Even though Japan and Europe had never had any direct contact with each other during the medieval and early modern periods, they had very similar class systems known as feudalism. Feudalism was well established in Europe by 800 CE but appeared in Japan only in the 1100s. Feudal Japanese and European societies were built on a system of heredity classes, where the nobles were at the top, followed by warriors, with tenant farmers or serfs below. The following essay will discuss the similarities and differences between these two systems.
In Japan, at the top of the social hierarchy was the emperor. The emperor is a symbol of the Japanese nation and the unity of its people and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, he is a ceremonial badger. …show more content…
A shogun was the military dictator of Japan during the period from 1185 to 1868. In most of this period, the shoguns were the de facto rulers of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the emperor as a ceremonial formality. The shoguns held most absolute power over territories through military means. The term shogun appeared in various titles given to military commanders commissioned for the imperial governments 8th and 9th century campaigns against the Ezo (Emishi) tribes of northern …show more content…
The reason that they were the highest, rather than craftsmen or merchants was because they produced food that the upper classes were depended on. They were very respected, and were considered an honored class. However, being a Japanese peasant had its lows as well. You could not choose to be a peasant, and could only be born one. Despite the Medieval peasant together with freeman and villains, lived on a manor in a village. The daily life of a Medieval peasants who worked hard on the land was often hard. A Medieval peasant had to labor on the lord’s land for two or three days each week, and at especially busy seasons, such as ploughing and
In Japan, at the top of the social hierarchy was the emperor. The emperor is a symbol of the Japanese nation and the unity of its people and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, he is a ceremonial badger. …show more content…
A shogun was the military dictator of Japan during the period from 1185 to 1868. In most of this period, the shoguns were the de facto rulers of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the emperor as a ceremonial formality. The shoguns held most absolute power over territories through military means. The term shogun appeared in various titles given to military commanders commissioned for the imperial governments 8th and 9th century campaigns against the Ezo (Emishi) tribes of northern …show more content…
The reason that they were the highest, rather than craftsmen or merchants was because they produced food that the upper classes were depended on. They were very respected, and were considered an honored class. However, being a Japanese peasant had its lows as well. You could not choose to be a peasant, and could only be born one. Despite the Medieval peasant together with freeman and villains, lived on a manor in a village. The daily life of a Medieval peasants who worked hard on the land was often hard. A Medieval peasant had to labor on the lord’s land for two or three days each week, and at especially busy seasons, such as ploughing and