A Case Study of Medieval Japan through Art: Samurai Life in Medieval Japan

imaging japanese history header with images from japanese history art including temples, mountains, scrolls, anime
medieval art image of samurai warriors

Essay听
Lesson听
M1 Handout
M2 Print Handout
M2 Online Handout

This module focuses on Japan鈥檚 medieval period, including the Kamakura (1185-1333), the Muromachi (1336-1573), and the Momoyama (1573-1603) shogunates.

Night Attack on the Sanj艒 Palace, from the Illustrated Scrolls of the Events of the Heiji Era


Photograph 漏 2008 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Night Attack on the Sanj艒 Palace,听from the Illustrated Scrolls of the Events of the Heiji Era (Heiji monogatori emaki)听(detail)
Japanese, Kamakura Period, second half of the thirteenth century
Handscroll; ink and color on paper
41.3 x 699.7 cm (16录 x 275陆 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Fenollosa-Weld Collection, 11.4000

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Medieval Japan materials:

The easiest way to provide access to the sources used in the lesson is to have students work with the听M2 Online Handout听directly on Internet-equipped computers.

If having students work online is not feasible, print out and label the images and post them around the room or at tables where groups can examine them. The images you will need are:

  • Images of current bows made to copy those of the past:
  • , from Suenaga's听Mongol Invasion听scrolls
  • Noh theater images:

If you use printouts of the images, copy the version of听听for student use.

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This project is funded by the听.

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Created 漏 2008 Program for Teaching East Asia, University of Colorado.听