80 Feudal Japan And The Samurai Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Who wrote The Book of Five Rings, a famous treatise on samurai strategy?
Answer
Miyamoto Musashi
How many years did Japan’s Edo period last, from 1603 to 1868?
Answer
265 years
Which 1615 siege destroyed the Toyotomi clan’s power in Japan?
Answer
Siege of Osaka
Which castle is known as Japan’s “Crow Castle” because of its black exterior?
Answer
Matsumoto Castle
Which 1876 Japanese law prohibited samurai from wearing swords in public?
Answer
Haitōrei Edict
Which 1611 earthquake and tsunami devastated the northeastern Japanese region of Sanriku?
Answer
Keichō Sanriku earthquake
Which 1582 incident began when Akechi Mitsuhide attacked Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji?
Answer
Honnō-ji Incident
Which warrior defeated Sasaki Kojirō in the famous 1612 duel on Ganryū Island?
Answer
Miyamoto Musashi
Which 1185 naval battle ended the Genpei War and destroyed the Taira clan’s political power?
Answer
Battle of Dan-no-ura
Which 1333 siege destroyed Kamakura and ended the Kamakura shogunate?
Answer
Siege of Kamakura
Who wrote Hagakure, an early-18th-century collection of teachings about samurai conduct?
Answer
Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Which 1281 invasion was repelled when a typhoon devastated Kublai Khan’s fleet near Japan?
Answer
Second Mongol invasion of Japan
Which 1600 battle did Kobayakawa Hideaki’s defection help decide in Tokugawa Ieyasu’s favor?
Answer
Battle of Sekigahara
Which 1572 battle saw Takeda Shingen defeat Tokugawa Ieyasu near Hamamatsu?
Answer
Battle of Mikatagahara
Which 1561 battle at Kawanakajima is famous for the clash between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin?
Answer
Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima
Which 1877 rebellion led by Saigō Takamori became the last major samurai revolt?
Answer
Satsuma Rebellion
Who was the final shogun of Japan before the 1868 Meiji Restoration?
Answer
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Which castle was the headquarters of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo?
Answer
Edo Castle
Which 14th-century shogun commissioned Kyoto’s famous Golden Pavilion?
Answer
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
Which daimyo was nicknamed the “One-Eyed Dragon” of northern Japan?
Answer
Date Masamune
Which regent led Japan’s defense during the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281?
Answer
Hōjō Tokimune
Which 1183 battle saw Minamoto no Yoshinaka defeat the Taira clan in a mountain pass?
Answer
Battle of Kurikara
Which warrior founded Japan’s first shogunate after the Genpei War?
Answer
Minamoto no Yoritomo
Which 1637–1638 uprising in Kyushu was led by the teenage Christian leader Amakusa Shirō?
Answer
Shimabara Rebellion
Which 1590 siege ended Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s campaign to unify Japan?
Answer
Siege of Odawara
Which 1582 battle saw Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeat Akechi Mitsuhide shortly after Oda Nobunaga’s death?
Answer
Battle of Yamazaki
Which 1560 battle made Oda Nobunaga famous after he defeated the much larger army of Imagawa Yoshimoto?
Answer
Battle of Okehazama