Roles in Society

• Strict rules governed society; for dress alone, there were 216 rules that must be obeyed

• There were also rules that dictated to whom someone should bow and how low they must bow.

Emperor

• Rules over Japan

• Closest to god

• hereditary

Shogun

• shogun" is a title that was granted by the Emperor to the country's top military commander

• In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes Shogun, uniting all of Japan = beginning of Edo Japan

Daimyo

• Powerful landowners

• Collect taxes

• noblemen

The Samurai

• Similar to the knights of the European feudal system, Samurai were the highly respected, warrior class

• During this time period they lived in the castle towns of the Shogun or Daimyo they served

• They carried 2 swords; 1 large and 1 small• The lowest and least honourable samurai were

the Ronin because they had no master

• Samurai were forbidden to become involved in business and trade

• During peace, they acted like officers posted in the towns and took on various duties

Peasants

• Farmers were considered important in Edo Japan because they produced the food that sustained society

• Laws controlled every aspect of a Peasants’ life

• Forbidden to smoke tobacco or drink rice wine and needed special permission to travel outside of their district

Artisans

• Artisans aka craftspeople lived in towns and cities

• An artisan’s son was not only restricted to the class of his father, but to the particular trade/craft

• Examples of products produced by artisans in Edo Japan: paper and porcelains, lacquered or enamel containers, clocks and pans

• Though being extremely skilled their status was lower than peasants because they were not the primary producers

Merchants

• Merchants bought items from artisans to trade and sell

• They arranged shipping and distribution of food

• Since rice was currency, the merchants were similar to bankers

• Since they did not produce anything merchants were the lowest on the social hierarchy

Women in Edo Society

• The class women were born into, determined their responsibilities

• Their jobs were dependent on their father’s class and then once they were married on their husband’s class

• They were still always considered lower than men

• They did not have a legal existence in the Edo period because they could not buy property

Outside Edo Society

• Outcasts were people who were shunned or ignored by other classes because of the work they did

• Any jobs that involved death were considered outcasts; such as leather tanners, butchers and those who disposed of animal carcasses

• They had to live separate from the rest of society and could not enter the house of a peasant or be in the city after 8pm

The Ainu

• The Ainu were also separate from the social hierarchy

• Though they were the first inhabitants they were excluded from Japanese society until 1997

• The legislation still does not go far enough• It defines their culture too narrowly as language, music,

dance and crafts• It does nothing to reverse the years of discrimination and

assimilation policies

Honour and Duty

• The Tokugawa used the social structure of Japan to support their role; they didn’t create it.

• They used the social controls to maintain order in society.