Ferejohn And Rosenbluth: Resistance Against Centralized Power

Resistance against centralized power

There was always an attempt by the rule in the elite in Japan to centralize power, and this was resisted through armed struggle and formation of alliances by other levels of the Japanese society that would put pressure on the ruling elites, hence defeating their ability to centralize such power. Ferejohn and Rosenbluth capture how the Japanese ninjas were a manifestation of the fierce and extensive resistance to encroaching armies of the elite by the local farming communities .These communities armed themselves with guerrilla techniques and simple weapons and later on became warriors who advanced the struggle for villages for local autonomy in the dying years of medieval Japan. Religious groups such as Buddhists also had political arms that sought to advance political interests of the local groups. Ferejohn and Rosenbluth indicate that one of the unifiers of Japan, Oda Nobunag brought the Buddhist movement to its heels in the late 16th century .

Imperial

Warfare affected the development of the medieval Japanese state by creating and sustaining a hierarchy of powerful elites that would later form the basis of medieval Japanese statehood which was largely based on relationship to the top of the hierarchy, preservation of peace, loyalty and defence against external aggressors. The existing, more stable formation was more open to foreign ideas and also fought wars in defence of the medieval Japanese population. Chronic warfare led to the ruling elite factions realizing that much more needed to be done to ensure a stable society and also to protect their interests. With establishment of armed forces fighting for the imperial court such as the Samurai, a new consciousness emerged with warriors at the centre of it, leading to some nationalist pride and patriotism that led to the formation of the mediaeval Japanese