FEUDALISMS COMPARED: MEDIEVAL JAPAN AND WESTERN EUROPE

WHAT IS FEUDALISM? Political and economic system in Medieval Western Europe, Zhou China, and Shogunate Japan whereby a lord grants lands and protection to a vassal in exchange for loyalty, military service.

TERMS: LORD, VASSAL, FIEF

PAST INFLUENCES FEUDAL EUROPE Christianity Classical Rome German Heritage JAPAN Imperial China Confucianism

RISE OF FEUDALISM In Europe: In Japan: External invasions; ineffectiveness, lack of national, centralized authority; arose prior to 1000 CE; dead by 1500 CE In Japan: Isolation of emperor, his family in capital; Rivalries between Court nobility, provincial lords and clans; arose around 1100 CE, died with Meiji Restoration in 1867 CE

POLITICAL STRUCTURES In Europe: Multiple states, fragmented; decentralized, competing political entities; multiple loyalties In Japan: Centralized, military dictatorship; no overlapping, multiple loyalties

FEUDAL JAPAN

FEUDAL STATES FRANCE H.R. EMPIRE

FEUDAL SOCIETY Social hierarchy based on noble aristocracy, land ownership, birth; social divisions based on types of labor, gender; society largely rural with few cities; 3 major classes

THOSE WHO FIGHT Lord - Daimyo Knights - Samurai Fief - Shugo Feudalism was a local military solution to a national political reality. Warriors had to furnish weapons, horses Lord - Daimyo Knights - Samurai Fief - Shugo

GREAT LORDS DAIMYO Hereditary nobles Independent realms Local administration Local justice, taxes Feudal armies, castles Constant warfare

CODES OF CONDUCT Bushido and Chivalry Samurai means servant; bushido means Way of the Warrior; be loyal, fight, die for lord; koku payment Chivalry derived from Cheval (horse) - knights furnished own horse, armor; paid; defend women, church, poor, fight as last resort

Church owns land, part of government THOSE WHO PRAY JAPAN Numerous faiths: Buddhism, Shinto, Confucianism Zen Buddhism became samurai favorite Clergy, faith only had limited influence FEUDAL EUROPE Age of Faith: Church, Pope paramount Church owns land, part of government Church administers education, social welfare Church leadership open to all classes, women

THOSE WHO WORK JAPAN FEUDAL EUROPE Peasants produce food Possessed some rights to land Villages self-governing Protected by daimyo, samurai FEUDAL EUROPE Serfs = lowest class 1/3 to 1/5 of produce to lord Few rights, often did not own land Often used as soldiers

GENDER ROLES FEUDAL EUROPE Aristocratic women isolated, marginalize in roles. If woman managed land, became nun, acquired rights. JAPAN Aristocratic women were more equal to husbands; owned land without male interference; could inherit, sue; samurai women encouraged to fight.

Not monetarized economies ECONOMICS BOTH Agriculture dominant Not monetarized economies Manorialism Self-sufficient Serfs Wheat Shoen Shoen traded Peasants Rice

THOSE OUTSIDE Towns, Merchant, Artisans: In Europe, became wealthy and influential - defied the system. In Japan, considered lowest class - gained some influence under Tokugawa Shoguns

URBAN LIFE JAPAN FEUDAL EUROPE Castle towns Guilds Free cities, leagues Merchants, guilds Town charters Learning centers

DIFFERENCES JAPAN FEUDAL EUROPE Emperor, Shogun Centralized feudalism Religion not in government Group loyalty FEUDAL EUROPE The Pope, the Papacy Shared common faith Feudal contract(s)

DIFFERENT ENDS EUROPE JAPAN Monarchs asserted authority: taxes, weapons Commerce, middle class ended feudalism Fratricidal warfare decimated aristocracy Charters(grant of overseas territories) , advisory parliaments expanded JAPAN Feudalism ended voluntarily Feudalism remained strong throughout Ended as a result of West, Meiji Restoration Samurai, culture absorbed into mainstream

By the 15th Century Europe Japan Kingdoms became increasingly centralized( England, France, Spain and Portugal) Italian city-states( Venice, Florence, Genoa, Milan) became the center of Mediterranean trade (Spice trade) A new spirit of exploration led many new alternative routes of exploration and would be financed through new banking institutions New culture would transform Western Europe into a rebirth or Renaissance Would be increasingly isolated and withdrawn from world trade Under various shogunates (1185-1603) Japan would become increasingly decentralized under feudal civil unrest, The Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868)would finally centralize Japan in the port of Edo (now Tokyo) where they would close their doors (Toku go-away) to foreigners and forbid Japanese from leaving. This would limit Japanese technological progress while the “West” became more powerful . The ports would eventually be “opened up” bt the “West” in 1857.

Comp From 600-1450 in both Japan and Western Europe, the lack of a centralized government led To the rise of a system where landed aristocracy would exchange land for military protection For loyalty and service (feudalism), both would lead to the rise of a militaristic warrior class (Samurai and knight) whose code of loyalty (Bushido and Chivalry) would emphasize the importance Of discipline and honor in warfare. Western Europe, however, would be dominated by the hegemony Of the Roman Catholic Church leading the decline of feudalism due to the Crusades and the trade it Brought to Western Europe. Japan, however, would have multiple faith of Neoconfucianism, Taoism And Zen Buddhism seamlessly blending with the indigenous Shintoism to remain isolated by The Tokugawa Shogunate until forcibly open by the United States’ Matthew Perry in 1857,

Knight/Samurai - Lord/Daimyo Comparative Feudalism Project LINKS Internet Medieval Sourcebook www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html Internet East Asia History Sourcebook www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/eastasiasbook.html Knight/Samurai - Lord/Daimyo www.smith.edu/fcceas/curriculum/berkwood.htm Comparative Feudalism Project http://www.ccsd.edu/south/social/feudalism.html