Feudal structure

During the Edo and Tokugawa period, Japanese society followed a feudal structure with a pyramid structure. In this structure, the shogun was one of the most powerful political figures in society. The warrior class followered, with the daimyo and samurai, and belower were farmers, peasants and finally merchants and artisans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daimyo

The daimyo were an extremely powerful class of feudal lords which owned large hereditary land holdings. They employed samurai to guard their land and paid them in land or food, in return for military power. Daimyos and their samurai often fought over land rights, causing conflict between different lords and domains.

 

Samurai

Samurai were Japanese warriors and fighters employed by daimyo to guard their land. They were trained from a young age and fought in battles and assisted with military tactics. They were learned in martial arts and many skills in fighting such as archery. They followed a philosophy called the Bushido Code.

 

Bushido code

The Bushido code was a set of moral values which the samurai followed, which placed emphasis on qualities of loyalty, honor and martial arts, the code emphasised the act of not fearing death.

 

Seppuku

Seppuku was a element of bushido, entailing a ritual suicide by embowelment. It could be used as a punishment if a samurai or their family has brought dishonour to themselves or their family by not following the bushido code or could be peformed voluntarily to avoid capture by enemies. Seppuku was performed during an official ceremony and the process involved using a short blade, often a tanto, to slice open the abdomen.