A change in governance structure can take place due to any variety of causes. While it is well known that Japan was governed for centuries by the warrior class, it is not always known why. The samurai rose to power over a long period of time. Following their eventual rise to the top of the Japanese social ladder, they spent centuries consolidating their new power. There were a number of factors that lead to the rise of the warrior class in the late Heian period, continuing until their the Meiji Restoration.
The samurai were able to rise to power for a number of reasons, including the leadership and actions of notable warrior class families: the Taira, Minamoto and Hojo. Another factor leading to the rise of the warriors was the ideologies of the samurai – these qualities made them suitable leaders. Once the warrior class had obtained power, it was maintained through the use of bakufu who continued and improved governance of the state.
The rise of the warrior class would not have been possible without certain guiding families. Without these high profile personalities, the rise of the samurai would have been significantly delayed, if not completely halted; these key families were essential in bringing the warrior class to the highest rank of Japanese society. It was during the rise of these families that the Emperor was oft distracted, dealing with culture1. This allowed these families – and others – to build local support in their provinces. The local support is what allowed these families to have such a significant impact. The Taira, Minamoto and Hojo families all played significant roles in the rise of the warrior class.
The Taira family was important in the time beginnings of the rise of the warrior class. ...
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War played a central part in the history of Japan. Warring clans controlled much of the country. A chief headed each clan; made up of related families. The chiefs were the ancestors of Japan's imperial family. The wars were usually about land useful for the production of rice. In fact, only 20% of the land was fit for farming. The struggle for control of that land eventually ga...
... those who were born into wealth and this secured the well being of the future generations of rulers. The main source of power for all of the groups was strong ancestral lineage. Education also played a major role in each group because those who could read and write well passed the civil service exams. This secured the gentry’s local status, and the samurai had to be well educated in order to act as political administrators and military warriors. Lower class rebellions plagued the rule of each elite group and were controlled and diminished. The main difference between these groups was the military status of the samurai. The gentry and yangban acted purely as government officials while the samurai possessed duties to the military as well. Overall, the main criteria met by all of the elite groups were prominent ancestral lineage and exorbitant amounts of money.
In this essay, the contents will be discussing the samurai in two different situations. One is geared for a western audience while the other is geared towards the eastern. The western will portray the pros of while the eastern will depict its cons. Living as a samurai all depends on everyone’s specific situation, and because of that it is easy to manipulate people’s feelings into thinking a certain way about the samurai.
Warriors of God by James Reston Jr. is a non-fictional view of the third crusade. This particular crusade spanned from 1187-1192, containing many gruesome battles and a lot of intense moments between Islam and Christianity. Reston supplies the reader with a little background to the third Crusade when he talks about the first Crusades happening since 1095. Reston gives a fairly impartial view of this holy war. He discusses the battles, politics, and emotions of the Crusade as an outside party and if he takes any side at all it is with the Muslims. He often speaks badly of King Richard and he speaks well of Saladin, the sultan. He portrays Richard as a greedy, anti-Semite, who is intolerable of other religions, while he shows Saladin as tolerant to the Jews, reasonable, and an overall good leader. Reston wrote this book mostly to inform readers about the third Crusade but also to add some of his own insights. His thesis was a little unclear but he stated that the Crusades were the most violent event in history all the way up to Hitler’s rein. Reston did a good job in proving this when he told of battles and then analyzed them. He told of a time when King Richard had twenty thousand Muslims executed and when Saladin had Reginald of Chatillon beheaded along with many other Christian prisoners.
Beasley, W. G. The Japanese experience: a short history of Japan. Los Angeles: Berkeley, 1999.
The imperial power of the Japanese empire was ruled by the warrior class. By the end of
This aristocratic warrior class arose during the 12th century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans and was consolidated in the Tokugawa period. Samurai were privileged to wear two swords, and at one time had the right to cut down any commoner who offended them. They cultivated the martial virtues, indifference to pain or death, and unfailing loyalty to their overlords. Samurai were the dominant group in Japan. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the samurai were removed from direct control of the villages, moved into the domain castle towns, and given government stipends. They were encouraged to take up bureaucratic posts.
