MEDIEVAL JAPAN VS MEDIEVAL EUROPE!
MEDIEVAL JAPAN SOCIAL PYRAMID
INTRODUCTION-
Even though most people think that the feudalism an invention by the Europeans, when really the Japanese invented a form of feudalism independent of the European at about the same time that feudalism was at its height in Europe. Although these two feudalistic societies are very different in several important ways, they also have some common similarities. This section, Medieval Japan vs. Medieval Europe will show you some similarities and differences between these two feudal systems.
SIMILARITIES-
Since the ownership of land is what defines feudalism, both Japan and Europe have both landowning and non-landowning castes during the Middle Ages.
Perhaps the most important similarity between Japanese and European feudalism for most people was the fact that they were both hereditary caste systems.
In both areas, those who were born peasants had not chance of becoming anything other than peasants.
Furthermore, they had no hope that their children would be anything other than peasants. Similarly, those who were born into the families of local lords or samurai would belong to the same caste as their parents, no matter how unqualified for leadership they might be. Over time, these caste systems began breaking down, but they severely limited the opportunities of the masses for hundreds of years.
How Japanese Castles are similar to European Castles
DIFFERENCES-
Unlike European feudalism Japan’s feudalism system did not have a true pyramid form with the monarch presiding over the less important nobles.
There are actually two main reasons for this.
First, the authority in Japan was much less centralized than it was in the nation-states of Europe. Even though most of the local aristocrats paid lip service to the emperor, the rugged terrain of Japan made it very difficult for the emperor to fully control the local aristocracy. Therefore the local aristocrats had much more power in Japan than they ever had in France, Britain, or any other European country.
Secondly, even though the lower nobility in Japan (the samurai) swore fealty to their local lords, the local lords didn’t give the samurai any land of their own. When the European nobility receives land in exchange for their military services, the samurai did not join a landowning hierarchy. Instead of that they were given an independent income from their local lord based upon what that lord’s lands produced.
In contrast, European knights usually had their own serfs to work the land the knights received from their lord. While a Japanese samurai might have had servants, these servants did not work the land the way they would have done in Europe.
Obviously, the Japanese and European feudalistic systems were based on radically different legal and cultural structures. Because of these differences in the basis for feudalism in Japan and Europe, feudalism developed in those two areas at different times. Although feudalism was largely established throughout Europe by the 9th century, it was not until the 12th century that feudalism began to appear in Japan.
Thus, the Japanese Samurai system is not quite as old as that of the European knight.
Even though most people think that the feudalism an invention by the Europeans, when really the Japanese invented a form of feudalism independent of the European at about the same time that feudalism was at its height in Europe. Although these two feudalistic societies are very different in several important ways, they also have some common similarities. This section, Medieval Japan vs. Medieval Europe will show you some similarities and differences between these two feudal systems.
SIMILARITIES-
Since the ownership of land is what defines feudalism, both Japan and Europe have both landowning and non-landowning castes during the Middle Ages.
Perhaps the most important similarity between Japanese and European feudalism for most people was the fact that they were both hereditary caste systems.
In both areas, those who were born peasants had not chance of becoming anything other than peasants.
Furthermore, they had no hope that their children would be anything other than peasants. Similarly, those who were born into the families of local lords or samurai would belong to the same caste as their parents, no matter how unqualified for leadership they might be. Over time, these caste systems began breaking down, but they severely limited the opportunities of the masses for hundreds of years.
How Japanese Castles are similar to European Castles
- They had large and tall walls for protection
- They often had moats around them to discourage the digging of tunnels
- They had narrow and steep stairways to make assault difficult
- They had portholes for guns and for arrows
- They often had a main gate area that could be used as a trap
- They almost always had concentric rings of walls to give them multiple layers of protection
- They capitalized on terrain features - often the best placement was at the top of a hill or small mountain. This gave a very advantageous position and view
DIFFERENCES-
Unlike European feudalism Japan’s feudalism system did not have a true pyramid form with the monarch presiding over the less important nobles.
There are actually two main reasons for this.
First, the authority in Japan was much less centralized than it was in the nation-states of Europe. Even though most of the local aristocrats paid lip service to the emperor, the rugged terrain of Japan made it very difficult for the emperor to fully control the local aristocracy. Therefore the local aristocrats had much more power in Japan than they ever had in France, Britain, or any other European country.
Secondly, even though the lower nobility in Japan (the samurai) swore fealty to their local lords, the local lords didn’t give the samurai any land of their own. When the European nobility receives land in exchange for their military services, the samurai did not join a landowning hierarchy. Instead of that they were given an independent income from their local lord based upon what that lord’s lands produced.
In contrast, European knights usually had their own serfs to work the land the knights received from their lord. While a Japanese samurai might have had servants, these servants did not work the land the way they would have done in Europe.
Obviously, the Japanese and European feudalistic systems were based on radically different legal and cultural structures. Because of these differences in the basis for feudalism in Japan and Europe, feudalism developed in those two areas at different times. Although feudalism was largely established throughout Europe by the 9th century, it was not until the 12th century that feudalism began to appear in Japan.
Thus, the Japanese Samurai system is not quite as old as that of the European knight.