Edo society refers to the society of Japan under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
Edo society was a feudal society with strict social stratification, customs, and regulations intended to promote political stability. The Emperor of Japan and the were the official ruling class of Japan but had no power. The of the Tokugawa clan, the , and their retainers of the samurai class administered Japan through their system of domains. The majority of Edo society were commoners divided into peasant, craftsmen, and merchant classes, and various "untouchable" or Burakumin groups.
The Tokugawa shogunate ruled by dividing the people into four main categories. Older scholars believed that there were of "samurai, peasants (hyakushō), craftsmen, and merchants" (chōnin) under the daimyo, with 80% of peasants under the 5% samurai class, followed by craftsmen and merchants. However, various studies have revealed since about 1995 that the classes of peasants, craftsmen, and merchants under the samurai are equal, and the old hierarchy chart has been removed from Japanese history textbooks. In other words, peasants, craftsmen, and merchants are not a social pecking order, but a social classification.
The from 1853 on led to growing opposition to the Edo system and it was dismantled after the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
Historical context Feudalism, social stratification, and explicit fine-grained ranking of people existed in Japan long before the Edo period, beginning with attempts as far back as the Taika Reforms in 645 AD, initiating the legal system that was modeled from Chinese Tang dynasty legal code. The reforms were following a major and devastating coup d'etat attempt by Soga no Emishi, with the events not only exterminating entire clans, but tearing apart a gaping hole in the Japanese indigenous religion, Ko-Shintō, paving the way for a Buddhist-Shinto syncretism of religion.
The Taika Reforms were the "legal glue" deemed necessary to thwart future coup d'etat attempts, and the system led to the formation of castes in Japan. Nevertheless, frequent warfare and political instability plagued Japan in following centuries, providing countless opportunities to usurp, bend, and mobilize positions within social ranks. Even the ranks themselves, especially military ranks, became more respected if only out of necessity.
Confucian ideas from China also provided the foundation for a system of strict social prescriptions, along with political twists and turns of the Ashikaga Shogunate established a loose class system when it ruled Japan as a feudal shogunate during the Muromachi period from 1338 to 1573. The final collapse of the Ashikaga worsened the effects of the Sengoku period (or "Age of Warring States"), the state of social upheaval and near constant civil war in Japan since 1467. Tokugawa Ieyasu of the Tokugawa clan and his Eastern Army emerged victorious after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, defeating the Western Army of his primary rival, Toyotomi Hideyori.
Ieyasu founded the Tokugawa Shogunate as the new government of Japan with himself as the . However, he was determined to stamp out the social mobility that had existed for centuries, given that Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of his peers and a (Imperial Regent) whom he replaced, was born into a low caste as the son of peasants, yet had forged himself into one of Japan's foremost political figures. The Tokugawa clan determined that Japanese society should be divided into specific classes, both to streamline their administration and to ensure that no potential rivals could ever gain the political or military support necessary to challenge them.
Tokugawa class system Aristocracy Emperor The Emperor of Japan was the official ruler of Japan at the very top of the Tokugawa class hierarchy. However, the Emperor was only a de jure ruler, functioning as a figurehead held up as the ultimate source of political sanction for the 's authority. The Emperor and his Imperial Court located in Kyoto, the official capital of Japan, had unmatched prestige but virtually no political influence of any kind, and were forced to comply with the shogunate's wishes that they engage only in harmless artistic or cultural pursuits.
Court nobility The court nobility, the , were the civil aristocracy of Japan. Similar to the Emperor, the were incredibly prestigious and held significant influence in cultural fields, but wielded very little political power and served functions only for symbolic purposes.
The was the de facto ruler of Japan. Officially, the was a title for a prominent military general of the samurai class appointed by the Emperor with the task of national administration. Successive shoguns held the highest or near-highest court ranks, higher than most court nobles. They were made of court rank upon assuming office, then , and the highest rank of was conferred upon them upon their death. In reality, the was a military dictator with only a nominal appointment from the Emperor who held the ultimate political power in Japan, controlling foreign policy, the military, and feudal patronage. The was a hereditary position held by members of the Tokugawa clan who were direct descendants of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The was based in the Tokugawa capital city of Edo, Musashi Province, located east of Kyoto in the Kanto region, and ruled Japan with his government, the . The Tokugawa shogunate established that the court ranks granted to daimyo by the imperial court were based on the recommendation of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the court ranks were used to control the daimyo.
