Japan's Feudalism

The Feudal period in Europe began in 800 and lasted until 1453. Japan’s Feudal period began in 1100 and ended in 1868. Feudalism is a political, economic, and social system based on the loyalty, the holding of land, and the provision of military services. In the is period war was common and resources were few. Both Japan and Europe were similar in the fact that they both had weak leaders while they were the same in that aspect they were different in the fact that merchants were considered the least important person in Japan’s social order placing them below the peasants, and that in Europe the merchants were considered to be above the peasants.

Japan and Europe had similarities from a political standpoint in the fact that the both had weak

Japan is an island full of mountains making farming near impossible, except for rice. Being that Japan is an island and is surrounded by water, fishing was easier than farming and was more reliable. In Europe, the land was fertile which allowed for a diverse amount of crops to grow. Not only were they able to grow a more diverse amount of crops than Japan, the were also able to hunt and herd animals. Though they both were self sufficient they had different means of sustaining the self

For instance, if both of them were put on a social class pyramid and compared you would find that the position of merchants is very different. In Japan during this period, it was believed that if you worked for someone you were considered in a higher class. An example would be that a Merchant is the lowest class being that they were dependent upon others to make goods for them, they were even below Peasants. While in Europe, Merchants were considered a high class because they brought in trade and new ideas. Peasants or serfs weren’t even considered as humans. Another difference in the social aspect are their warriors. Japan’s chosen warriors are the Samurai and Europe 's is the Knight. Both the Knight and the Samurai have codes, weapons, and armor all of which are different than each others. The Knight 's code was the code of Chivalry which is based on justice, loyalty, defence to those who can’t, faith, and nobility. The Samurai’s code was the code of Bushido which was based on fidelity, politeness, virility, and simplicity. The Knight’s weapon was the long sword while the Samurai’s weapon was the Tachi, a curved sword used to make the slash more powerful. A Knight’s armor was a full bodysuit that was made of iron able to reflect off arrows, while the Samurai’s armor consisted of multiple layers of cloth, a mask used to terrify the