This essay will be about the samurai class in the Tokugawa era and all the events leading to their fall. It will also talk about how they did not technically ‘fall,’ but were in fact replaced by the commoner class in Japan. This commoner class brought on an economy centred around money rather than land, making the Samurai class bow down to the commoner class, since the Samurai were already in poverty at this point, however, they were still supported by what the commoner class had to offer so there were not wars between the classes. Unfortunately, this meant Samurai no longer thrived from their land economy. They had control over that part until this series of events unfolded; then, control was limited. This was the beginning of the so called ‘fall’ of the samurai class. Before the Meiji Restoration occurred, Samurai were a very prominent class in Japan, and were well respected and known, and most importantly, they were needed. However, when the Meiji Restoration came into effect, this brought in a new era of modernization. A modern Japan, where Samurai were seen as traditional and virtually unneeded in society. During their peak of samurai life, they had access to everything and were wealthy, but as the Tokugawa declined to the Meiji restoration, samurai experienced increasing poverty. “It was worth noting, that the possession of wealth
Masatsusu, Mitsuyuki. 1982. The Modern Samurai Society: Duty and Dependence in Contemporary Japan. New York: AMACOM.
Emperor Meiji triggered the start of modernization in Japan. He made the right decision because this helped convey to people that it was time to change and become part of the outside world. The modernized Japan had become advanced in technology, art, culture and literature, however not everyone wanted this lifestyle. Samurais who still believed in the traditional worldview fought for what they thought was right. The problem was that Emperor Meiji was set on the idea of modernization and the samurai wanted tradition and the old ways.
The samurai have had a long time in Japan and stayed around for centuries. They led Japan and created many government systems that would be used through that time. They helped cities be destroyed and flourish. Their ways of life and honor have influenced and their spirits stay with Japan to this day.
Japan lasted from 1185-1603. During that time Japan had emperors, shoguns, daimyos, samurai, and peasants who were all apart of a social class, and all together it was called the Samurai Society. The emperor was just a figurehead for the shogun. The shogun was a powerful military leader that ruled in the emperor’s name. Daimyo were powerful landlords. The daimyo often led armies of samurai. These samurai were trained professional warriors who served daimyo and shoguns. The samurai had to follow a certain code of rules for samurai called Bushido. One of their rules included to always have self-discipline to become a good samurai. The samurai warriors wore light armor, helmets (usually shaped like an animal), and had two swords around their waist. Their armor had a lot of detail and color to it, like their unique helmets. After the samurai comes the peasants, which included farmers and fishermen. They usually always work, then pay takes to the shogun. They usually gave the shogun what they earned from working like food or crops. What made their jobs a bit difficult was their topography. Japan’s topography included many mountains, undersea volcanoes, and barely any flat land to farm on. The Japanese didn’t only work they also practiced their religion. For example, they practiced Confucianism, Buddhism (...
Temujin, who later took the name Genghis Khan, came from humble beginnings which helped to form the foundations of the type of leader he became later in life. After his warlord father was killed by a rival tribe, Temujin and his family were exiled to the steppes and into poverty. Temujin’s “personal magnetism and courage and his inclination to rely on trusted friends rather than kinship allowed him to build up a small following and to ally with a more powerful tribal leader” (Strayer, 2009). From an early age, his charismatic form of leadership brought many warriors into his fold, including warriors from defeated enemies, where they were rewarded for their skill and loyalty as opposed to their bloodlines. The warriors were all accountable to one another “by the provision that should one or two members of a unit desert in battle, all were subject to the death penalty” (Strayer, 2009). This system of punishment and rewards helped hold the Empire armies together and contributed to its success.
The establishment of the caste system during their feudal development insured unity and lack of diversity would be a theme through the rest of their history. During the Nara period the Japanese society was separated into classes which were based on the position of each family. Whether the position was of a court official, samurai, or peasant farmer, each class carefully blended together. The appearance of unity was paramount. Individual rights were non-existent. It became common place to respect and even worship the ancestral heritage. Wisdom was thought to be a combination of knowledge and a practical application of that knowledge. Therefor, the older family members were thought to have to most wisdom from the lives they spent applying their knowledge. They were revered and respected by the younger generations in the family. Another way in which the traditional family structure in Japan supports the conformity of its’ member is through the Bushido influence. This "way of warrior" has permanently established in the Japanese culture during to Tokogawa Era. The warrior code dictated that loyalty, respect, and honor were the most important personal ideals one could have. These ideals filtered out of the samurai class and eventually rooted deeply into the national character of Japan. Conformity is required through this ideal because an individual mentality would not consider loyalty to be as important as society viewed it. In addition, by behaving out of the norm, shame would be brought to a family. The individualistic mentality runs contradictory to the traditional fam...