Notes: - The 100 years from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 16th century is known and the warring states period or sengoku jidai - The shogun government was unstable because it often depended on deputies to look after the shogun’s interests in the provinces - This became ineffective when the bonds between the Shogun and the deputies started to loosen which meant this system was no longer effective - The deputies were military governors with small holdings and appointed one son, not always the oldest to inherit the holdings - Then they appointed local warriors as the military officers and recruited peasants as the soldiers - The nature of war soon changed in this period and instead of small combat between the local land owners
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.
Feudalism was a social, political, and economic system that tyrannized all conditions of medieval life. Despite what many might think, the European and Japanese feudal systems is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. This includes the political, economic, and social order. The economic fraction of feudalism was centered around the lord 's estates or manor.
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.
Feudal systems connected the people to their land.
Expect to see Christian and Muslim converts appearing in major trading hubs. A more culturally cosmpolitan Japan, one with improved ties to the Asian mainland, and one that could take an interest in expansionism at an earlier point. Obviously, the Kamikaze would have led to the Mongols taking control of the island of Japan and would have manipulated their laws to align with Mongol tradition and beliefs. Because of this, it could be possible Japan's constitution would have kept numerous laws previously set by the Mongol's. There is no denying these laws would be eradicated over time, but there is no doubt that they would have affected the path of Japan's
I wanted to discuss the policy of isolation during the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan and its pros and cons. The government implemented this policy to maintain political stability and control within the country. By limiting contact with Europeans and forbidding trade, they aimed to prevent foreign influence and potential conflicts. On the positive side, this policy helped preserve Japanese culture and traditions. It allowed the country to develop internally and maintain stability.
“To guard against external influence, they also worked to close off Japanese society from Westernizing influences, particularly Christianity. When the Tokugawa shogunate grew increasingly weak by the mid-19th century, two powerful clans joined forces in early 1868 to seize power as part of an “imperial restoration” named for Emperor Meiji.” This restoration was the beginning of the end of feudalism, or the way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour, in Japan. The Tokugawa regime acted to exclude missionaries because of suspicion of foreign intervention and colonialism. Eventually, they issued a complete ban on Christianity in Japan.
Western Europe went through their feudal systems before Japan did, almost three hundred years in fact. Although Japan and europe did not have direct contact with each other in the medieval and modern times, they independently grown their own social political systems that had very much in common to one another. Both feudal Japan and feudal Europe had differences and similarities in this time period. Both the Japanese and European feudal systems developed as a result from a weak central government. As a result of having no strong central government politically, individual landowners gained power in both of the regions.
However, this could be better seen in their form of government. Feudalism was a system that had land owners at the top (Kings and lords) and those who worked the land and keep the community safe at the bottom. It was basically impossible to move between social classes, and a desire to keep the rich with the rich meant that one couldn’t marry into money It was a social, economic, political, and legal system that stood in place for hundreds of years. The system, however meant that the government was weak, and it rarely stretched far; the larger the kingdom, the harder it was to keep it working. It also meant there were a lot of poor people living in the fifteen hundreds.
Knights would protect districts from invaders under the king's command. There was feudalism in medieval Europe from the 4th to the 12th century and in Medieval Japan from 1185 to 1603. Feudalism was a social system of rights and obligations based on land ownership. Japan and European feudalism were similar in many significant ways.
Traditional feudal Japan spanned over 500 years until the beginning of the Tokugawa period. Throughout this period, there were many changes among the roles of individuals within the society. The end of traditional feudal Japan and the start of the Tokugawa era created a different life for samurai and added to a new, rigid class structure of Tokugawa society. During the period before the Tokugawa, Japanese social structure was present but did not put a clamp on society.
There was a time in the history of Japan when the country was in chaos, as there was lawlessness, a civil war, warlords and feudal battles… Ironically, the Sengoku period, which started in 1467 and ended in 1573 is commonly known as the “Warring States” period because of all that happened. Almost every warrior in this period, set up their own armies and became warlords to contribute to this chaos. The Sengoku period started off with the Ōnin War (1467-1477), this was a civil war which destroyed an entire city called Kyoto, which, at the time was the capital of Japan. Historian J. Gilbert from www.samurai-archives.com quoted that “The Onin War was the catalyst that sparked the century long period of Japanese history known as the Sengoku Jidai, the "Age of the Country at War". What was originally a dispute between a father and his son-in-law became an eleven year war that trashed the once great city of Kyoto and sparked an era of bloodshed that is famous to
Japanese feudalism left a large impact on the world during the roughly 700 year span in which it was the prominent social system in Japan. The Kamakura period in Japan took place from 1192 to 1333. The Kamakura Shogunate was led by one leader, with the title of “shogun”, meaning they had military power over everyone else. The shoguns had a feudal society and government. In 1185, Minamoto Yoritomo defeated the rival Taira family in the Genpei war over the Imperial Court and he rose to power.
Feudalism did not always work as well in real life as it did in theory, and it caused many problems for society. Lords or vassals often placed their personal interests over the interests of the areas they ruled. Feudal lords had complete power in their local areas and could make harsh demands on their vassals and peasants. Which would really suck today if you had to be under someones harsh laws or rules. Also feudalism did not treat people equally or let them move up in society.
