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Differences and similarities between feudalism in Europe and feudalism in Japan
European and Asian feudalism
Differences and similarities between feudalism in Europe and feudalism in Japan
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The Japanese and European feudalism had many similarities but they also had many differences. When feudalism started in both areas it started in Japan for a more destructive reason than it had it Europe. When looking at both of the feudalisms we can figure out that they had more similarities than they had differences.
The feudalism of Europe started because of the need for a way to pull society back together after the Roman Empire collapsed in the West. It was based on law and the people in the place of power were more restrictive. Also since there was legalistic lord-vassal relationships people were bound more to moral, religious, and legal codes of order. Another thing was the women were inferior. Lastly their military was organized
into armies and armies was less personal than having a samurai like Japan did. These are some of the aspects of feudalism Europe. The feudalism of Japan started when the emperor sent armies of samurai to fight in the civil war, and when they came back the leader of the army got the title Shogun. It was based on the ideas of chinese philosopher Kong Qiv or Confucius and on morality so the rulers were chosen based on their wisdom and moral values. In feudal Japan samurai emphasized the values of honor, bravery, self- discipline, and acceptance of death. Lastly in Japan women were expected to gain as much strength as the soldiers. People practiced harakiri or seppuku which was a method of suicide when they lost honor. These are some aspects of feudal Japan. Both feudal systems had many things in common. One similarity is both japanese samurai and European knights both followed a code of behavior and the code for the samurai was the code of Bushido and the code for the knights was the Chivalry. Also they both thought swords were a main weapon. Another thing is Japan and Europe both allowed other cultures to influence them in a artistically and militaristically way. Lastly feudal Japan and feudal Europe both valued loyalty and bravery. These are some of the similarities of feudal Japan and Europe Even though they both have many differences including the way they treat the woman they have many similarities like how they both had a code of behavior. The tw feudalisms showed it could start in any condition because the feudalism of Japan started after a civil war and the feudalism of Europe started because they wanted society to come back together. Looking at both of the feudalisms the definition for feudalism is a land based economic system. I think that even though they had their differences I think they were very similar.
Do you know someone in the military? A loved one, a friend, do you know what they go through? I may not, but I do know about the harsh training and war that occurred for the Samurais and Knights. In Europe and Japan the empires were falling and Clans were taking over Japan. The government came up with an idea to create feudalism. There was an agreement in both Europe and Japan that exchanged land for protection. The similarities between Samurai and Knights were greater than the differences. This can be shown by looking at the three most similar areas: social position, training and armor, and life, honor, and death. The Samurai and Knights has their differences, but were the similarities greater than those differences.
Throughout history, foreign policies and views of foreigners differed from empire to empire. The Ottoman Turks, an incredibly long lasting, Muslim empire, were quite welcoming towards foreigners. Their leaders were tolerant of other religions and were open for foreign merchants to enter their markets. In contrast, the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan shut themselves out from the world. Under Oda Nobunaga, Japan was fair but after his death this changed. They persecuted Christians and only allowed the Dutch to trade with them at a specific port. These two powerful empires have foreign policies that show how varied, yet similar, foreign policies can be, and show how differently leaders of the same empire view the same topic.
European feudalism was based on contract and Japanese feudalism was based on personal relationship with the lord and vassal. This helps prove that the differences between European and Japanese feudalism made limited government more likely to develop in the West because a contract limits what the lords and vassals could do. William, the king of English, said, “I command you [the vassal] to summon all those who are under your charge......and bring ready with you those five knights that you owe me[.]”1 This helps prove that European feudalism was based on contract because when you owe someone something, it implies an agreement. The key terms are I command you and owe. The vassal has to send troops because he has to. He is under the rule of his lord. The lord tells his vassal that “[H]e will perform everything [that] was in [their] agreement [because] [he] submitted himself to him and chose his will.”2 This helps prove that European feudalism was based on a contract because a contract implies an agreement. The vassal chose the lord himself, so therefore, the vassal is under the lord's rule and needs to follow the agreement. On Japan's view of feudalism, their feudalism wasn't based on contract. On page 122 and 124 of The Tale of Heike, it implies personal relationships with the lord and vassal. “Despite his predicament, [the lord] still thought of [his vassal].”3 When the lord dies, the vassal kills himself saying, “For whom do I have to fight now?”4 This helps prove that Japanese feudalism was based on a personal relationship with lord and vassal because the lord and vassal actually cared for each other. Even through major problems, the lord and vassal's actions showed how close their relationship was with each other. Also on page 5...
Japanese revolts ensue with the opening of Japan to the Western World. The middle and lower classes wanted Japan to be open while the conservative daimyo did not. Both of these groups looked to the emperor for a decision. The shogunate, reliant on the isolation, collapsed under pressures caused by outsid...
