ThatQuiz Test Library Take this test now
Samurai
Contributed by: Cohen
  • 1. Who were the warriors of premodern Japan known as?
A) Vikings
B) Knights
C) Gladiators
D) Samurai
  • 2. What was the primary weapon of the samurai?
A) Spear
B) Bow and Arrow
C) Nunchaku
D) Katana
  • 3. What is the term for the code of honor followed by the samurai?
A) Shogunate
B) Bushido
C) Kendo
D) Samurai Code
  • 4. Which famous battle marked the end of the samurai as a powerful warrior class?
A) Battle of Okehazama
B) Battle of Sekigahara
C) Battle of Nagashino
D) Battle of Kawanakajima
  • 5. What is the term for the ritual suicide practiced by samurai to regain honor?
A) Seppuku
B) Ritual Sacrifice
C) Harakiri
D) Kamikaze
  • 6. Who was the last shogun of Japan, marking the end of the Edo period?
A) Tokugawa Ieyasu
B) Tokugawa Yoshinobu
C) Toyotomi Hideyoshi
D) Oda Nobunaga
  • 7. What is the traditional topknot hairstyle worn by samurai called?
A) Ponytail
B) Dreadlocks
C) Chonmage
D) Manbun
  • 8. What role did the ninja play in relation to the samurai?
A) Medical support
B) Espionage and sabotage
C) Training partners
D) Direct combat
  • 9. Which Japanese warlord was responsible for unifying Japan and ending the Warring States period?
A) Toyotomi Hideyoshi
B) Oda Nobunaga
C) Date Masamune
D) Tokugawa Ieyasu
  • 10. Why did wealthy families' sons become professional warriors during Japan's early history?
A) The government mandated that all young men from wealthy families must serve as warriors.
B) They were recruited for their skills acquired through private training funded by family wealth.
C) Only sons from wealthy families were allowed to carry weapons.
D) Wealthy families had a tradition of serving in the military.
  • 11. What role did the Minamoto and Taira clans play in Japan's warrior class?
A) They led a rebellion against the imperial government.
B) They were responsible for dismantling the national conscript army.
C) They became wealthy, influential clans with many warrior retainers.
D) They served as tax collectors for the emperor.
  • 12. What was one reason why farmers often abandoned their lands during this period?
A) Farms frequently suffered from natural disasters, making them unviable.
B) Farmers were forcibly removed by local warlords.
C) The heavy tax burden on taxable land made it difficult to cope.
D) The government redistributed all farmland to the warrior class.
  • 13. Why did many landowning magnates buy up abandoned lands?
A) Abandoned lands were declared sacred and given to temples.
B) Local governments auctioned off abandoned lands to raise funds.
C) The emperor ordered the confiscation of abandoned lands for redistribution.
D) They acquired these lands at low prices due to farmers abandoning them.
  • 14. What was a common practice among emperors during the Heian period that affected the imperial treasury?
A) Emperors maintained large harems, which burdened the treasury.
B) Emperors distributed land grants to their subjects.
C) Emperors built lavish palaces and monuments.
D) Emperors frequently went on expensive military campaigns.
  • 15. How did wealthy provincial families gain aristocratic status during this period?
A) They purchased noble titles from the imperial court.
B) They married into the Minamoto or Taira clans.
C) They were granted titles by the emperor for their loyalty.
D) They led successful military campaigns on behalf of the emperor.
  • 16. What was the name of the rebellion in 1156 where former emperor Sutoku attempted to reclaim the throne?
A) The Genpei War
B) The Heiji Rebellion
C) The Jōkyū War
D) The Hōgen Rebellion
  • 17. In what year did the Genpei War begin?
A) 1156
B) 1192
C) 1180
D) 1160
  • 18. Who was installed as emperor by Taira no Kiyomori, sparking the Genpei War?
A) Minamoto no Yoritomo
B) Emperor Sutoku
C) Emperor Antoku
D) Emperor Go-Toba
  • 19. What was Minamoto no Yoritomo's title granted by the imperial regent?
A) Sei-i taishōgun
B) Emperor
C) Shogun
D) Daimyo
  • 20. What class did the shogun create in 1192 for his warrior vassals?
A) Jitō
B) Chūgen
C) Samurai
D) Gokenin
  • 21. What was the role of chūgen during the Kamakura period?
