Feudal Japan and the Growth of a Military Society Pages 212-217

Things were not so peaceful outside Heian…. Outside Heian, other groups of nobles fought each other for control of land. Rebel groups fought against nobles for control of land. Because much of the farmland was damaged during the fighting, food became impossible to grow. Still focused on court life, the leaders ignored these problems.

The Samurai Because the emperor did nothing to stop fighting, the Daimyo took control. The Daimyo were wealthy landowners. They hired Samurai to defend them and their property.

Samurai = Servant They wore light armor made from lacquered leather. Fought with swords and bows. A samurai’s sword, or katana, was his most valued possession and was usually passed down from father to son. Many samurai came from nobility and inherited their positions from their fathers.

Bushido: “The Way of the Warrior” The samurai followed a code of conduct called Bushido. As part of Bushido, samurai were expected to live simple, disciplined lives. Many practiced Zen in order to develop self discipline and perseverance. They also practiced flower arraigning and grew bonsai trees to reach Zen. Above all else, samurai were expected to be loyal to their lords.

Loyalty and it’s importance Loyalty was important to a samurai’s sense of honor. Honor was the most important thing in a samurai’s life. If a samurai did anything to loose honor (loose a fight, disobey orders, or failing to protect his lord) he was expected to commit suicide.

Bushido today Much like the samurai lived by the code of Bushido, Japanese culture still values honor, loyalty and self-discipline.

The Rise of the Shogun Unhappy with the emperor, two clans decided to take power for themselves. The Taira and Minamoto clans fought for almost 30 years. Eventually the Minamoto clan won and it’s leader, Yoritomo, named himself Shogun. The Shogun kept the emperor as a figurehead. The emperor’s role was limited to being the head of Shinto and he had no authority outside of the palace. The Shogun eventually ruled Japan in the emperor’s name.

Japan’s social hierarchy

Challenges from the outside The shoguns kept Japan stable for the next 100 years. Their power was tested by two failed Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281. Both times, powerful storms caused the Mongols to fail. The Japanese called these storms the divine winds, or Kamikaze. They believed that the storms were sent by the gods to save Japan.

Challenges on the inside The emperor eventually got tired of having no influence in government and began to fight the shogun for control. The daimyo also began to break away from the shogun and there were many small wars. By the 1400’s, the shogun had lost most of his power and the daimyo controlled most of Japan.

Feudalism in Japan Each daimyo had direct control over their territory The daimyo made their own laws and collected taxes. Farmers would pay the daimyo for the use of their land. This system is called feudalism.

Strong leaders unify Japan Oda Nobunaga began to unify feudal Japan. His soldiers used guns from the Portuguese and easily defeated surrounding armies.

The shogun returns! After Oda Nobunaga died, other leaders continued to unify Japan. By 1600, the most famous of these leaders, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was made shogun by the emperor. Tokugawa moved the capital to Edo (now Tokyo) Early on, the Tokugawa shogunate traded with many countries and allowed Christian missionaries to live in Japan.

Japan’s period of isolation The shoguns who ruled after Tokugawa feared that if Japan traded heavily with the outside, it would become too much like Europe. To prevent this, the shogun shut off Japan to the outside in the 1630s. Guns were also banned because the shogun feared they could be used to defeat their samurai armies. Due to this isolation, Japan’s feudal system of shoguns, daimyos, and samurai lasted until the 1860s.