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  • Essay / Compare and Contrast: Japanese and European Feudalism

    Feudalism was established in Europe in the 800s CE, but appeared later in the 1100s in Japan. European feudalism ended with the growth of stronger political states in the 16th century, but Japanese feudalism held on until the Meji Restoration of 1868. Japanese and European feudal societies were built on a hereditary class system. The nobles were at the top, followed by the warriors, and at the bottom the farmers or serfs. There was very little social mobility; the children of peasants became peasants, while the children of lords became lords and ladies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayAt the top of the hierarchy was the king, the king or monarch ruled the entire kingdom and owned all the land in the country. The king had all the control and he decided how much land to provide to the barons. Barons had to take an oath before taking possession of the granted lands, so that they could remain loyal to their king at all times. The king still had the power to take away the granted lands and give them to someone else from the baron class, since all judicial power was in the hands of the king/monarch. As in Japan, their leader was called emperor. The emperor has supreme power among all classes. The highest-ranking nobles were the emperor and the shogun. During Japan's feudal period, the shogun held the most power while the emperor had some power. The shogun was a military leader, his sword (aka: nihonto in Japanese) was a very important element of his clothing. After the king, the nobles/barons had the highest power. Europe and Japan had similarities in their barons/nobles. They were people with powers and privileges bestowed on them because of their blood ties. Nobles were people who were primarily responsible for ruling provinces and recruiting fighters (skilled knights) for the king during wars. They were also created to design currency, establish systems of legal hierarchy and also to oversee tax regulatory regimes for the lower classes. Barons or nobles rented land from kings, known as a manor. The barons of the feudal social hierarchy constituted the second richest class. They were called lords of the manor. They established their own legal systems, designed their own currencies, and established their own systems of tax regulation. In exchange for the lands they leased from the king, the barons had to serve the royal council, provide the king with knights to face any form of war, provide food and housing for the king, and pay rents and taxes. . After nobles became knights and samurai, both in feudal Japan and Europe, constant warfare made warriors the most important class. Called knights in Europe and samurai in Japan, the warriors served local lords. Knights were expected to follow the concept of chivalry, while samurai were expected to follow the precepts of bushido or the way of the warrior. In feudal Japan, there were daimyo composed of samurai warriors, but the samurai worked under the daimyo class. Samurai were required to have privileges, including being able to bear a surname, a family crest, and carry two swords. People who had samurai surnames are still treated with great respect in Japan today. Although most samurai were not well educated, they had a..