A) Members of the imperial family
B) Merchants and traders
C) High-ranking officials in the shogunate
D) Footsoldiers who had no surname
  • 22. What was the period called when two imperial courts coexisted in Japan?
A) Sengoku period
B) Muromachi period
C) Nanboku-chō period
D) Azuchi–Momoyama period
  • 23. Who betrayed Emperor Godaigo and established a new shogunate in Kyoto?
A) Oda Nobunaga
B) Hōjō Tokimune
C) Ashikaga Takauji
D) Tokugawa Ieyasu
  • 24. In what year did the Imperial Court absorb the Southern Court?
A) 1467
B) 1392
C) 1568
D) 1336
  • 25. What was the name of the new shogunate established by Ashikaga Takauji?
A) Takeda shogunate
B) Ashikaga shogunate
C) Hōjō shogunate
D) Tokugawa shogunate
  • 26. Which weapon was introduced to Japan by Portuguese explorers in 1543?
A) Naginata
B) Matchlock musket (tanegashima)
C) Katana
D) Yumi (bow)
  • 27. Which type of armor was commonly worn by high-ranking samurai who fought on horseback?
A) Ō-yoroi
B) Haidate
C) Dō-maru
D) Kabuto
  • 28. In what year was Tokugawa Ieyasu declared shogun?
A) 1615
B) 1603
C) 1588
D) 1629
  • 29. Which cultural activity was promoted by the Ashikaga shogunate and became popular among daimyo and samurai?
A) Tea ceremony
B) Ikebana
C) Noh
D) Waka
  • 30. What virtue did 13th- and 14th-century warrior writings (gunki) eulogize?
A) Generosity
B) Humility
C) Reckless bravery
D) Patience
  • 31. What policy led to the cessation of trade between Japan and Southeast Asia in 1639?
A) Sakoku (national isolation)
B) Meiji Restoration
C) Pax Romana
D) Open Door Policy
  • 32. Who was a notable figure that rose from a peasant background to become a samurai and sengoku daimyo?
A) Tokugawa Ieyasu
B) Hōjō Sōun
C) Toyotomi Hideyoshi
D) Uesugi Kenshin
  • 33. Who among the following is famous for their jisei no ku (death poems)?
A) Oda Nobunaga
B) Tokugawa Ieyasu
C) Toyotomi Hideyoshi
D) Hosokawa Gracia
  • 34. Which American Commodore arrived in Japan in 1853, leading to the end of sakoku?
A) Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
B) Commodore Matthew C. Perry
C) Commodore George Dewey
D) Commodore John Paul Jones
  • 35. What was Yamada Nagamasa's original occupation?
A) Palanquin bearer
B) Merchant
C) Blacksmith
D) Ship captain
  • 36. What term was used for ordinary samurai with an average stipend of 100 koku?
A) Ashigaru
B) Hizamurai
C) Kachi
D) Baishin
  • 37. What were the destinations of the red seal ships?
A) China, Korea, India, and Russia
B) Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Guam
C) Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc.
D) Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile
  • 38. Which weapon became less common on the battlefield due to its difficulty in close formation?
A) Tanegashima (matchlock musket)
B) Naginata
C) Katana
D) Yari (spear)
  • 39. What was the main duty of women in the samurai class during early feudal Japan?
A) Managing clan finances
B) Maintaining the household
C) Training as swordsmen
D) Engaging in battles alongside male samurai
  • 40. Which Pope did Hasekura Tsunenaga have an audience with during his 1613 diplomatic mission?
A) Pope Urban VIII
B) Pope Sixtus V
C) Pope Gregory XIII
D) Pope Paul V
  • 41. What was the primary weapon used by high-ranking samurai on horseback?
A) Yumi (bow)
B) Tachi
C) Naginata
D) Katana
  • 42. What position could some descendants of those who joined the samurai class be promoted to?
A) Daimyō
B) Ronin
C) Hatamoto
D) Shogun
  • 43. Who is a famous Japanese historical novelist known for retellings of samurai stories?
A) Ryunosuke Akutagawa.
B) Haruki Murakami.
C) Yasunari Kawabata.
D) Eiji Yoshikawa.
  • 44. Who created the original manga series that became Afro Samurai?
A) Akira Toriyama.
