The Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa Shogunate, or Edo Period, was a time period in Japan's history spanning from 1603, when Ieyasu, a member of the Tokugawa clan, took control of the state, to 1868, when a new clan gained control. The term Shogunate refers to a political system in which there is one supreme dictator, or shogun, who rules over the state. Japan did have emperors as well, but they were more of a formality, as the shogun held all of the power, which he maintained through military strength and his control of the state's armed forces. A major issue in the stability of the rule of the shogun, however, was the division of Japan into many feudal states, each ruled over by a daiymo, who had his own clan, and his own samurais, or soldiers. Prior to the Tokugawa Shogunate, these daiymo's made it difficult for any one clan to maintain power over the state for extended periods of time.
Along with the shogun, and other important government officials, these daiymos and samurais were a part of the elite group of the caste system upon which Japan's social system was based. These four groups responsible for the governing of the state and it's provinces made up the shimigin caste, below which rested the nomin, or peasantry, the cast to which the majority of the population belonged. Further below were the komin, who were artisans and craftsmen, and then the shomin, who were merchants and traders. There were also two groups, the eta and the hinin, who were so far below that they were not considered to be a part of the caste system.
Merchants, at the very bottom of the caste system, were thought very poorly of in Japan during the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate; international trade was strongly discouraged, and even banned at one point. This was due to Japan's isolationist views at the time, which were partially contributed to by it's geography, as, being an archipelago, it was, for quite a while, completely isolated from many western forces. In addition, the ban on trade was largely purposed towards stopping the spread of Christianity into Japan, after the religion was outlawed in 1614.
Along with the shogun, and other important government officials, these daiymos and samurais were a part of the elite group of the caste system upon which Japan's social system was based. These four groups responsible for the governing of the state and it's provinces made up the shimigin caste, below which rested the nomin, or peasantry, the cast to which the majority of the population belonged. Further below were the komin, who were artisans and craftsmen, and then the shomin, who were merchants and traders. There were also two groups, the eta and the hinin, who were so far below that they were not considered to be a part of the caste system.
Merchants, at the very bottom of the caste system, were thought very poorly of in Japan during the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate; international trade was strongly discouraged, and even banned at one point. This was due to Japan's isolationist views at the time, which were partially contributed to by it's geography, as, being an archipelago, it was, for quite a while, completely isolated from many western forces. In addition, the ban on trade was largely purposed towards stopping the spread of Christianity into Japan, after the religion was outlawed in 1614.
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