One of the most prominent things they have alike is that they both have the need for protection. Both the knight and the samurai wear plated armor (although early knights have heavy shirts of chain mail), ride horses, have codes that stress loyalty to there lords, start there training at youth, and were members of a special warrior class. They also spent all of their lives preparing to battle for their lords. They even both followed a code of honor for knights it was chivalry and for samurai Bushido or known as the way of the warrior.
Both said that the warrior should be loyal to their lord and help the poor although the knights did not always follow the code well.
At first glance the two societies seem the same but if you look a little deeper you will discover many differences. Number one the two faiths they practice are very different. Christianity practiced by the knights involves one true god and praying for forgiveness in god. While Shinto and Buddhism are based on many gods, spirits, and reincarnation. While they were both feudal there are different reasons for that.
In Europe, with the Roman Empire gone this form of government offered some sort of stability. Then in a divided Japan the feudal system was introduced to offer protection from rival clans. As Europe was open to ideas that lead to the decline of the Feudal system Japan was isolated from the world and when guns were introduced to both continents the rules of war were changed. Any peasant could easily wield a weapon and a warrior class was no longer needed.
Both these differences and similarities helped to form the modern world. The feudal system was never introduced because protection in that form was never needed again. After Japan and the rest of Asia Opened its doors to the west trade and ideas spread rapidly through the continents.
