Japanese Feudal System

For this project I decided to focus on The feudal system in japan which began in 1185 ending the Heian period, and lasting till aproximatley 1868 when the Meiji period began. Each of these pins represents a different tier of the system with descriptions of their role and why they are ranked at that level. Since the first camera wasn't invented till 1816, the images here are mainly sketches done by artists who illustrated what people looked like during that time.
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10 Pins
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an image of a pyramid with people in it
The Japanese Feudal System is known as a four-tiered structure that took place during medieviel Japan. This structure is based on military preparedness, which is noticibale by how low peasants are and how much higher samurai are. What is not seen on this structure are those in society who held no use to the society known as the Burakumin, who were mere commoners. Depending on how high up you are depends on how you are treated and your overall status.
a pyramid diagram with the five levels labeled
This is another version of the structure of the feudal system, this one showing 8-tiers. This picture exhibits just how even in the four tiers there is ranking system with merchants being in the lowest tier and peasnts rising above them. This goes to show which jobs are more important in the eyes of society.
an old photo of a man pushing a cart with brooms and other items on it
This is a picture of a merchant with his good in tow. They fall into the bottom of the peasant category because they were believed to be thieves. Most people believe they steal money from those of higher rankings to make a living. Japan is predominately made up of land made for farming which benefits the peasants more than the merchants since they are farmers.
an old black and white photo of a woman working
Artisans were higher up than the merchants in the peasant tier. They were craftsman making stuff such as swords for samurai and goods that can be used throughout the community. Due to how busy they were, they would give their goods to merchants to be sold. The female and male artisans had very different jobs: females artisans were the weavers or fan makers, while males were sword makers for the samurai and worked as plasterers. While they're not highly ranked they are necessary in the community.
an old painting of a man in red sitting on a bench with polka dotes
Wakisaka Yasuharu
This picture is a sketch of Wakisaka Yasuharu daimyo in 1554-1626. Daimyo are ranked above samurai and ronin because they are known to be a lord, a leader to the warriors. Yasuharu specifically is known as the daimyo of Awaji island for fighting warlords during the Sengoku period. He is most known for the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 where he became known as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugtake. This means he was one of the most trusted generals in naval combat.
an old photo of people standing around each other
Japan, Samurai, Übergangsperiode von alter Tracht zur modernen Uniform
This picture depicts a group of samurai. Samurai, in comparison to ronin are more disciplined and follow a code called Bushido code (Way of the warrior). While they did obey their ruler, a shogun or daimyo, they could also be paid by the wealthy to protect them. Unlike the peasent tier who had to live on the land of others, samurai had land of their own they could live on. Another difference is that the peasants would wear torn up clothing while samurai would wear metal and leather armor.
three people dressed in native garb holding sticks and wearing hats, standing next to each other
Portret van drie Japanse landbouwers met rieten kleding en gereedschappen, één rookt
Peasants supply the food for the Japanese community. They are ranked higher due to the fact that there's a Confucian ideal that talks about the overall importance of productive members of society. Farmers and fisherman are ranked higher than the merchants because they produce the food for the community. When the shogun Tokugawa was in power the farmers were not allowed to eat what they produced, they were required to give it to the warrior group since they had to defend the country.
Ronin translated to " Wandering man" in Japanese which makes  sense, since they are masterless samurai.  Ronin become Ronin when their leader, a daimyo, would die, leaving them jobless. This resulted in them turning to crime to support themselves, this is why they are at the bottom of the warrior tier. Most of the Ronin arised during the Edo shogun era in 1600-1868 to become scholars, however they were forbidden to do any work from the peasant tier. Ronin Samurai, The Warrior, Ancient Civilizations, Turning, Sense, Turn Ons, Japan
Ronin | Samurai Ronin
Ronin translated to " Wandering man" in Japanese which makes sense, since they are masterless samurai. Ronin become Ronin when their leader, a daimyo, would die, leaving them jobless. This resulted in them turning to crime to support themselves, this is why they are at the bottom of the warrior tier. Most of the Ronin arised during the Edo shogun era in 1600-1868 to become scholars, however they were forbidden to do any work from the peasant tier.
an old painting of a man sitting on a couch
Sign-in
This is a picture of one of the Tokugawa family shoguns. The Tokugawa family is a powerful daimyo famiy that came from Emperor Seiwa. The members of the family that ruled as shoguns ruled between 1603- 1867. While they are ranked lower than emperor's they ruled with them. The shogun was the one running everthing while being lead by the emperor. They were mainly in charge of military related issues.
an old painting of a man sitting on the ground
Kemmu Restoration
Emperors did not have much real power, what they were there for was for being a role model of religion; the shogun held most of the real power. This is a sketch of emperor go-daigo who ruled from 1318-1339. He is responsible for the Kenmu Restoration which was an attempt to bring the imperial house back into power resulting in the restoration of the civilian government.