It isn't as simple as all that. What samurai craved more than anything was glory, and like Western knights, getting them to do as they were told was no easy task. Each samurai wanted to distinguish himself as an individual, as there was no glory in being an anonymous cogwheel in the machinery. Formations of samurai was unheard of until the Onin war -- but then this marks the period most people associate with the samurai, the Sengoku jidai. While they could still be impetuous, there was also discipline to be gleaned. Prior to this period the samurai had often preferred the naginata when fighting on foot, and the naginata is not a weapon for formations. In the Sengoku jidai, the naginata was by and large swapped with the yari.Oskatat said:I voted samurai, here is why:
no, the weapons arn't comparable, nor is the armor. However, the big thing here is discipline. Even if you tell me vikings were very well disciplined and working as units etc I doubt they would have the same kind of discipline as a unit of samurai, who know that their life is to do in battle as they are told to.
The opposite was more likely the case. A samurai would not lose honour by reckless suicidal charges -- on the contrary, this was tokko, a beautiful death. Samurai who died this way were revered -- though of course most samurai did not follow suit.A viking will probably happily perform a suicidal charge when he drank enough or is high on bloodlust, just to draw the enemy out, samurai would do so on their honor.
Tsunetomo has a quote which illustrates this:
Among Takeda Shingen's retainers there were men of matchless courage, but when Katsuyori was killed at the battle of Tenmokuzan, they all fled. Tsuchiya Sozo, a warrior who had been out of favour for many years, came out alone, however, and said, "I wonder where all the men are who spoke so bravely every day? I shall return my master's favours to me!" And he fell alone in battle.
The vikings may have been unruly when attacking monks and petrified peasants, but in combat against warriors they knew the value of an intact shield wall.