa
family (16001867), Japan remained almost entirely at

tumultuous
(t mul ws) adj.:
full of disturbance or
upheaval; unsettled.

peace. Deprived of their profession of warfare, many

The Samurai

85

Menu On Course Print

Answer Key

samurai lived idly on payments provided by their lords.

Re-read lines 5160.
According to the article, what
happened to the samurai
during the shogunate of the
Tokugawa family? Underline
this information. How did
this historical happening
contribute to the development of the martial art that
is still practiced today?

Others entered government service or professions such

as teaching. As a substitute for actual fighting, the samurai
of the Tokugawa period developed the martial arts still
60

practiced by many people in Japan and elsewhere.

Members of the samurai class overthrew the Tokugawa
shogunate and brought Japan into the Western-dominated
modern world in the late nineteenth century. Although
samurai status was officially dissolved in the 1870s, many
people of samurai background continued to provide leadership in modernizing Japan. Moreover, samurai values
remained deeply ingrained in the behavior of many
Japanese at least through World War II.

This samurai was photographed in 1860.

86

Chapter 2

Characters: The People Youll Meet

Menu On Course Print

Clarify the Text

Answer Key

Re-read The Samurai. As you read, highlight

with a marker or circle the most important information revealed in

the article. Then, use another color highlighter to call out or draw a
box around supporting details. Create an outline of the article on
which you plot its main ideas and details. Your outline should follow
this style:
I. Major topic
A.Main idea
1. Detail
2. Detail
B. Main idea
1. Detail
2. Detail

Personal Word List

Record new words in your Personal Word List.

Put a star next to words you might use in a conversation.

Personal Reading Log

As you add this selection to your Personal

Reading Log, tell whether or not youd like to read more about the
samurai. Give yourself 1 point on the Reading Meter for completing
the article.

Checklist for Standards Mastery

Youve just clarified a text by using

the skill of outlining. Now, track your progress by using the Checklist
for Standards Mastery.

The Samurai

87

Menu On Course Print

The Samurai

Answer Key
Interactive Reading, page 83

Go Beyond an Informational Text

Research Template The samurai of long ago provide a fascinating
topic for research. Use the template below to learn more about these
warriors of feudal Japan.
Project Samurai
Questions for Research
Who were the samurai?

When did they live?

What was their purpose?

Why were they so feared?

Why did they cease to exist?

88

Chapter 2

Characters: The People Youll Meet

Resource

Menu On Course Print

The Samurai
Paul Varley

DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
The Samurai

page 83

Discuss with the class how the format of an informational article

differs from the format of a literary work, such as an autobiography, a short story, or a novel. Point out that informational articlesunlike short stories and novelsoften contain features such
as illustrations, photographs, subheadings, and captions.
Have students read the Before You Read note to themselves as you
read it aloud. Ask volunteers to relate experiences with or knowledge of martial arts.

Read the Text Structure note aloud. Have volunteers respond to the
question posed in the note. Guide the class to make predictions
about the content of this article, based on a preview of the articles
features and the Before You Read information. Then ask volunteers
to read and discuss the captions.
Read the Decoding Tip on page 84 aloud. Ask students what they
think oversight means. Suggest to students that if a word looks
unfamiliar, they might look for smaller words within it that they
can understand. Point out other words from the article that are
made from smaller words, such as farmland in line 23 and warfare
in line 55.

Learners Having Difficulty

This selection contains a great
deal of detailed information
about the topic. Learners having difficulty may stumble
over the many facts and
details. Suggest to these students that they take notes as
they read or stop and summarize each section to a partner.
Benchmark Students Direct
on-level students to use the
footnotes and sidenotes as
they read.
Advanced Students This
selection should pose no difficulties for advanced learners.
You may wish to ask advanced
students to do more detailed
research and to report on one
of the topics mentioned in the
article. For example, they
could do research on why
exactly the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were so
tumultuous in Japan.

TEACHER TO TEACHER

Have students read the rest of the article on their own, using the
sidenotes to guide them.
Have volunteers read aloud the passage referred to in the Fluency
note. Have the listening students evaluate the readings on the basis
of clarity of expression and interpretation.
After students have finished reading, they can record this selection
in their Personal Reading Logs.

Explain to students that an

informational article such as this
is an excellent source of facts for
a research report or topic paper.
Discuss how students often outline and take notes from informational articles to provide
themselves with reference material for later use.

READING OPTION

Use the Vocabulary Check on Teachers Edition page 27 to evaluate

mastery of the vocabulary standard.
Use the Comprehension Check on Teachers Edition page 28 to
evaluate mastery of the literary standard.
To extend their reading of the selection, have students complete
the Research Template project in Interactive Reading, page 88.

