![]() Some emperors were members of a shogun’s family, gaining them favour, and some emperors had powerful daimyos, at odds with the shogunate, to support them and their right to sole rule. Despite this curbing of authority, the influence the emperor held on the political stage rose and fell throughout history, with some emperors being more vocal and engaged in politics than others. Under the shoguns, the emperor’s power and influence was severely restricted to managing the ceremonial and religious concerns of Japan from the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. The role of emperor was a hereditary position. The EmperorĪt the top of the social order was the emperor. The shogun was not an elected position the population had no say in who became shogun after the death of the incumbent. The relationship between the shoguns and the emperor was ever changing, informed by court intrigue, war, new policies and the personal feelings of individual shoguns. By declaring this connection to the divine emperor, shoguns and bakufu legitimised their rule in the eyes of the population. However, in reality, the emperor was a ceremonial figurehead: he and the court held very little power and had little say in the running of the nation – the shogun held the reins of power. In theory, the claim was correct the emperor was the supreme ruler of Japan and all those below him acted and existed within his favour. The shoguns maintained this pretence as a piece of shrewd political propaganda. The shogun and his government claimed to derive their power from the emperor who nominated them to rule. For almost 700 years, the shoguns were the de facto heads of state, administering trade, domestic and foreign policy, and issuing national laws. The shogun was the supreme military and political commander of Japan. Shogun is a contraction of the title Sei-i Taishōgun (征夷大将軍 – Commander in Chief of the expeditionary force against the barbarians, sometimes translated into English as Generalissimo). As the centuries progressed, the samurai class became more and more involved in the politics and bureaucracy of running the domains they served rather than being warriors, although the warrior traditions they adhered to often remained. The samurai were the most influential class in the feudal system, owing to their numbers and due to the sway they held within the military. ![]() Samurai acted as commanders for the bulk of the domain’s military forces. The samurai were the elite soldiers in their daimyo’s army, with many samurai gaining widespread fame for their skills in combat and as military tacticians. Samurai received payment for their service to their lords and may have been granted land or estates to farm. Being connected to a powerful and influential lord brought with it social weight and privilege. While both were considered skilled warriors, samurai were warriors with a master to whom they pledged their allegiance. The samurai ranked above the ronin in terms of social standing. ![]() Perhaps one of the most famous groups in Japanese history is the samurai (武士), fierce warriors in elaborate armour serving their lord and master faithfully. Soldiers were paid for their service by their daimyo (the warlord of their domain). The military also included cavalry archers, and later riflemen and artillery units. Usually drawn from the peasant classes, foot soldiers (ashigaru) made up the bulk of the Japanese military. Warrior ClassesĪbove the peasant class was the warrior class, which made up Japan’s military from foot soldiers through to the powerful warlords who controlled large domains across the country. These people engaged in work that was considered dirty and uncivilised (although sometimes necessary) such as acting, undertaking, butchery, tanning and collecting fertiliser for use on the farming fields. These people were the hinin (非人- non-people) or the eta (穢多- Filthy Ones). There were also a class of people who were not considered worthy of being part of society. However, from the fourteenth century, local and regional markets were the lifeblood of many communities and were a valuable source of income for local authorities for the tax revenue they could generate. They were looked upon with disdain as they profited from the work of others without producing anything. ![]() Become a Friend of the National LibraryĪt the bottom of the social pyramid were the merchants.National Library of Australia Publishing.Using the Library Expand Using the Library sub menu. ![]() Processing and describing our collections.Collections Expand Collections sub menu. ![]()
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