Tokugawa Shogunate’s Rule in Japan Notes

Structure of Tokugawa Society

1. Feudal Hierarchy
   1. Society organized into rigid classes (samurai, peasants, artisans, and merchants) known as the shi-no-ko-sho system.
2. Samurai
   1. Warrior class turned administrators; lived in castle towns and received stipends from daimyo (lords).
3. Peasants
   1. Majority of population; legally bound to land, heavily taxed to support samurai.
4. Merchants
   1. Lowest in theory but often wealthiest in practice through urban trade and finance.
5. Social Mobility
   1. Movement between classes forbidden; status inherited by birth.

Economic Growth and Emerging Change

1. Agricultural Advances
   1. New tools, irrigation, and double-cropping increased food production.
2. Urbanization
   1. Growth of cities like Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto; merchants and artisans thrived in new consumer markets.
3. Commercial Expansion
   1. The rise of rice markets, money lending, and early proto-capitalism.
4. Merchant Power
   1. Wealthy merchant families (e.g., Mitsui) lent money to samurai and daimyo, gaining quiet influence.
5. Economic Imbalance
   1. Samurai incomes (fixed in rice) lost value as money economy expanded, leading to debt and frustration.

Reasons for Discontent and Signs of Decline

1. Samurai Debt
   1. Samurai’s fixed stipends failed to match rising prices; many sold weapons or became bureaucrats.
2. Peasant Hardship
   1. High taxes, famines (e.g., Tenpō Famine, 1830s), and declining rural income led to uprisings.
3. Merchant Resentment
   1. Despite wealth, merchants had no political power due to strict class barriers.
4. Shogunal Weakness
   1. Tokugawa rulers failed to adapt policies to a changing economy.
5. Moral Corruption
   1. Luxury among elites contrasted with peasant suffering, fueling social tension before the Meiji Restoration (1868).