As they read, students have a

number of options that will help
them clarify the text. As they
read the selection independently,
they can create an outline, take
notes on the content either in
the margins of their books or on
separate index cards, or stop and
summarize each page.

Chapter 2

21

Menu On
Course Print Answer Key
Name ______________________________ Class _____________ Date _____________

The Samurai

Vocabulary Check

Interactive Reading, page 83

Reading Standard 1.3 Recognize the origins and meanings of

frequently used foreign words in English.

Vocabulary Development
samurai, noun

warrior in feudal Japan

provinces, noun

administrative divisions of a country

frontier, noun

developing, often still uncivilized or lawless

region of a country

shogun, noun

military governors of Japan who, until 1868, had

absolute rule

tumultuous, adjective

full of disturbance and upheaval; unsettled

(a tumult is a disturbance)

A. Words in Context

Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Use words from the word box to complete the paragraph below. Use each
word only once.

The situation in the various (1) _______________ of sixteenth-century Japan

could be described only as dangerous and (2) _______________. All month long a
(3) _______________ had ridden through the land to announce that the (4)
_______________ was going to visit to check on each areas defenses. There were
rumors that hostile forces were gathering on the (5) _______________, and the
leaders were taking no chances.
B. Foreign Words
Fill in the best word from the list below. If necessary, check the meanings of the
words in the article or in the dictionary.
samurai

shogun

shogunate

1. The great leader was the most powerful _______________ in

Japans history.
2. The _______________, or government, was in an uproar
when its leader died.
3. In films set in feudal Japan, the _______________ is often
similar to the hero of an American western.
Chapter 2

27

Key
Menu Name
On ______________________________
Course Print AnswerClass
_____________ Date _____________

The Samurai

Comprehension Check

Interactive Reading, page 83

Reading Standard 2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by

creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or reports.

Academic Vocabulary
main idea

authors key point in a piece of writing

outline

main points in an informational text, arranged as

a list

summary

brief but complete retelling of the main details in

an essay or of the main events in a story

A. Circle the letter of the correct response to each item below.

2. The main idea of The Samurai is best stated as

F a samurai is one who serves
G many vassals lost their lives in the service of their lords
H the samurai tradition has a long and interesting history
J it was unjust to treat some people cruelly
3. In an outline, which information would not go under the
heading Tokugawa rule?
A Japan was at peace.
B Samurai values lasted through World War II.
C Martial arts were developed.
D Samurai lived on payments provided by the lords.
B. Suppose you were to take a short trip to medieval Japan in a time machine.
Would you want to live as a vassal, a lord, a samurai warrior, or a shogun? Write a
sentence or two explaining your choice.

28

Interactive Reading

Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

1. Which would you not include in a summary of The Samurai?

A The term samurai changed its meaning over time.
B The city of Tokyo is in the Kanto plain.
C Samurai society was organized by class.
D The Tokugawa family ruled Japan from 16031868.

Menu On Course Print

Chapter 2
Practice Read: Sparring
Vocabulary Check, page 23
A: 1. neutral
2. karate
3. glowering
4. samurai
5. solution
B: Sentences will vary, but should show an understanding of the meanings of the words.
Comprehension Check, page 24
A: 1. A
2. F
3. D
4. H
B: Answers will vary. Strong answers will cite specific details from the story.

Foreigner in Japan
Vocabulary Check, page 25
A: 1. mosquito
2. gong
3. saunter
4. bouillon
5. turmoil
6. belied
7. kimono
B: 1. bunches of cut flowers
2. large room for gathering together
3. stir-fried Japanese food dish, prepared
tableside

The Samurai
Vocabulary Check, page 27
A: 1. provinces
2. tumultuous
3. samurai
4. shogun
5. frontier
B: 1. shogun
2. shogunate
3. samurai
Comprehension Check, page 28
A: 1. B
2. H
3. B
B: Answers will vary. Strong answers will state who
they would choose to live as and will provide an
explanation for their choice.

Two Japanese Folk Tales

Comprehension Check, page 29
A: 1. A
2. J
3. B
4. J
B: Answers will vary. A good answer would explain
how the couple would have been punished,
instead of rewarded, for their behavior.

Comprehension Check, page 26

A: 1. C
2. H
3. D
4. H
B: Answers will vary. A rebellious or insecure or
narrow-minded Yoshiko would not have
accepted her dual heritage so wisely.

Answer Key

111

82

Interactive Reading, page 74

Chapter 2

1992: Yoshiko
Uchida dies
(Berkeley, CA)

Year/Event

Characters: The People Youll Meet

1992: The
Invisible Thread
published

Year/Event

1962: Rokubel
and the
Thousand Rice
Bowls published

Year/Event

Year/Event

1949: The
Dancing Kettle
and Other
Japanese Folk
Tales published

Year/Event

1942: BA,
University of
California,
Berkeley

Year/Event

1921: Yoshiko
Uchida born

Suggested entries appear below.

