Religion and Economy in Medieval Europe and Japan

Japan first started out as an isolated nation, but soon it would become one of the most powerful countries during WWII. But before Japan was a powerful Nation, it needed to modernize. According to document 1, Japan was isolated from 1635-1853.1853 to 1854.This was when US Commodore Perry visited Japan and forced them to open their ports(document 1, N.d, timeline. As a result of this, the Japanese create the Meiji Restoration. According to document 5, the emperor is given the power to command the Army and the Navy end to rule over Japan, but the citizens too have a house of representatives( Alfred Stead,1904, Doc 5).

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.

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.

This also led to being influenced differently. The Japanese culture during Feudal Japan was only influenced by the Tang Dynasty in China before the system of feudalism took place. However, feudal Europe was influenced by the Byzantine Empire, the Germanic tribes that constantly invaded them, and the Church. Influences often led to the thoughts women¡¯s power in societies. Women in Japan were to be thought as equal and honorable as men. They were used as spies, disguised as geishas. They were able to lead their own troops and the poor women had to work alongside with men. They were able to become nuns or shrine maidens called mikos. Women in Europe were thought of as weak creatures unless they were nobles. However, the noble women¡¯s powers began to decline as the Church tried to gain more power. The Church held the largest amount of land in Europe and it considered itself eligible to have political power. Religion did not play a major role in politics. Japan was only affected when Christianity had threatened the politics and economy so it was banned.

Religion and economics influenced the development of medieval Europe and Japan through Religious pastors, trade routs that went different places, pastors that went on trade expeditions, and leaders that put their own spin on society.

Feudal Japan had a very weak central government. Japan’s emperor didn’t have much real power. He acted as a figurehead to the shogun. The shogun, a warlord, had all the

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,

• The feudal system of Japan and the feudal system of Europe shared similar structures and values.

Religion had an enormous impact on almost all aspects of life in the medieval world. In the Christian belief, the first two people that were created by God were Adam and Eve. They were provided with a paradise to live in,the garden of Eden, and were only given one rule that they had to follow to not eat from the tree of good and evil. If they did eat fruit from the tree, then they would have to leave the paradise. Eve was tempted by Satan, and ate the fruit. She then gave some of that fruit to Adam, and they were banned from the garden. For this reason, women were seen as dangerous temptresses. This story showed that women were morally weaker, and were likely to lead their spouses into sin. They became known as the “weaker” sex, for it was a woman who first consumed the fruit in the Garden of Eden.

The Japanese Feudal system was the way the Tokugawa Shogunate maintained control of medieval Japan. The Japanese Feudal was an effective way to make sure that the Tokugawa Shogunate didn’t get overthrown as the ruler of Japan. Three (3) rules that were part of the Japanese Feudal are: No one shall leave or enter Japan, Farmers and peasants couldn’t be merchants and the daimyo had to spend six (6) months every year in Toyko with the Shogun. One (1) of the rules of the Feudal system was no one was allowed in or out of Japan this is so there was no foreign culture or religion that would spread through Japan and question the way Japan was being ran and prevent the westernisation of Japan this also included banning Christianity. As stated by History.com “With the Act of Seclusion (1636), Japan was effectively cut off from Western nations for the next 200 years”.

Religion experienced a lot of progress and transformation throughout the Middle Ages. Christianity held consistent popularity and other religions such as Islam were on the rise in participation. After the fall of Rome, there was no unified state or government in Europe and the Catholic Church used that opportunity to become a large powerhouse. The Roman Empire had effectively split into three different worlds: Muslim, Byzantine, and western European. Various Kings, Queens, and other leaders looked to the Catholic church for power and protection in exchange for alliances. Meanwhile, the Islamic religion was growing in wealth, power, and people. With the prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, Muslim groups took under large parts of land and united them under a single caliph. The Byzantines were still operating from Constantinople, just under a smaller rule and rural life assumed greater importance in the backbone of their society. Religion was largely involved in the Middle Ages’ art and architecture. Massive Cathedrals were built and even books were a work of art before the invention of the printing press. In addition, their economy was directly affected by religious activity such as missions and conquests. Overall, the general trends marking the progress religion in the Middle Ages are inclusion of everyone, a building of a community, and the opportunity of becoming equals with other practitioners.

Many religions are popular within the Japanese culture. Two of the most influential religions, Shinto and Buddhism that help shaped a lot of Japanese values are Shinto and Buddhism, played a large role in shaping Japanese values. Numerous similarities and differences run between these two religions; nonetheless, the Japanese often believe in more than one religion at the same time. This is possible due to the polytheistic nature of most popular religions in Japan. It is not hard to say that religion is a big part of Japanese culture because a lot of religious beliefs can still be seen in their everyday lives.

All around the world, religion is a dominant idea for many cultures; exemplifying a certain way of life, serving as a basis for faith, and bringing charity to the world, religion is a extensive concept. For several cultures and countries religion may vary according to demographics, socio-economical class, and ethnicity. Main concepts of religion in Japan are natural and superstitious based. The leading religion in Japan remains Shinto, while other religions have come and go, interweaving themselves among the Japanese society.

This led to an interesting dynamic when other Asian religions and philosophies made their way into Japan. While there might have been a certain amount of abrasiveness between Shinto and the others at first, the nature of the religion allowed a unique blending that isn't to often scene between the unique (or semi-unique) religions of multiple countries. The three most prominent influences came from Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, and Indian Buddhism. Buddhism in particular had the most influence on their religion, becoming a near inseparable part of it (Religions of the World).

The dominant religions are Shinto and Buddhism both complement each other in various ways. They have harmonious cohabitation within the nation and promote peace and harmony. Moreover, religion does not necessarily play a large part in the average everyday life of a Japanese person outside of holidays and special occasions.