B) Takashi Okazaki.
C) Masashi Kishimoto.
D) Eiichiro Oda.
  • 45. Who led the Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government?
A) Saigo Takamori
B) Tokugawa Yoshinobu
C) Oyama Iwao
D) Yamagata Aritomo
  • 46. When did trade between Japan and Southeast Asia accelerate significantly?
A) In the early 1400s
B) During the Edo period
C) In the late 1500s
D) After World War II
  • 47. What was brought by the woman in a marriage to set up the household?
A) Gifts from her family
B) Household items
C) A dowry
D) Money for travel expenses
  • 48. What was the primary role of ashigaru during the Sengoku period?
A) Cavalry units
B) Navy sailors
C) Archers
D) Infantrymen mobilized from the peasantry
  • 49. What was the amount of money required to adopt a yoriki into a samurai family?
A) 1,000 ryo
B) 500 ryo
C) 2,000 ryo
D) 750 ryo
  • 50. Which Japanese director greatly influenced Western filmmaking?
A) Hayao Miyazaki.
B) Akira Kurosawa.
C) Isao Takahata.
D) Takashi Miike.
  • 51. Which weapon influenced the evolution of Japanese swordsmithing techniques leading to the development of the tachi?
A) Katana
B) Naginata
C) Yumi
D) Warabite-tō swords
  • 52. Which cultural pursuit was valued for socializing and exchanging information among samurai?
A) Tea ceremony
B) Ikebana
C) Kemari
D) Waka
  • 53. Which class was the lowest ranking in the military hierarchy and sometimes not considered samurai?
A) Daimyo
B) Hatamoto
C) Ashigaru
D) Hizamurai
  • 54. What could a samurai woman do if her husband was not treating her well?
A) Challenge him to a duel
B) Appeal to the shogun
C) Divorce him
D) Sue for custody of the children
  • 55. What genre is Jidaigeki?
A) Romantic comedy.
B) Historical drama.
C) Science fiction.
D) Fantasy adventure.
  • 56. Which Star Wars film is inspired by Kurosawa's 'The Hidden Fortress'?
A) Revenge of the Sith.
B) Return of the Jedi.
C) Star Wars: A New Hope.
D) The Empire Strikes Back.
  • 57. Which samurai leader executed two brawlers for not fighting to the death, as mentioned in Hagakure?
A) Takeda Shingen
B) Hōjō Shigetoki
C) Yamamoto Tsunetomo
D) Minamoto no Yoritomo
  • 58. Which kingdom did Yamada Nagamasa rise to prominence in?
A) The Ming Dynasty
B) The Ayutthaya Kingdom
C) The Joseon Dynasty
D) The Tokugawa Kingdom
  • 59. What cultural practice among samurai was condemned by Jesuit missionaries?
A) Calligraphy
B) Swordsmanship
C) Pederasty
D) Tea ceremonies
  • 60. Could a commoner concubine's son inherit his father's social status?
A) Yes, he could inherit his father's social status
B) Only if the samurai officially recognized him
C) No, he remained a commoner
D) He had to prove his worth in battle
  • 61. What could be a cause for divorce if a wife failed to do?
A) Serve in the samurai's household
B) Maintain family traditions
C) Produce a son
D) Manage household finances
  • 62. Which lighter armor was worn by lower-ranking samurai who fought on foot?
A) Kabuto
B) Dō-maru
C) Haidate
D) Ō-yoroi
  • 63. Which philosophical teachings became very influential among samurai during the Tokugawa era?
A) Buddhism
B) Shinto
C) Christianity
D) Neo-Confucianism
  • 64. What was the literacy status of nearly all women in the samurai class by the end of the Tokugawa period?
A) Only able to read religious texts
B) Literate
C) Illiterate
D) Partially literate
  • 65. Who led the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara?
A) Maeda Toshiie
B) Toyotomi Hideyori
C) Ishida Mitsunari
D) Tokugawa Ieyasu
  • 66. At what age did the Nobles send their sons to monasteries for education?
A) 10 years old
B) 15 years old
C) 8 years old
D) 12 years old
  • 67. Which cultural pursuit involved writing poems that were often used as death poems by samurai?
A) Waka
B) Ikebana
C) Noh
D) Kemari
Created with That Quiz — where a math practice test is always one click away.