#8 hiearchy of Japan's feudal system
The feudal system of Japan had a pyramidal hierarchy. There were five distinct groups. In these groups were the Emperor,Shogun and Daimyo, samurai, peasants and artisans, and merchants.
The Emperor is at the top of the hierarchy pyramid. Even though the emperor is at the top of the pyramid he had no real power and was just a figure head. The real rulers were the Shogun who did everything in the emperors name.
The class under the emperor was the Shogun. The Shogun were the commander of the samurai. The Shogun were the people with the real power and not the emperor. The position of the Shogun was a very sought after position. Many people fought for this position. This position had many benefits, for example the people had to pay for the Shoguns own personal needs.
Under the Shogun the were the Daimyo. The Daimyo were people who owned large portions of land. The Daimyo were basically the nobles of the land. The Daimyo were the representatives of the Shoguns. They would run their estates according to the Shogun's rules. Often the Daimyo were supposed to show their loyalty to the Shogun's and use their swords for them. The Daimyos usually live in huge castles.
The next lower is the Samurai. Samurai were the warriors of Japan. These warriors were hired by the Daimyo. The Samurai were very respected. For example, when someone close to them died, people would have to bow down to them. If someone did not the samurai would have the right to cut off their head. Samurai had strict moral codes, if they were about to be caught it would be more honorable to suicide than to live. Also Samurai believed that dying was better than living a long life if captured. One class lower than the samurai are the peasants and commoners. The people in this class were mostly farmers and fishers. They were considered higher than the merchants because they produced things for their society. The peasants and commoners also had to live in their own section of the city.
The lowest class in the Japanese hierarchy were the merchants. The merchants were considered the lowest class because they produced nothing for the society. Merchants lived in their own section of the city. Over times the merchants gained more money over time and their power grew.
