Mikaella F. Darum, B.A. Political Science, 2009-27608 Development Studies 126, Prof.

Allan Mesina

The Daimyo, The Samurai, and the Peasant: Evolution of Feudalism in Japan Similar to other countries in history, the development of feudalism in Japan grew out from the decline of an imperial rule. The Yamato family, the imperial family that claimed its mandate of rule from its descent to the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, eventually lost its political authority what with the strong presence of warrior families. (Perry, 1989) Along with an agrarian economy, the possession of lands came to be a symbol of the power held by these warrior families, and resulted into a hierarchy of social class. At the apex were the daimyos or the feudal lords, who protected their power through a lord-vassal relationship with the warrior class, the samurais. These warriors protected their lords in exchange of fief grants, and thus, were able to raise their wealth. To sustain their power of course is the class at the base, the peasants, who tilled the lands, and whose crop yields were used to support the landlords and the warrior class. (Kniola, 2011) Resistance and Unrest Just like any other aspects of feudal history, this economic and political system did not go unchallenged. A good example would be the peasant uprisings that prevailed in the Tokugawa Period, particularly the Shimabara Rebellion which broke out in 1637. The Tokugawa Period, which pertains to the Tokugawa Shogunate, was a feudal military dictatorship established by Tokugawa Ieyasu, a general of a local lord named Oda Nobunaga who sought to unify Japan through military power. (japan-101.com) In 1637, peasants near Nagasaki (which lies in the northwestern part of Kyushuone of Japans four main islands) rebelled against the local lords due to the burden of heavy taxes, with the participation of the rounin, or masterless samurais. (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com) Interestingly, most of these peasants were Christians, thus making the rebellion a resistance with religious overtone. Hundreds of thousand shogunate soldiers were sent to suppress the resistance, thus resulting to a massacre. (Perry, 1989) The Shimabara Revolution did not stand alone as case of peasant unrest in Japan. This is the salient feature of the Tokugawa period. The most complete record of such unrest is found in Aoki Koujis chronology entitled Hyakushou ikki no sougou nenpyou, which lists some 3000 peasabt uprising against tenurial authority, plus another 3000 conflicts classified as intervillage disputes. These protests were largely due to famines on an economic basis. Politically, the unrest stems up from the oppressive rule of the landlords. The Tokugawa shogunate imposed a strict class distinction between the landlord class and the peasant class, along with innumerable legal restrictions on occupation, residence, marriage, movement, and even food, as well as clothing. The Tokugawa landlords exploited as absentee landlords. Kowagoe (1999) defines absentee landlords as those landlords who did not reside in the village where their farmlands are located. Land rents were used as a source of wealth for the landlords, imposing heavy taxes (Vlastos, 1986). To prevent the possibility of uprisings, the shogunate disarmed the rural population, leaving the samurais as the legitimate users of violence. The samurais enjoyed the right to legally

Mikaella F. Darum, B.A. Political Science, 2009-27608 Development Studies 126, Prof. Allan Mesina

cut down on the spot any commoner proper deference. To sum it up, quoting Vlastos (1986), what the lord took, the peasant lost. Land Reform and the Decline of Landlordism (Kawagoe, 1999) Fast forward, the strength of the landlord class eventually met its decline, and termination. The postwar period was a period of recession. As a result, land disputes became were a common phenomenon throughout the 1920s and the 1930s. As wage rates of non-farm sectors increased, it was static for the tenants. As a result, labor unions were organized, comprised of about 70-80 farmers, demanding for rent reduction from the landlords. Farm income, especially of tenants, decreased sharply from 1,413 yen per household in 1925 to 994 yen in 1929 and further dropped to 442 yen in 1931. Landlords, especially small non-farming landlords, were compelled to evict tenants from the lands because of the depression. In 1920, a consultative body, the Tenancy System Research committee, was set up under the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce (MAC), who thought that the rights of the tenants had to be more protected. The proposal was met with great opposition from the conservatives who sided with the landlords. In 1924, the Land Tenancy Conciliation Act was enacted designed to mediate voluntary submitted tenancy disputes by local courts and Conciliation Committees. In 1926, the Owner Farmers Establishment Rule of 1926 with the intension of transforming tenants into owner farmers. A credit programs was also introduced in 1920 to be granted by cooperatives as reward for purchasing land. These measures were adapted as a replacement for the MAC proposal. The severe drought that hit Japan in 1939 also initiated the government to promote agricultural production for food supply. The enactment of the National Mobilization law in 1938 implied increasing government control of domestic policies. In 1938, the Farmland Adjustment Law was enacted, which allowed the local governments and village authorities to take the initiative in establishing owner farmers by suggesting to landlords to sell their land. A variety of laws further succeeded these provisions, which eventually resulted to the decline of the power of the landlords. Finally, in 1946, the Land Reform Bill was passed in the Diet (the Japanese parliament) without any modifications. In fact, it was regarded as a milestone, being a country which has been subjected to the oppressive rule of the landlords in its history. The bill included drastic measures, with compulsory purchase of the government of lands owned by absentee landlords as an example. Conclusions With the passing of the land reform, Japan saw the end of the feudal class structure. The landlords have lost their political and economic supremacy. Politically, the land reform program was a success. Still, and more importantly, the social implication of the land reform must be the aspect to be studies more. Did it really improve the rights of the tenants? Did it narrow the gap between social classes? Did it terminate the oppression?

Mikaella F. Darum, B.A. Political Science, 2009-27608 Development Studies 126, Prof. Allan Mesina

References: _____________Shimabara Rebellion. Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Shimabara+Rebellion _____________Shimabara rebellion-uprising of Japanese peasants. Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http://militaryhistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=militaryhistory&cdn=ed ucation&tm=255&f=00&tt=11&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.japan101.com/history/shimabara_rebellion.htm _____________The Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan. Retrieved Februray 9, 2012 from http://www.japan-101.com/history/history_tokugawa_shogunate.htm

Hickman, K. (n.d.) Tokugawa Shogunate: Shimabara Rebellion. Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswars16011800/p/shimabara.htm

Kniola, B. (2011). The Ashikaga Period (1477-1560): The Rise of Feudalism. Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http://thinkjapanblog.com/the-ashikaga-period-1477-1560-rise-offeudalism.html Kowagoe, T. (1999). Agricultural Land Reform in Postwar Japan: Experience and Issues. Retrieved February 5, 2012 from http://www.wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1999/09/ 14/000094946_99060201522486/additional/112512322_20041117182526.pdf Perry, M. (1989). A History of the World, Revised Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Hougton Mifflin Company. Vlastos, S. (1986). Peasant Protests and Uprisings in Tokugawa Japan. U.S.A.: University of California Press. Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=H22TIRT6J80C&printsec=frontcover&hl=tl#v=on epage&q&f=false