Feudal Japan Notes
I. Feudalism - A feudal system existed in Japan for hundreds of years.
Feudalism: a political system of local government based on granting
land in return for loyalty, military assistance and other service.
Monarch
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Key Idea Feudalism is about having someone give you land to convince you
to be loyal to them.
When someone gives you land you become a
If you give some land to someone else you become a
II. Feudal Japan - By the 1100’s the emperor at Heian had totally lost
control of the country. During this time the emperor at Heian was
just a figurehead.
A. Outside Heian, powerful clans were fighting each other for power.
Each clan had their own army of samurai (warrior knights).
B. The head of the strongest clan was called the Shogun (Chief General).
C. From the 1100’s - 1500’s Japan was in a constant state of warfare as
each clan strove to dominate Japan. When a clan became the most
powerful then their clan leader became the Shogun.
In Japan, the way of the warrior remained a
powerful force in society until 1854. In Europe,
feudalism ended 400 years earlier. Why did feudalism die in Europe? For one thing, growing towns
offered alternatives to people who did not want to
function within the feudal system. Also, military
technology changed in the 1300’s. Large Armies
with new weapons - the longbow in the 1300’s and
guns in the 1400’s - made mounted knights less
effective in battle.
Knights were often more interested in overseeing their land than in serving as warriors. Sometimes they refused to fight when asked to perform
military service. When feudalism was strong, this
would have resulted in a ceremony of public
disgrace. But, after about 1400, kings began to rely
on paid armies rather than asking knights to honor
their feudal obligations.
In Japan, the ruling Shoguns eventually
forced samurai to become literate and to learn
administrative skills. In Europe, however, most
The Japanese samurai warrior and the
knights didn’t learn these skills. Administrators in
knight on this page face each other across 6,000
miles. Even so, the men are strikingly similar. Like European kingdoms were often clergy members.
Feudalism in Japan lasted longer than feudalthe knight, the samurai rides a horse and wears
armor. The samurai’s armor consists of lacquered ism in Europe partly because samurai who were not
warriors became government administrators. Also,
steel plates sewn together with leather strips.
Japan sealed itself off from the West between 1635
Although earlier European knights had worn
and 1854, thus preserving its feudal society. Like in
heavy chain mail shirts, this particular knight is
Europe, Feudalism arose in Japan to fill a need for
encased in plates of steel.
government and protection. And just as in Europe,
Both men spent their lives preparing to
wage battle for their lords. When the samurai was Japanese feudalism declined quickly when things
a boy, he practiced with a long wooden sword and began to change.
studied martial arts. At 15 he exchanged the
wooden sword for a long metal one. The knight
too, began his training young learning to fight as
a paige and as a squire.
The samurai practiced Buddhism and
Shinto. The knight prayed to Jesus Christ. But both
men followed a code of behavior that stressed loyalty
to their lords and serving as examples of virtue to
people of lower classes. Despite the miles and
years that separate them, the warriors are alike in
many ways. Both defended the fortresses and
castles of their lord. Each was a member of a
specially trained warrior class and provided
protection to the people in feudal societies.
Two Feudal Societies