Japanese Law And Punishment Essay

Law and punishment

The law and punishment that is held in Japan is significantly more strict than what the European explorers were expecting. The japanese had set up many different laws that had vastly worse punishments than what was expected in continental Europe, most of them leading to death or other such punishments.

The severity of Japanese punishment was a surprising difference for most European explorers that had come to Japan. This can be seen by their reactions in the excerpts from “we came to Japan” The explorers and other envoys from Europe were not used to these severe laws, especially when it affected them just as much, on page 154, the quote from strict and severe says “Their laws are very strict and full of severitie, affoording no other kinde of punishment, but either death or banishment; murther, theft, treason, or the

These were solid points that the Europeans could relate to in Japan. The royalty of Japan and their warrior class were held in high regard, much like the nobility and royalty in Europe, thus the punishment for offending one was similarly high. The Daimyos of Japan were held in high regards and even the Europeans who came were not exempt from their laws. The punishment were the same for the explorers as they were for the other people of Japan, this can be seen with how a European was punished for insulting one. “Capt. lafevre was beaten and drubed per the rascall labourers of Hirado, because he landed at Kinges steares.” (166) The sailors and even captains from Europe were not spared from punishment in Japan, as can be seen in the previous passage. This would be a similar occurrence in Europe if one were to insult a monarchy or other figure of