My time capsule took me on a trip to Heian, the capital of Japan in the year 954. It changed my voice and language so that I could speak Japanese. There were two things that I really wanted to see on this trip.
Once I got to Heian, I decided to visit the Pagoda of Muro-ji which was built in the 800’s on a mountain southeast of Nara. Since it was built on a mountainside, the architects used all natural materials in building it, like cypress tree bark for the roof and wood planks for the floors. It was VERY COOL!
My next place was a camp where the samurai soldiers are trained. Young Japanese boys were trained to be samurai soldiers beginning at the age of 5 or 6. They were given wooden swords to practice with because the real swords were very dangerous and sharp. It was very tough to become a samurai and there was a lot of physical pain involved.
The first thing they were taught was how to shoot a bow and arrow. Grown up samurai were famous for being able to shoot the bow while riding a horse. The training also included ways to develop the minds of the warriors. They had to meditate and fast for long periods of time so that they would be fearless in battle.
Being a samurai meant that you were highly trained and very skilled. The samurai also had a strict warrior code called the Bushido that they followed. It was focused on honor and meant that even if the battle took his life, the samurai must serve his master with total loyalty.
The swords the samurai used come in two sizes, one long and the other short. The blades were extremely sharp. It took a long time, lots of hard work, and discipline to learn to use it with speed and accuracy and the training was dangerous.
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