chapter 13

• the edo period

  • 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

  
• 1. Tokugawa Ieyasu was so determined to hold onto his power so,
  2. he created a shogunate (council of advisors to help him)
  3. Controlled the daimyo by setting up a system of spying
  4. He gave loyal lords domains next to the domains of lords whose loyalty he questioned
  5. 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 smaller sword 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
  • the ainu were also excluded