Describe the Structure of Japanese Society

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The Tokugawa Bakufu, also known as the Edo Bakufu, was the final period of traditional Japan being controlled by military dictatorship. The reason why it was also called the Edo period was because the shogun established Japan’s new capital at Edo. This shogunate was started by a samurai called Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 and ended in 1867
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The structure of shogunate Japan follow the order of the following: Shogun – Daimyo – Samurai – Peasants – Artisans – Merchants. The shogun was at the top of feudal society with the highest social hierarchy. They had the highest military and civil authority. Below the shogun were the daimyos which were people who could own part of the shogun’s land. Their role was to maintain the law of the time, as well as collecting taxes and aiding people in armed tasks. Samurais were warrior administrators which inherited this position by their parents. Each samurai carried two swords and the right to kill anyone below their rank. During the Tokugawa shogunate however, there were no more wars and the samurai gained new skills which included reading, writing and accounting.
The lower levels consists of peasants would be the main labour workers. Their masters would only calculate enough rice for the peasants to live on. Peasants would be divided into three sub-categories: farmers, artisans and merchants. Farmers were superior to other sub-categories of peasants as they produce the food source that all the other classes need. These farmers were part of the honoured class but were under great strain of taxes. During to reign of Iemitsu, he made a law that all farmers must not eat the rice they grew as it must be handed to the daimyo and be given back in rations. Artisans are people who work at their own specialt...

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...e feudal structure was unfair. The shogun had full power over the land as well as people and had the power to make biased laws than only benefited the shogun. In Tokugawa Shogunate, the shogun limited the power of daimyos as stated before so no one could take his spot as shogun. What should be allowed is that the shogun has a limit to power as well so that the structure of feudal society will stay the same. But all the other ranks would be considered fair.
In conclusion, the society in traditional Japan was imbalanced to everyone besides the shogun. Tokugawa Ieyasu aimed for the unification of Japan and he achieved this by defeating his rivals in the battle of Sekigahara in the 1600. Rewards for winning this battle earned him the loyalty of all daimyos of Japan. After becoming a shogun, he unified Japan by moving the capital to Edo which later became modern Tokyo.

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