Feudal Japan and Feudal Europe had similarities and differences. Both Feudal Japan and Feudal Europe had professional warriors, for Japan it was the samurai, and for Europe the knights. They both had religious beliefs such as Buddhism and Christianity. Japan was an island and was isolated, whereas Europe wasn’t isolated nor an island. Feudal Japan lasted from 1185-1603, while Feudal Europe lasted from the 9th to the 15th centuries.
Although the Manchus in China and the Tokugawa in Japan during the 17th and 18th centuries consolidated power into a central authority differently, their reasons for doing so were relatively similar, both being due to a certain internal conflict and their location relative to other empires.
In 1900 Britain was in many respects the world’s leading nation, enjoying a large share of world trade, a dominant position in the international money market, and possessing a far flung empire supported by the world’s most powerful navy. Japan was a complete contrast, sharing with Britain only the fact that it too was a nation of Islands lying off the shore of a major continent. Until the 1860s it had possessed a social and economic structure more akin to that of feudal, rather than twentieth century, Europe. By the 1990s, the positions were almost reversed. This paper sets out to examine the contrasting democratic political systems of the two nations and to explore the social and democratic consequences of the changes that have occurred.
They also developed a Western style judiciary system. Japan and China reacted differently to the reforms of Imperialism. When put under pressure, Japan succumbed to the power of Western Imperialist ideas. Conversely, China, resisted for a long time. As a result, Japan had more technology, while China was unenlightened of the new advances.
(AGG) The Black Plague was a big contributor to the decline of feudal times and how they worked. (BS-1) The Black Plague was a horrendous disease that made millions of people suffer from its horrible symptoms. (BS-2) The Plague spread very quickly, along trade routes and with travelers causing many people to be affected from it. (BS-3) Feudalism was an organized system to separate people into classes and create a government. (BS-4) Military was an important part of the feudal system, they provided protection and got things in return. (BS-5) Religious beliefs such as the great chain of being were a vital factor in the feudal system being able to work effectively. (BS-6) There were lots of oaths and agreements from class to class which
Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today deriving directly and indirectly from the beliefs of the Samurai.
Europe’s social structure in the Middle Ages consisted of feudalism. A hierarchical society of Kings granting land to nobles, who would then give a fief to a knight in return for service. The knight would then have peasants or serfs working on their fief. However, as the plague spread, many peasants died and their labour could not be replaced. This loss of workforce had a significant impact upon the economy as grain was not being harvested and livestock roamed free. The agrarian economy had been severely damaged, the land became uncultivated and returned back to its natural state. This rural collapse eventually led to food shortages in towns and cities.
Both China and Japan were greatly affected by the arrival of Europeans in Asia. The Europeans wanted to trade, but they didn’t have many items to trade. China and Japan soon began to develop policies to keep European influence at bay while still maintaining trade dominance. Both nations developed similar yet unique policies and methods of dealing with Europeans that would have large impacts socially, economically, and politically for centuries to come.
Around the same time period different parts of the world were following the same government system, feudalism. Because of this system, two warriors arose, samurai and knights. Both had similar codes of honor, and both were extremely loyal, passionate, and skilled fighters. Knights came from Europe and provided feudal lords loyalty and military service, in exchange for land and power. Samurai, on the other hand, were from Japan, but also owed loyalty and military service to feudal lords known as daimyos. Considering the similarities between the two warriors, many people wondered of they were actually more similar than different. That’s at first glance. In reality, these two warriors are very unique with their beliefs, codes and loyalty, the
I believe we can all agree that Japanese samurais and European knights are two of the most skilled and famous forms of warriors in history, right? Well both warriors began their trade at a very young age, and went through multiple stages of training throughout their lives. They both had a code of honor basically, but they differed from one another in quite a few ways. The big question is, “Were the similarities greater than the differences?”. Right off the bat I began to ponder the technicalities of the answer to this question. Before I get too scrambled up in the technicalities, let’s discuss some these differences and the similarities and figure out how this plays out. Before we conduct this discussion, let’s review our key terms. A clan is a group of close-knit and interrelated families. Feudalism was a political and economic system that flourished in Europe from the 9th to the 15th century, based on higher classes giving random services and items in exchange for something else. Knights were men who served their lord as a mounted soldier in armor. Samurai’s were members of a powerful military social class in feudal Japan. A shogun was a hereditary commander-in-chief in feudal Japan. Chivalry was the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. Bushido was the code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai.
Economic processes are those involving the production and distribution of goods and services. However, they do not alone determine this production and distribution. There is an interrelationship of economic, cultural, environmental, and political processes that all help to shape each other. Nothing that we do can be defined as a single process, for it is the interaction itself that helps to produce the final results that we observe. To understand this more fully the following basic definitions may be of use: