the edo period began when a strong and powerful leader – who organized society into a feudal hierarchy brought order to the country
a feudal society in edo
A) emperor
B) shogun
C) daimyo
D) ronin
E) samurai
F) peasants
G) artisans
H) merchants
Tokugawa Ieyasu was so determined to hold onto his power so,
he created a shogunate (council of advisors to help him)
Controlled the daimyo by setting up a system of spying
He gave loyal lords domains next to the domains of lords whose loyalty he questioned
he put these measures into place: Alternate Attendance, Sharing Power and Strict Laws
alternate attendance
Every second year the daimyo were forced to live in Edo.
The other year they would live in their domain.
The cost of two homes and moving every year meant that daimyo would not have the time and money to challenge the shogun.
In addition, daimyo were required to leave family members in Edo during their absence, as hostages.
sharing power
The shogun and his shogunate, had control over important matters such as foreign trade and relations.
The daimyo controlled local affairs in their territory
strict laws
- Laws established by the shogunate controlled all aspects of life in Japan – everything from what to wear to who people could marry
samurai
respected warrior class
lived in castle-towns controlled by the daimyo they served
forbidden to become involved in trade or business
They carried a large curved sword, sharp enough to slice an enemy in two, and a smallersword used to cut off the head of the defeated enemy.
they had the right to behead any commoner who offended them
ronin - a samurai who had been disgraced and had no master, they were the least honourable
peasants
farms were considered important during the edo period as they produced the food that sustained society
however, Laws controlled every aspect of the peasant’s life. They were forbidden to smoke tobacco or to drink rice wine and they needed special permission to travel outside their district.
artisans
craftspeople that created high quality items such as high-quality paper and porcelains
An artisan’s son was restricted not only to the class of his father but also to the particular craft that his father practiced
Though artisans were extremely skilled, their status was lower than that of peasants. This was because they were not primary producers; their work required materials produced by others
merchants
bought items from artisans to trade or sell to others
They arranged for the shipping and distribution of food and stored rice in their warehouses.
Since they didn’t actually produce anything, merchants were officially at the bottom of the social order.
though they were rich, they could not wear expensive clothing or criticize the government as spies reported these merchants
women in edo society
the class that women were born into determined their responsibilities as it did for men.
Women in rural areas had more freedom than upper class women.
women were always considered lower than men – women did not have legal existence in the Edo period and could not own property
outsiders of edo society
people who had occupations that involved death were shunned, such as butchers and leather tanners
these people were not allowed to live with the rest of society