Compare And Contrast European And Japanese Feudalism

During the sixteenth century, both the Ottoman and Tokugawa Japanese empires had political and economic similarities and differences. Politically, these empires were alike because both had centralized bureaucracy but different because they had very distinct ways of keeping order within their empires. Economically, they were similar because both depended on trade yet different because of their willingness to trade. After close analysis the Tokugawa Japanese empire was more successful economically.

Strong samurai defending in Japan and chivalrous knights fighting in Europe, were they similar or different? About one thousand years ago, from 500 to 1450 AD. Two different societies, across the world from one another developed similar government systems. Both with a main leader, who had lords or Daimyos to protect them. A Daimyo is a lord who served the emperor in Japan.

From approximately 1000- 1600 CE, the knights and Samurai were the muscue and the soul of the warrior class. The warriors of Europe were called knight and the warriors of Japan were called samurai. Both of the groups were focus on the Codes , Armor and Feudalism. The Similarities between the knights and samurai were greater than the differences To begin, both the knights and samurai had armour to protect themselves in battle.

Both Japan and Western Europe practiced feudalism and they were both unusually successful in industrial development. They are both also proven adept at running capitalist economies, so the political accomplishments of both Japan and Western Europe have matched their economic achievements.

Feudal Europe and Feudal Japan were two different civilizations, with two different social structures. Although both used the Feudal system, they used altered versions of it. Feudal Japan differs from Feudal Europe by its social classes.     To begin, the leaders in the two civilizations had different roles. The Feudal Europe King had to rule his country, and had all the authority.

Have you ever completed a puzzle? Medieval Japan and Europe were really two giant puzzles. Both of the puzzles were solved using the same cheat sheet called feudalism, Japan puzzle was solved in late 1100s’ by the first shogun, Minamoto. In Europe the Pope solved the puzzle using the feudalism cheat sheet some time before the Minimoto solved the puzzle, to better control over Europe. Each developed a warrior class that was new to the world, Europe developed the knight while, Japan created the Samurai. So were the similarities greater than the differences??? We will explore this question in three categories Social Position, Training and Armor and Honor and Death.

For Japan and Europe, it was a time of trouble…Document “In the late 400’s both Europe and Japan created a feudal system in order to keep peace in the land. Lords acquired large estates of land. They granted some of their lands to lesser nobles, whom promised to fight when conflicts arose.” Background Essay DBQ. So where the similarities greater, or were the differences greater? The samurai and knights were more similar than different in three broad areas, social position, training and armor and the code of honor.

In about 1000 to 1600 CE in history two warriors were made with a different name and in two different countries. “More than a thousand years ago, a class of professional warriors arose, who swore oaths of loyalty to noble lords and fought to the death to defend them in battle” (Overview). The two warriors were samurai and knights. Samurais were fighting for Japan in the class of military retainers of the daiyomes while across the seas the knights were fighting on horseback in Europe. To keep order in the land both regions developed a system that historians called federalism.There were more differences than similarities and here are some reasons why the differences were greater than the similarities.

A key similarity between Medieval Europe and Shogunate Japan was the fact that both had an established feudal system. While it was established earlier in Europe (around 800s CE), Japan established their feudal system at the close of the Heian Period and the rise of the Kamakura Shogunate (around the 1100s).

Japanese Feudalism - a social system founded upon a strict hierarchy with the daimyo at the top, followed by the samurai, then farmers and fishermen, artisans, and finally merchants and shopkeepers.

The Japanese social structure was a lot more complicated than the Europeans simple and permanent one. They were a lot more specific on who went where, and they had several levels of peasants. This structure was determined by looking at how much you contributed to the society, and the more you did, obviously the more important on the ranking you were. The Eta and Hinin were considered “unhuman” because they did work which went against the laws of Buddhism. In medieval Europe, the social structure was simple; if you were a peasant, there was no changing that. You were a peasant! The King was only answerable to the Pope, as during this time the Catholic Church was extremely powerful, having their say in practically everything. The difference between these two is that the Japanese simply had a ruler (the emperor), and although of course they were swayed by their religion, the Emperor had a strong say, whereas the European

The Feudal System The Feudal System is the system that controlled how people lived in Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. It also determined who were more respected than others. The order from, highest to lowest on the structure was the Pope, Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies, Priests and Monks, Knights, merchants and farmers, and peasants. Those higher on the structure lived in better houses, wore better clothing and lived a healthier life than those lower on the structure.

Throughout history, the system of feudalism is used several times in different areas in the world. Because of this form of government, the European lifestyle changed dramatically as the Japanese culture began to form. Although feudalism in Europe had started earlier, the feudal systems of Japan and Europe are somewhat alike. However, they are much more different than they are comparable.

European feudalism was based on contract and Japanese feudalism was based on personal relationship with the lord and vassal. This helps prove that the differences between European and Japanese feudalism made limited government more likely to develop in the West because a contract limits what the lords and vassals could do. William, the king of English, said, “I command you [the vassal] to summon all those who are under your charge......and bring ready with you those five knights that you owe me[.]”1 This helps prove that European feudalism was based on contract because when you owe someone something, it implies an agreement. The key terms are I command you and owe. The vassal has to send troops because he has to. He is under the rule of

Each strove to maintain a centralized government. For Japan the leader was to be called an emperor or empress who could only be a part of the royal family if they were related to the Shinto sun goddess. As for Europe, the leader was to be called a king or a queen. Like Japan, not just anybody could become royalty. Kings and queens came from a long descent of an Imperial family. Tradition was that the first born son of the king would become the next ruler following the kings death. However, if no legitimate son were born then the daughter would become queen. In Europe, the royal family and institution was usually