The were high-ranking members of the samurai, and, similar to the , held most of the real political power in Japan. They were chiefly responsible for administration through their large personal domains, the , which served as unofficial administrative divisions in tandem with the legal provinces. A was determined if a samurai's domain was assessed at 10,000 (50,000 bushels) or more under the Tokugawa system of taxation.
The held significant autonomy but the Tokugawa policy of required them to alternate living in Edo and their domain every year. The were separated into the , relatives of the Tokugawa, the , who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration, and the , those who only submitted to the Tokugawa after the Battle of Sekigahara. Tozama daimyo were considered disloyal and troublesome, and so were subjected to heavier civil burdens and tighter control by the shogunate, while also being denied important civil offices.
Four classes
The Tokugawa government intentionally created a social order called the "Four divisions of society" () that would stabilize the country. The new four classes were based on ideas of Confucianism that spread to Japan from China and were not arranged by wealth or capital but by what philosophers described as their moral purity. By this system, the non-aristocratic remainder of Japanese society was composed of , , and .
Samurai were placed at the top of society because they were enforcers of the daimyo and set a high moral example for others to follow. The system was meant to reinforce their position of power in society by justifying the high status they were afforded. However, the does not accurately describe Tokugawa society as Buddhist and Shinto priests, the outside of the Imperial Court, and outcast classes were not included in this description of hierarchy.
In some cases, a poor samurai could be little better off than a peasant and the lines between the classes could blur, especially between artisans and merchants in urban areas. Still, the theory provided grounds for restricting privileges and responsibilities to different classes and it gave a sense of order to society. In practice, solidified social relationships in general helped create the political stability that defined the Edo period.
Regardless of their personal wealth or standing, samurai were expected to hold themselves as superior to all other classes. This was reflected in the right to strike and even kill with their sword anyone of a lower class who compromised their honour.Kirisute-gomen - Samurai World
Samurai
Samurai were the noble (warrior) class in Japan. The samurai constituted about 10% of the population and functioned as soldiers in the employment of a lord in a traditional master-warrior feudal relationship. Other classes were prohibited from possessing long swords such as the or katana and carrying both a long sword and a short sword became the symbol of the samurai class. However, their services were in limited demand as the Edo period was largely free from both external threats and internal conflicts.
Instead, the samurai maintained their fighting skills more as an art form and a symbol of their heritage. Samurai were paid a stipend from their lord but were forbidden to own land, engage in business, or earn their own money. Because of this, they were entirely dependent on their lord for survival. Samurai generally lived around their 's castle. Small towns sprang up to support their needs and provide them with consumer goods and entertainment; these would slowly evolve into the modern cities of Japan.
There were social stratifications within the samurai class: upper-level samurai had direct access to their and could hold the most trusted positions in his court, with some achieving a level of wealth that allowed them to retain their own samurai vassals. Mid-level samurai held military and bureaucratic positions, and had some interactions with their if needed. Low-level samurai worked as guards, messengers and clerks. They could expect little more than a subsistence wage, and many fell deeply into debt as they had to borrow money to supplement their meager income.
Positions within the samurai class were largely hereditary and talented individuals could not rise above a few social steps beyond their birth. Samurai with no lords to support them, whether through disgrace or death, became rōnin. The rōnin were regarded as degenerates and criminals; they took whatever work they could find or resorted to theft.
Peasants
According to Confucian philosophy, society could not survive without agriculture. Life for rural peasants focused on farming in and around their villages. Peasants rarely moved beyond their villages, and journeys and pilgrimages required a permit, but young people occasionally sought seasonal employment outside of their village. As a result, people were highly suspicious of outsiders. Social bonding, critical to the survival of the whole village, was also reinforced through seasonal festivals. Villages were highly collective; there were strong pressures to conform and no room to deviate from custom. Though there were conflicts, they were seen as disruptive to the village and order and were to be limited as much as possible.
The peasant class owned land and were subject to taxation on their harvests by the local . Peasants worked to produce enough food for themselves and still meet the tax burden. Most agriculture during this time was cultivated by families on their own land in contrast to the plantation or hacienda model implemented elsewhere. The high value of arable land allowed shrewd peasants to enrich themselves. Wealthier families were held in much higher regard and had more political influence in village matters. However, the survival of the village depended on every household cooperating to meet the tax burden and overcome natural disasters such as famines. During the reign of the third , Tokugawa Iemitsu, farmers were not allowed to eat any of the rice they grew. They had to hand it all over to their and then wait for him to give some back as charity.
Artisans