13.4 Feudal Japan Pgs. 357-360

Feudal Japan During the late Heian period, a feudal system of social classes developed. Feudalism is a system for organizing and governing society based on land and service. The rulers divided land among the nobles, who then subdivided it amongst the peasants.

Feudal Japan At the top of the feudal system were the emperor, his family, and shogun In 1192 Yoritomo, the leader of the Minamoto clan, was appointed as the first shogun in Japan.

Feudal Japan He became the supreme military leader in Japan and set up his government in the city of Kamakura. The military government was known as the shogunate. Shoguns ruled for the next 700 years. The emperor had 0 power.

Feudal Japan Daimyo were next in the social classes. They were chief nobles or powerful warlords. The daimyo had military and economic power to rule over their lands. They also had armies to protect their lands and their workers.

Feudal Japan The daimyo’s armies were made up of samurai, the next feudal class. The samurai mastered horsemanship, fencing, archery, and jujitsu. It was a samurai’s duty to protect the daimyo.

Feudal Japan Samurai could also have a surname, a family crest, and the right to carry two swords. They samurai lived by a code of conduct called “the way of the warrior,” which demanded loyalty, honor, duty, justice, courage, and sincerity.

Feudal Japan The lowest class in Japan were peasants. The peasants were divided into several subclasses. The highest ranking peasants were farmers who owned their own land. Farmers were valuable. They paid their taxes by giving a percentage of their crops to the government or daimyo.

Feudal Japan Artisans were the next peasant subclass. They made products from wood and metal. They products included tools, fish hooks, anchors, and swords.

Feudal Japan The last peasant subclass was made up of merchants. They were the lowest because they relied on others for their livelihood. Traders and shopkeepers were pat of this class.

Feudal Japan

The Mongols In the late 1200s a people from China called the Mongols tried to attack Japan twice. The shoguns were strong enough to push back both invasions.

The Mongols In the second invasion, the samurai fought the Mongols for 53 days. Suddenly, the sky darkened and a typhoon swept across the Sea of Japan. Much of the Mongol fleet was destroyed.

The Mongols The Japanese named the strong storm that saved them the kamikaze. (divine wind) The Japanese believed that spirts had sent the kamikaze. However, this war drained the money out of Japan.

The Mongols They were not able to pay the samurai, which angered them. The shogun began to lose their power. Over the next 500 years, power struggles continued and Japan isolated themselves from the world.

Read Kamikaze pg. 360

Discussion Questions What were the four levels of social classes in Japan’s feudal system? What name was given to the typhoon that caused the Mongol defeat?

Create a Japanese social classes pyramid. Use pictures and color neatly.