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).
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.
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.
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).
Feudal systems connected the people to their land.
Japanese feudal order The Society in feudal Japan was divided into two classes, the nobility and the peasants. The population of the nobles was around 10 to 15 percent while the peasants was all peasants. Emperor and Shogun During this time the Emperor and Shogun were the highest ranked nobles.
The feudalistic system in the medieval ages insured that serfs, nobles, vassals, lords, and kings, get and gave what they needed
Contention- Ancient Japan and europe had a very similar political system Japan and Europe may not have had any “direct contact with one another” during the medieval and early periods. Yet they developed very similar systems. Systems such as their ruling structure and social groups. They also differed from each other when it came to their religious beliefs and their war structures. Both Japan and Europe were politically similar.
Samurai and knights played an important role in medieval Europe and Japan respectively. Over the years, many historians have debated whether their similarities were greater than their differences. In Japan and Europe, both of the societies had small pieces of land owned by clans and have warriors to protect them, they made a system named feudalism. The warriors of Japan was called Samurai while the warrior of Europe was dubbed a knight. During the late 1100s, the Taira and Minamoto two large military clans, there was a civil war and the Minamoto won.
Feudal Japan, the period of time in Japan that lasted from 1185 AD to 1603, is slightly similar, yet very different, from Ancient Greece. For example, one difference in the two civilizations is the governments and agricultures. In addition to this, the arrangement of the communities vary greatly. On the other hand, Japan and Greece are very similar in their geography. Also, their location and what surrounds them are both similar and different.
From the 1500s to the 1850s, Japan experienced a period of dramatic change in several aspects. Politically, the Tokugawa Shogunate was founded and there was some centralization of power, although Japan stayed feudal through most of this time. As feudalism was still dominating, the main economic activity was agriculture. There was some trade with the Europeans for new technology such as firearms but eventually, Japan isolated itself until the mid-1800s. Japan had some conversion to Christianity but as it became isolated, it was not a widespread religion.
European feudalism was a form of government, with the lowest level being the serfs, the lower class who were protected by the lords, and the higher levels gave
Feudalism established in Europe by the 800s CE, later by the 1100s CE in Japan. European feudalism ended by the growth of stronger political states in the 16th century, but Japanese feudalism held on until the meji restoration of 1868. Feudal Japanese and European societies were built on a system of heredity classes. The nobles were at the top then knights and samurais, farmers or serfs below. There was a little bit of social mobility, the children of peasants became peasants, and the children of lords became lords and ladies.
Feudalism is divided into classes, the higher classes have more power. Feudalism is a system where the higher classes such as kings, lords and vassals have much more power than lower classes such as peasants
This economic system was mostly based on land. If someone had a lot of it, they were wealthier, if they didn't have as much, then they were not as rich. (Bishop 109) (STEWE-2) The land that someone got was called the fief, it was given to them for mostly farming. It not only limited the income someone got, but it also represented one’s rights and obligations.(Bishop 111)
