Feudal Japan

Period 1, Larsen
By: Cole Russell

In the 1950s there was somewhat of a samurai craze in America. People would go to
the theatres to see actors like Toshiro Mifune star in the latest lone samurai, Ronin wanderer
laying waste to crowds and dueling anybody who dared. Weirdly enough, that is not so far
from the truth. Feudal Japan was a time of conflict and martial artist ways of life. The ideas
that sprung forth from this period in time spread all over the world, ideas like feudalism, new
techniques in war and refinement of raw materials used for war and how Japans own feudal
background helped shape the history of Japan after the Meiji Restoration.
Feudalism began in Japan in 1192 when the Minamoto and Yoritomo families started
warring for control over Japan, when the government became too weak to keep control over
the wealthier families of Japan. In fact, the Japanese government at the time didnt even have
any sort of police force. The samurai would dominate Japanese government and society until
the Meiji Restoration of 1868 led to the abolition of the feudal system (history.com). Towards
the beginning of the 16
th
century, a rigid social caste would be implemented that included
vassals and lords, or samurai and their Daimyo. The samurai were at the top of the caste with
only certain lords and military commanders above them. Roughly 88% of Japanese society was
in the peasant section, and the remaining 12% was in the military section. Merchants made up
the bottom class, unlike many other social structures in history (weebly.com). You can see
quite clearly how militaristic Japan really was, and how that affected the development of
feudalism. Usually merchants and artisans are towards the top of social classes, but in fact, the
only merchant who would be considered more middle class, or up toward the farming peasants
would be blacksmiths and tea specialists. Japan had the first feudal governments in the world
along with the Europeans. (excluding civilizations like the Assyrians who were militaristic, but
not feudal)
European feudalism was influenced by Japanese feudalism in it that they started raising
the importance of knights who served militaristically under their lords who would be the
equivalent of Japans Daimyo It was under Nobunaga's watch that Europeans first arrived in
Japan, and he took full advantage of their presence. (ushistory.org) Nobunaga invited the
Europeans with open arms to Japan and had them help him gain power over all of Japan.
The Samurai of Japan developed a new way of thinking called Bushi or sometimes
referred to as Bushido. On the Japan-Guide the author states samurai were supposed to lead
their lives according to the ethic code of bushido (the way of the warrior) This was an
intensive code and required a special kind of thinking to commit to it. Everyday the samurai
dedicates themselves to the exact perfection of their art form. The work ethic set during this
time in Japan will reverberate to more modern times, in fact its still present to this day. Bushi
has several different aspects to it. It requires a person to be loyal to his lord, but show respect
to everybody, especially his own wife. In warriors the author states the code of honor A
samurai must show a sense of justice and honesty. A samurai must show contempt for death. A
samurai must display self-control. A samurai must show sympathy toward all people. A samurai
must demonstrate politeness at all times. A samurai must display sincerity and respect. A
samurai must show complete loyalty to his superiors. A samurai has a duty to defend the honor
of his name. All of this is true, they must perform all of these duties in order to be considered a
full fledged samurai. Especially if they disgraced their name, they would commit a ritual known
as seppuku. Seppuku involved a man kneeling down on his knees and eating his last supper,
after he is done eating, he is supplied to him a clean knife. He would take that knife and plunge
it into his stomach and slice horizontally through and sometimes pull out his intestines and hold
them, when he had enough pain, another samurai would be standing behind him and
decapitate him. Well, as close to it as you can get. They would leave a small amount of skin in
the front of the neck so that the head would not go flying into a crowd of spectators and bring
to him shame.
This mental attitude is an influence as to why the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and
brought upon the Pacific theater in WWII. The Japanese emperor; Tojo swore that he could
defeat any enemy, especially America. Although this was probably his downfall, he thought
with the way of the Bushido. Even after Japans defeat in 1945 the intense work ethic continued
in Japan. The country rebuilt in a matter widely unknown to this day, and people worked
themselves to death rebuilding Japan. The discipline of the way of the Bushido still exist today,
even though emperor Meiji widely abolished the only shogun left in the 19
th
century,
Katsumoto therefore killing off the ancestry of samurai and opting for more modern societies.
Meiji swore to never forget how the samurai lived and thought.
The samurai brought about new techniques in metal smithing and new weapons.
Samurai arms included a bow, a long pole topped by a curved blade, a dagger, and two types
of swords. The wakizashi was a short sword, between on and two feet long, while the longer
katana had a slightly curved blade and was razor sharp. A samurai wore an iron helmet with
neck flaps on his head and often a ferocious-looking face mask, or metal scales strung together
by silk cords, giving good flexibility. (warriors) The samurai had invented many new kinds of
weapons and had a great selection to choose from. One is the most famous of all, the katana.
The samurai found a new way to make the metal flexible, and yet sharp as any sword has ever
been. The katana uses folded steel using the Bessimer refining process (it was later coined that
term) Multiple times throughout the shaping of the katana it is heated and then super cooled
and so on, and so forth. The samurai were, in the beginning nothing more than horseback
warriors like the mongols of western Asia were. They were skilled in bow and arrow just as the
huns were. When firearms came along in Japan new ways of doing battle emerged there too,
for instance the technique to have a firing brigade stand in 2 rows whilst one shoots the others
reload was first implemented in Japanese war.
In conclusion feudalistic Japan had many influences on the world and world history as
we know it. Feudalism was completely changed as an idea and concept when the first
Europeans came to Japan. Bushido, or the code of the warrior is famously known to have
shaped history. And finally, new weapons and tactics were implemented that even in America
would be copied.

Works cited
Asian, Very. "Simply Japan." Weebly.com. very asian, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers Simon and Schuster Childrens Publishing Warriors New York
"Samurai." Japan-Guide.com. Ed. Japan Guide. Japan-Guide.com, 1996-2014. Web. 6 May 2014. The
author

Staff, U.S. History. "10c. Feudal Japan: The Age of the Warrior." UShistory.org. Independence Hall
Association, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

Staff, History. "Samurai and Bushido." History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 6 May 2014.

University, Columbia. "The Age of Samurai: 1158-1868." Easia.Columbia.edu Asia for Educators, 2009.
Web. 6 May 20