1993: The
Bracelet
published

Year/Event

1971: Journey to
Topaz published

Year/Event

194243:
Relocated to an
internment camp
in Utah

Year/Event

Year/Event

1982: Desert
Exile: The
Uprooting of
a JapaneseAmerican Family
published

Year/Event

1944: M. Ed.
Smith College

Year/Event

Author Time Line As you learned from Foreigner in Japan,

Yoshiko Uchida had a rich, interesting, and sometimes difficult life.
Create a time line showing at least ten key events in her life, including
her birth, her education, her deportation to an internment camp, the
publication of her major books, and her death. You can find
information about Yoshiko Uchida in the reference text Something
About the Author or on-line at Contemporary Authors On-line.

Go Beyond a Literary Text

Foreigner in Japan

10

The Samurai by Paul Varley from Faces: The Magazine About People, vol. 6, no. 7, April 1990.
Copyright 1990 by Cobblestone Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

these officials paid little attention to affairs in the provinces

Kyoto, then the capital city. The samurai arose because

consisted of court officials in the service of the emperor in

city of Tokyo. In the tenth century, the central government

Japanthat is, in the Kant plain that contains the modern

The samurai first appeared in the eastern provinces of

modern times.

83

The Samurai

Notes

provinces (prvins z )
n.: administrative divisions
of a country.

they refer to the fighting men of their country before

Today the Japanese themselves also use this word when

has become widely known among people outside Japan.

samurai (sam r) n.:

Japanese warriors. Note the
meaning of the word given
in the text.

Locate the authors name

and the captions in this
article. Circle them.

Reading
Standard 2.4
Clarify an
understanding
of texts by
creating
outlines,
logical notes,
summaries,
or reports.

appears most often in old official records, the term samurai

century. Although the word bushi (military gentry)

that developed in the provinces of Japan during the tenth

one of several terms used for members of the warrior class

elderly people by the Japanese government. Later it became

described lowly servants supplied to the households of

A samurai is one who serves. In ancient times, the term

Paul Varley

youll appreciate this informative article.

why a way of life that old is still a part of Japanese culture,

go all the way back to the tenth century? If youre wondering

martial arts, or with Japan. But did you know that the samurai

you know that it has something to do with warriors, or with

Youve probably come across the term samurai before. Maybe

Menu On Course Print

Chapter 2

Pupil Pages 5697

Pupil Pages with Answers

161

162

Interactive Reading: Teachers Edition

84

Chapter 2

40

family (16001867), Japan remained almost entirely at

self-sacrificing vassal was often ignored. Many vassals,

peace. Deprived of their profession of warfare, many

last military government, the shogunate of the Tokugawa

and protection from his lord. The idea of the loyal,

The samurai continued to rule Japan until the begin-

centuries, betrayed or rebelled against their lords.

especially in the tumultuous fifteenth and sixteenth

ning of the modern period in 1868. During the time of the

50

Frightening the enemy was part of the strategy of the

samurai. In battle, these warriors wore fierce-looking
masks and fought fiercely, too.

for performing military service, a vassal expected rewards

between a lord and vassal went both ways: In return

prepared to die for him in battle. In fact, the relationship

absolute, unquestioning loyalty to his lord and even be

In samurai society, a vassal was supposed to give

and their vassals.

featured a ruling warrior or military class made up of lords

land and could not move about freely. Feudalism also

worked by peasants called serfs who had to remain on the

agriculture. Land divided into estates, or manors, was

Europe, feudalism in Japan was based almost entirely on

headed by a shogun, or great general), in 1185. As in

of its first military government, or shogunate (government

known as feudalism, took root in Japan with the founding

ably similar to that of medieval Europe. This system,

Japanese developed a system of organizing society remark-

with Europeans until the mid-sixteenth century, the

Although Japan is far from Europe and had no contact

Europe.

Characters: The People Youll Meet

Read the boxed passage

aloud as if you were reading
to a group of classmates who
are taking notes as you read.
Make sure you emphasize
the words and phrases that
are given special treatment
in the paragraphthose in
italics, in parentheses, and
within quote marks.

Underline the definitions of

these words, which are given
right in context on this page:
vassals; shogunate; serfs.

shogun (gun) n.: any of

the military governors of
Japan who, until 1868, had
absolute rule.

frontier (frun tir) n.: developing, often still uncivilized

or lawless region of a
country.

a lords protection), much like the knights of medieval

supervision.

