8.6 Japanese Society

Feudalism

• Similar in some ways to medieval European feudalism

• Lasted from the Heian period (795) to the end of the Tokgawa shogunate (1867)

• Society was divided into rigid social classes• Your class was determined by birth and could

not be changed

The Emperor

• The Emperor had the highest status• In shogunate times he had little real power• He was very important in Japanese religion

and was worshipped as a descendant of the sun goddess

• Highly respected but could not control more distant parts of Japan

Daimyo

• The daimyo were the nobles of Japan• They were granted land by the emperor in return for their

support• The most powerful daimyo became shogun• The shogun lead the army as well as taking care of day-to-

day matters governing the country• The shogun was basically the ruler of the country in feudal

Japan• The shogun were often challenged by other daimyo• They had large estates and built huge castles to defend

themselves

The Samurai

• Next were the samurai or warrior class• They were paid by the daimyo to help control

the daimyo’s lands• Duties included fighting in conflicts with other

daimyo, running the estates, collecting taxes, and keeping order

• They were particularly needed during the warring states period

Class order shi-no-ko-sho

• At first there were two main classes good and low

• In the late 16th century 4 classes became used in society based on Confucian ideas

• Shi – daimyo, samurai (protect, set standards)• No – farmers (producers of food)• Ko – artisans (makers of things)• Sho – merchants (did not produce or make

things)

Outcasts

• Outside the four classes were the eta• They traditionally lived I their own

communities with their own leaders• The work they did was usually considered

unclean– Tanning leather, garbage collection, burial of the

dead• Below even the eta were the hinin treated as

non-people and usually surviving by begging

Review

1. What was the role of the emperor in Japanese feudal society?2. How did the daimyo maintain their power in Japanese society?3. Why did farmers rank higher than artists or merchants in the shi-no-ko-sho system of social classes?4. Look at source one and identify where Japanese feudal society differs from European.