Japan’s Feudal Age World History Ms. 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 people  As 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 factions  Each piece of land is controlled by a “lord”  In Japan’s case, a daimyo  Each daimyo works as an advisor to the emperor  Sits on his council  Helps make decisions for Japan  Daimyo has the freedom to govern their land as they please  Must 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 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 popular o No plays Focused on Zen Buddhist traits o Kabuki Similar to No plays but had comedy and drama o Bunraku Puppet plays that depicted social themes  Poetry and literature flourished  Painting and artwork reflected cultural ideals