According to these belief systems, daimyo, samurai, nobles and knights all had a moral obligation to protect the peasants. The Japanese followed the principles of philosopher Confucius, and the Europeans used the beliefs of the Roman Catholic church. Loyalty and Skill Were Valued Both systems placed considerable value on loyalty and military skill, drawing upon philosophy and religion to create the framework for society. Both European and Japanese systems excluded members of the clergy from the social systems. In Europe, the peasants gave a portion of their crops to the upper classes in exchange for protection. However, following Confucian principles and unlike in Europe, Japanese peasants were considered an honored class because they produced all the food everyone needed to survive. Peasants paid taxes to the daimyo, who then paid samurai warriors to protect the property. The daimyo owned tracts of land and allowed peasants to live and work on it. In Japanese feudal society, the shogun military leaders represented the emperor and ruled the people through the feudal lords, which were called daimyo. Structured Life in Japan Although separated by thousands of miles, Japan’s tiered social structure was similar to the feudal system in Europe. The landowners performed the duties of the king, which included paying warriors to defend the land, collecting taxes, building infrastructure and settling disputes between people. ![]() ![]() In the absence of the king’s rule, local landowners gained control by offering protection to the lower classes of people in exchange for allowing them to live and raise food on his land. This system developed as the result of a weak central government. Classes are structured in such a way to provide little chance of a lower-class peasant rising to become a lord, so there is no mobility between these classes over a person’s lifetime. Feudalism is a political and social structure in which social classes define the lives and work of the people living in a town or country.
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