Japan’s Feudal Age World History Ms. Costas
Feb 23, 2016
Japan’s Feudal Age
World HistoryMs. Costas
Japan Falls into a Time of Trouble
Towards the end of the Heian period, Japan fell into political turmoil Selfish and unstable
rulers Peasant rebellions Warfare amongst
Japanese peopleAs warring armies
struggled for power, Japan fell into a Feudal Society
What is Feudalism?System of government where Japan’s land is
broken up into factionsEach piece of land is controlled by a “lord”
In Japan’s case, a daimyoEach daimyo works as an advisor to the
emperorSits on his councilHelps make decisions for Japan
Daimyo has the freedom to govern their land as they pleaseMust pay taxes and loyalty to the emperor
Role of the Shogun
In theory the emperor stood at the head of society– In reality he had little power
The real power laid with the Shogun- Shogun = supreme military
commander Minamoto Yoritomo was
appointed shogunate in 1192- He developed the Kamakura
shogunate, that ruled for 700 years• Shogunate = military dynasty
o 3 military dynasties in Japanese history
Typically the shogun would control a small part of Japan himself He would distribute land to the
daimyo who agreed to support him with their armies in times of need
World of Warriors
Daimyo is below the shogun This is similar to lords or
nobles• They would receive land from
the shogun and would pledge loyalty in return
Samurai were considered “lesser lords” and would gain land from their daimyo They were the fighting
aristocracy• Aristocracy = wealthy, upper
class The word samurai translates
to “those who serve”
Bushido• Samurai were heavily trained from
an early age– They would spend much of their life
being educated in the ways of the samurai
• They developed their own code of values– This is called bushido
• Focuses on honor, bravery, and absolute loyalty to your lord
• A true samurai had no fear of death– An old saying once said…
• “If you think of saving your life, you had better not go to war at all.”
• A samurai who betrayed the code of bushido would commit suppuku– This is a ritual and sometimes
assisted suicide• This was a much honorable death than
to be a coward
Other Social Classes Noblewomen had some rights
and were respected in their society– Women were expected to raise
warriors and accept the same hardships as their husbands
Peasants formed 85-90% of the population– They were the backbone of society
• Farmed and some served as foot soldiers in feudal war
Artisans were respected because they made swords and armor for the samurai
Merchants were the lowest class – They depended on others to make
a living
The Tokugawa Shogunate
• Tokugawa Ieyasu was a daimyo and fierce warrior– He conquered other warlords and
took control of Japan• Because of his power, he was named
shogun• Tokugawa was determined to end
feudal warfare– Imposed a central government – Forced daimyo to live in the capital
(Edo)– Only samurai could serve in the
government or military– Women and peasants had less
rights• With peace in the countryside
agriculture and fishing grew– This caused the Japanese economy
to grow immensely
Advancements in the Arts
Major cities like Edo and Osaka were home to an explosion of the arts
Theater became incredibly popularo No plays
• Focused on Zen Buddhist traitso Kabuki
• Similar to No plays but had comedy and drama
o Bunraku• Puppet plays that depicted
social themesPoetry and literature
flourishedPainting and artwork
reflected cultural ideals