Structure of Tokugawa Society
- Feudal Hierarchy
- Society organized into rigid classes (samurai, peasants, artisans, and merchants) known as the shi-no-ko-sho system.
- Samurai
- Warrior class turned administrators; lived in castle towns and received stipends from daimyo (lords).
- Peasants
- Majority of population; legally bound to land, heavily taxed to support samurai.
- Merchants
- Lowest in theory but often wealthiest in practice through urban trade and finance.
- Social Mobility
- Movement between classes forbidden; status inherited by birth.
Definition
Daimyō
- Regional lords who ruled local areas and commanded their own samurai armies.
Definition
Edo (Tokyo)
- Tokugawa capital; political and cultural heart of Japan.
Economic Growth and Emerging Change
- Agricultural Advances
- New tools, irrigation, and double-cropping increased food production.
- Urbanization
- Growth of cities like Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto; merchants and artisans thrived in new consumer markets.
- Commercial Expansion
- The rise of rice markets, money lending, and early proto-capitalism.
- Merchant Power
- Wealthy merchant families (e.g., Mitsui) lent money to samurai and daimyo, gaining quiet influence.
