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Compare And Contrast Japanese And European Feudal System

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The societies of Tokugawa Japan (c.1603-1867C.E.) and medieval Europe (c.1000-1500C.E.) had two things in common; a feudal system. A feudal system is something that features hierarchies or social structures. The feudal system normally starts with a religion, which is at the very top of the social pyramid, then it’s the King or monarch for Europe and the shogun for Japan, then there are the nobles for Europe and the daimyos for Japan. As we go down the pyramid there are the warriors, like the knight in Europe and the samurai in Japan, then there are the peasants. The peasants were included in both eras and are at the lowest part of the pyramid.
The European king and the Japanese shogun were both at the top of their social structures. In European society the king had complete power over everything including military services, land, laws and more. However, in Japanese society there was an Emperor and while he didn’t have much power he was like a god, to whom all respect was directed. The …show more content…

They had the least wealth and respect but without them the two kingdoms couldn’t continue. There were three sub-categories of peasants in both societies: Farmers were the wealthiest peasants as they had their own land where they would dwell and also harvest crops to sell to the rest of the kingdom. The craftsmen/artisans were the second wealthiest peasants. They would craft armour and weapons and make work with metal and wood. The merchants were the least wealthy of all the peasants because they were completely dependent on other people to give them work. (www.hierarchystructure.com). The main difference between the European and Japanese peasants was that in medieval Europe all peasants had to pay a tithe, which required them to pay 10 percent of their earnings to the king. European peasants also had to pay fees on different occasions like when sons were born and daughters were married.

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Japanese emperors had courts and capital cities like the ancient imperial centers of China. The rulers wanted to build a peasant army and use legal codes and a landholding system which was similar to what was used in

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Nihal Lalwani BBE 29 October 2014 8 History Essay Term 4 Assignment Tokugawa Japan (1600-1868) and Medieval Europe (590-1500) both grew in two separate sides of the world but both of them are similar in ways such as how they were run, their architecture, their warriors and the society. In discussing whether these two civilisations are similar, the research has led me to believe that these two civilisations are partly similar. There are many similarities between Japanese and Medieval European Castles such as what were they used for and how they worked. Medieval European Castles are similar to Japanese castles as they are used for similar reasons and architecture such as the castles had high walls for protection against arrows, both of them were used as outposts by respective lords of each civilisation (Friar, 2003. P.47).

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Blayze McKenney Mrs. Thomas World History 7 12 April 2024 The Superiority of the Japanese Samurai After 14 years of rigorous Loyalty, Combat, and Mindset Training, the young warrior is finally ready to become a Samurai at the age of 14. The Japanese Samurai and the European Knights were 2 classes of very powerful warriors during the Middle Ages. Samurai were superior because they offered protection to their masters, went through rigorous training to get better at fighting, and were incredibly loyal to their masters when it came to following their code and protecting their masters. The samurai were superior to knights because they offered protection to peasants and daimyos.

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In this case the Japan and Europe are being classified. The samurais and knights are more alike than different mostly because of the social positions in their communities when they are classified on the social pyramids of Japan for the Samurai and Europe for the Knight. In one of the documents I have read (Document A) it shows the Classification for Japan and Europe. The Samurai and the Knight are both classified in the middle of each pyramid underneath the Shogun and the King but above the peasants in both societies. Also in Document B with Catharina Blomberg as the source it talks about being loyal to their lords.

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Tokugawa Japan + Medieval Europe Medieval Europe and Tokugawa Japan lived in seclusion to each other, and yet there were many uncanny similarities between Tokugawa Japan and Medieval Europe. In Medieval Europe there were many key features of the social system that were introduced at the time. The social system of Medieval Europe was called Feudalism. Feudalism puts the King in charge of everything and everyone, with barons and nobles underneath him. The nobles provide loyalty and knights to the king in return for land to control.

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These relationships were called feudalism (Doc. 1). Feudalism and the Church greatly contributed to the social, economic, and political life in Europe in the Middle Ages. “Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system which included kings, nobles, knights, and serfs (Doc. 1).” Every position or status had a job that benefitted another ranking (Doc. 1). For example, a king grants land to nobles, nobles granted land to knights, and knights grant land to serfs (Doc. 1).

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A knight at seven or eight would serve as the fathers overload or be more powerfully relative. The samurai warriors wouldn't have to accompany their master by feeding him, going on the battlefield with him, dress him, care for his horses, then they would be deemed worthy to become a

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According to charts from various sources, samurai and knights are around the same rankings in a social pyramid (Doc. A). Both the samurai and knight are lower in the social pyramids at the time. They were both paid for their service with land from the lord he was working for. Another similarity is said in “The Heart of a Warrior: Origins and Religious Background of the Samurai System in Feudal Japan,” by Catharina Blomberg.

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(History.com, “Edo”) The people of Edo followed a strict caste system, greatly impacted by the Chinese Confucian values. The Feudal Japanese Society, people of Edo, was divided into four different castes: the Nobles, the Samurai, the Peasants, and the Chonin. The nobles included: the emperor; the figurehead of society, the shogun; the most powerful military lord, and the daimyos; lords who controlled their own region of Japan. The samurai were the professional warriors who were bound by a code of loyalty and honor to a daimyo.

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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

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The single greatest change from the Tokugawa Era to the Meiji Era for the peasants, was not their condition of life, nor their status, but the liberation of thought. In the Tokugawa Era, the ruling class insisted on keeping the peasants ignorant, forbidding the peasants from attending school; “A good peasant is one who does not know the price of grain.” After the Meiji restoration, school attendance was compulsory for the peasant children, and many of the males became literate. Many peasants, such as Shibuya Teisuke, could articulate the conditions of the farmers, showing that they were no longer ignorant of their plight. Even so, in the Tokugawa and Meiji Eras, parents resorted to selling their children to survive, demonstrating the unbudging

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Introduction (150 words): Background: Japanese castles played an important role during the medieval period. The shogun or military leaders ruled for almost 700 years until the late 19th century. The Japanese hierarchy was very similar to Medieval England with peasants, artisans and merchants at the very bottom and daimyo, shogun and Emperor with the highest authority. By the early 1600s japan had built over 200 castles.

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Japan was one of the few countries in Asia to avoid colonization. More importantly, it was the only country in Asia to challenge the Western countries at the height of Western colonization of Asia. Japan stood out among the rest of the Asian countries, and it became an important example of achieving modernization without the direct involvement of a foreign power. There were two significant arguments that explain Japan’s rise to power. The first argument suggested the Tokugawa Bakufu already established the foundation for which modern Japan could flourish, while the second argument suggested that the Meiji’s leadership became the necessary boost for which Japan could flourish.

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1. Provincial warrior clans, emerging from the pre-modern middle 9th Century of conflict torn Japan were often called upon in the new ruling regimen of Shoen to squash the rebellions of oppressed peasants. By the 10th century, these warriors were so well known for their role as military police they were called “one who servers” – or Samurai. Samurai didn’t stay military police for long though, they rapidly became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo period. Being a warrior was more than just a job; it was a way of life.

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Feudalism was the hierarchical system of political and military obligations in Europe during the Middle Ages. Feudalism had many defining characteristics, including hierarchy and fiefs. The ranks in a feudalistic society (from lowest to highest)

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