The three country unifiers: Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi und Ieyasu Tokugawa |
Cultural Studies: The three unifiers of Japan, the last shōgunate and the aftermaths - Part 1
Well then, up to part 2 where I amplify how the estate systems during the Edo period (1603-1868) was built (and how it differed from the European estate system), how the Meiji restoration (1868-1890) caused the plot twist within the Japanese history and moreover, what remains from the Edo period as well as the Meiji period (1868-1912) down to the present day.
A map of Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) |
In the Edo period (1603-1868), there was the Four Occupations System (士農工商, shinōkōshō) wherein the people took their respectively social position, depending on their professions and descends. This hierarchical system was based on Confucian ideals:
1) The highest position was occupied by the nobility of the sword (武士, bushi): The samurai, daimyō and even the shōgun belonged to it. The samurai enjoyed a high amount of privileges: For instance, they were allowed bearing sword and even having own surnames.
2) The following occupation was held by the farmers (農民, nōmin . The relatively high rank was justified by their productive acts, mainly the rice cultivation. At that time, rice was also an alternative currency having coexisted with money.
3) The craftsmen (工, kō) held the third occupation .
4) The merchants (商, shō) occupied the last rank due to their non-productive activities, unlike the peasants. Regardless of the last rank, hardworking merchants were able to win wealth.
Craftsmen and merchants were classified as bourgeois (町人, chōnin) and were decisively involved in Japan's cultural developments. The farmers weren't classified as bourgeois until the begin of the Meiji period (1868-1912) (More about this, see further below).
A display about the Four Occupation System in Japan |
Over the shinōkōshō, the imperial royal court's aristocrats as well as the clergy (i.e. the Buddhists monks and the Shintō priests).
Under this four-parted estate system, the outcast groups (部落民, burakimin), i.e. "polluted ones" (穢多, eta) and the "non-humans" (非人, hinin) - were disposed.
From these aspects mentioned, you can deduce the following differences between Japanese estate system and the European estate system:
- The farmers had a high rank the Japanese estate system and hadn't the same rank as the bourgeois.
- Clergy and nob els weren't included in the Japanese estate system while the first rank in Europe were occupied by the clergy, the second rank by the nobels and the third or rather last rank by the bourgeois and peasants.
- Unlike in Europe, the bourgeois and peasants hadn't family names in Japan.
- In Europe, there were no possibilities for changing the occupations while the borders within the Japanese estate system could de facto vanish, as already mentioned.
Anyways, the Four Occupation System was abolished by the Meiji restoration (1868-1890). This abolution had following impacts:
- Since then, the farmers are classified as bourgeois.
- The samurai class has been abolished: Hence, the former samurais entranced in the reformed military or in the bureaucracy.
- The family name system holds entirely in Japan for all people, except for the royals of the emperor's family who still have mononyms.
- The han (principalities) were converted into prefectures. In this day and age, there are 47 prefectures in Japan respectively governed by one governor. But Japan ain't a federalist state but a unitary state.
- The feudal times (1185-1868) were set to the end..
- The shōgunate was abolished as well. In 1867, he 15th and last shōgun Yoshinobi Tokugawa stepped down due to the population's and emperor's dissatisfaction after becoming shōgun in 1866.
- After the shōgunate's abolition, the emperor had the monopoly of power again which he had before the feudal times - until he was completely nerved by the post-war constitution in 1946.
A paint about some events within the Meiji-Restauration |
Concluding from all these aspects mentioned, it seems that the three country unifiers as well as the Tokugawa shōgunate lay the foundation for Japan as centralized unified state being known nowadays. In contrast to the contemporary Japan, e.g. the feudalism prevailed until the end of the Edo period. Despite the changes concerning the society and the policy by the Meiji restoration, Japan is a unitary state now as before.
Furthermore, the Edo period's bourgeois had a formative influence on the Japanese culture's development
And now, I ask you: Which topics do you wish I could elaborate in the frames of the rubric "Cultural Studies"? Don't hesitate writing your topic proposals in the comments.
PS: Here you can go to my first blog article from the rubric "Culture Studies" about the Japanese emperor's role then and now:
--> Cultural Studies: What's the deal with the Japanese emperor?