Before we can begin examining each text separately we ought to identify the problems which threaten our inquiry at the outset. This thesis addresses three topics of scholarship: European knighthood, the Japanese concept of bushido, and the commonalities and differences that are present between them. When we examine knighthood, we must avoid the traps of excessive romanticism and limit our discourse to what we know as plausible rather than expound upon areas which are more easily attributed to the wishful or fictional. The romances of Chretien de Troyes are not quixotic or escapist. There is a distinct voice in the ambiguities of the text and we need to listen carefully to hear it so that the narrator's voice is clearly heard amid the knightly scenes of valor and the clamor of battle. In order to do so, the differences between historical reality and aesthetic ideal must be dealt with carefully. With regards to our inquiries into bushido we must be aware of the dangerous political landmines of the past and also those which exist even today in many areas of current martial arts training and instruction. In Japanese society, bushido can be either considered an antiquated term or a word which is closely related to national identity and nationalism, manifesting itself in some extreme forms. To compound matters regarding bushido further, there is a dichotomy between certain pro-national elements who consider it to be a fixed moral code and the closer historical truth that bushido is a concept which changed and evolved over an extended period of time. This thesis will enlist the aid of supplementary texts in order to explore bushido as a concept more fully. Further, although the temptation to draw a connection between Chretien de Troyes' Yvain and the Heike Monogatari as straight-forward representations of medieval codes of knightly behavior is great, we must also examine carefully the manner in which each tale is told. A European representation of the knightly world is expressed in terms very alien to a Japanese interpretation.

This thesis will attempt to keep these problems carefully in mind. The arguments presented in this thesis are simple. Knighthood has been both a historical icon and, arguably, a historically necessary ideal. The idea of knighthood did not develop in a vacuum but from societal needs and pressures which conceptualized codes through which to govern the armed elements of medieval society. Warrior identity is one which bound the vassal to his lord, and ideally, provided feudal lords with a police force to maintain an orderly society which protected peasants and farmers from predators who could otherwise exploit them. Organized armies of knights and samurai also provided feudal lords with fighting forces to utilize in conflicts against their enemies. Furthermore, warrior codes of conduct provide the nobility with ideals to live up to, goals to pursue in personal growth, and also exemplifies the qualities of loyalty, justice, and mercy.

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