30

were joined together as lords and vassals (followers under

Here, oversight means

as the territory developed. The samurai in the Kant and

farmland and especially in need of men to maintain order

In that period, the Kanto was a frontier area, rich in

become a professional military class.

the Kyoto court, men in the provinces took up arms to

elsewhere organized themselves into bands whose members

20

their agricultural estates. Without effective oversight from

except for making sure that they received the income from

You can often find a clue to

the meaning of an unfamiliar
new word by breaking it up
into smaller words that you
know. Look at the word
oversight (line 19). What
smaller words do you see?
Circle the words. Use the
meanings of the smaller
words to help you define
oversight.

Notes

The Samurai

85

tumultuous
(t mul ws) adj.:
full of disturbance or
upheaval; unsettled.

Menu On Course Print

Chapter 2

Pupil Pages 5697

86

Chapter 2

developed.

Characters: The People Youll Meet

This samurai was photographed in 1860.

Japanese at least through World War II.

ership in modernizing Japan. Moreover, samurai values

As you add this selection to your Personal

Youve just clarified a text by using

for Standards Mastery.

The Samurai

the skill of outlining. Now, track your progress by using the Checklist

Checklist for Standards Mastery

the article.

samurai. Give yourself 1 point on the Reading Meter for completing

Reading Log, tell whether or not youd like to read more about the

Personal Reading Log

Put a star next to words you might use in a conversation.

Personal Word List

2. Detail

1. Detail

B. Main idea

2. Detail

1. Detail

A.Main idea

Record new words in your Personal Word List.

this style:
I. Major topic

which you plot its main ideas and details. Your outline should follow

samurai status was officially dissolved in the 1870s, many

people of samurai background continued to provide lead-

box around supporting details. Create an outline of the article on

the article. Then, use another color highlighter to call out or draw a

modern world in the late nineteenth century. Although

a substitute for actual

fighting, a martial art

Re-read The Samurai. As you read, highlight

with a marker or circle the most important information revealed in

Clarify the Text

shogunate and brought Japan into the Western-dominated

Members of the samurai class overthrew the Tokugawa

practiced by many people in Japan and elsewhere.

of the Tokugawa period developed the martial arts still

remained deeply ingrained in the behavior of many

60

as teaching. As a substitute for actual fighting, the samurai

Others entered government service or professions such

samurai lived idly on payments provided by their lords.

in Japans history. As

long, peaceful period

skills because it was a

The samurai lost their

Re-read lines 5160.

According to the article, what
happened to the samurai
during the shogunate of the
Tokugawa family? Underline
this information. How did
this historical happening
contribute to the development of the martial art that
is still practiced today?

87

Menu On Course Print

Chapter 2

Pupil Pages 5697

Pupil Pages with Answers

163

164

88

Interactive Reading, page 83

Interactive Reading: Teachers Edition

Chapter 2

Characters: The People Youll Meet

Why did they cease to exist?

Why were they so feared?

What was their purpose?

When did they live?

Who were the samurai?

Questions for Research

Project Samurai
Resource

Research Template
The samurai of long ago provide a fascinating
topic for research. Use the template below to learn more about these
warriors of feudal Japan.

Go Beyond an Informational Text

The Samurai

retold by Florence Sakade

From Japanese Childrens Favorite Stories, edited by Florence Sakade. Copyright 1958 by Charles E. Tuttle
Co., Inc. Reprinted by permission of Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. of Boston, MA, and Tokyo, Japan.

bow in thanks toward Yosaku.

into the grass, but first it seemed to pause a minute and

thus saving the spiders life. Then the spider disappeared

ran at the snake with his hoe and drove the snake away,

to eat a spider. Yosaku felt very sorry for the spider. So he

he was working in the fields and saw a snake getting ready

Long ago there was a young farmer named Yosaku. One day

The Spider Weaver

new years food.

Two Japanese Folk Tales

thanks to Yosaku.

The spider bows in

89

Reading
Standard 3.2
Analyze the
effect of the
qualities of
the character
(for example,
courage or
cowardice,
ambition or
laziness) on
the plot and
resolution of
the conflict.

What amazing event is

related in this paragraph?
Underline it.

eating special foods. Sweet, sticky rice cakes are a traditional

Traditionally Japanese people celebrate the new year by

Jizo is a Japanese Buddha who is the protector of children.

Heres what you need to know before you begin these folk tales:

theres something valuable to be learned.

wonderful happenings. Whether you believe these stories or not,

The Spider Weaver and The Grateful Statues describe strange,

We dont really believe these explanationsor do we? Both

Folk tales often provide fanciful explanations for everyday events.

Menu On Course Print

Chapter 2

Pupil Pages 5697