Feudalism in Medieval Japan and Medieval Europe
Medieval Japan started in 1185 AD and ended in 1868 AD, this time included the Kamakura, Ashikaga, Sengoku-Jidai and the Tokugawa periods. Medieval Europe started with the Early Middle Ages in 476 CE, the High Middle Ages from 1000 to 1300 CE and the Late Middle Ages from 1300 CE to around 1500 CE. In the Japanese bakufu system, the emperor was the highest position then the shogun, daimyo, samurai, peasants, artisans and merchants. On the other hand, Medieval Europe’s highest social class was the pope then king, barons & archbishops, knights, craftsmen, farmers and at the bottom was the peasants. The purpose for feudalism in these times was to give order, it's also helped with protection, wealth,
…show more content…
This essay will compare and contrast the Japanese emperor to European pope and Japanese peasants to European peasants. In both the European feudal system and the Japanese Bakufu system, the pope and emperor were on the top of the social pyramid. They both had many similarities, for example, they both had very close connections with God and most of their power revolved around that. In Medieval Europe the pope was God’s representative on earth and he was head of the Catholic Church. Likewise, the emperor in Japan was the religious leader and was a descendant from the Sun Goddess. It was believed by the people of Japan that only the emperor could communicate with God. The pope had the power to send a person to heaven or hell and could promise the redemption of all of a person’s sins (Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd, 2011). Also since the land was thought to belong to the God’s, people would travel to the Holy Land just to see …show more content…
One difference between the two classes was that peasants in Medieval Japan were much more respected whereas European peasants were treated poorly with little respect and no acknowledgment. In Japan, the other social classes appreciated the peasants work because they knew how important they were in society. The peasants provided the towns supply of rice and weapons and they also worked on the farms. In Europe, the peasants were given just enough food to survive, they lived in poor houses, had little clothes and had a very basic diet with little to no variety. Due to this most peasants died before the age of thirty (Nelson, 2016). Apart from this, both of the classes of peasants also had similarities between each other. One similarity included the fact that in return for food and weapons, the above classes would give them protection. In Europe, the peasants received protection from the above classes like the knights in return for food (Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd, 2011). This is similar to the Japanese peasants who were given protection from the samurai in return for their work (KidsKnowIt, 2016). The European peasants were also owned by the knights; they then gave the peasants protection whilst the peasants game them food. Peasants during both of these time periods had similarities and differences even though they were located on different
different in many ways. In the medieval period there were some peaceful times, like with Pax
During the middle ages both Europe and Japan experienced feudalism. The feudal system in both social structures was very similar and different. The system of feudalism in Europe and Japan was a system that had similar roles for the nobles,and the peasants.Both cultures had warriors who defended the people of our country.They follow certain codes of honor. The feudal system has many similarities but also consisted of many differences.
TASK: What are the differences and similarities in the lives and the way in which the society worked of those who lived in Medieval Europe to that of those who lived in Medieval Japan?
The role of tradition within religion in medieval Japanese society was of great significance. Shinto and Zen Buddhism were two of the major religions practiced in medieval Japan. Shinto was mainly concerned with daily life, while Zen Buddhism prepared the people for the life to come. The samurai also followed an important code called Bushido, a form of warrior philosophy. The ancient Japanese religions helped people understand the universe and also provided a connection between the physical world on earth and the spiritual world.
Feudalism in Japan and Europe are different. Although feudalism arose because both societies were in need for security and stability, feudalism in Japan arose because of civil rivalry while feudalism in Europe arose because of invasions. The systems were the same because the lords had to lessen their responsibilities and required armies to protect them. Trust was needed between lords and their
Feudal Japan and Ming China were two times in history within these similar countries, that have been around since ancient times. These countries have similar and different traditions, a way of doing things, that have defined them as a civilization and a world power. The Japanese and Chinese had times where select families or people were in control, dynasty, because of their ranks and their abilities, in addition their social classes were similar in the way they treated people, and how people treated other people depending on their jobs and their status. There were the shoguns,a hereditary commander-in-chief in feudal Japan, and in China there were the emperors, the ones ruling the empire (land), these were the people that were at the top
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
starts of with the emperor. The emperor is at the top with his family. The emperor is an important religious figure, he swapped lands swapped land with nobles exchange for their support for he couldn't handle all the land far far away from him. In the shogunate period the emperor didn't have much power for the shoguns had basically controlled the government.
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.
The Japanese empire was in great power by this time period, and they thought themselves as the king of the East Asian race. Japan, the “old order”, also believed that some day Europe and America would take over their power and become the “new orders”(Doc A). Japan was one
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.
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
In conclusion, while feudalism functioned very well in the insecure and undeveloped period of early Middle Ages, its end was inevitable under the powerful push of historical trend in terms of politics and
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.
In Medieval times during the 10th and 13th centuries, a form of political and social organization called feudalism was a way of life that had great effect on people of the time and on the modern world. Feudalism was developed because of the weakness of Europe and it's kings. The word feudalism comes from the word fief, which was the land held on condition of feudal service, similar to an estate (English). The fiefs bound together lords and vassals. Feudalism was a structure in which a lord divided his land into smaller parts to give to lesser lords (“Feudalism”).