What was the highest rank in the Japanese feudal military hierarchy?
Shoguns were expected to consult the king for each and every matter related to Japanese military. So this was the highest rank in the Japanese Feudal Military hierarchy. Practically Shoguns were the true military ruler of Japan. The entire country and its civilian’s safety was their responsibility.
What type of government did Japan have during the feudal period?
This was followed by feudal wars that culminated in military governments known as the Shogunate. Japanese history is distinguished by that the military class with the Shōgun ruled Japan for 676 years from 1192 till 1868 CE. The Shōgun and samurai warriors were de facto at the apex of the Japanese social structure.
What was the ruling class during the Tokugawa shogunate?
The shogun, daimyo and samurai were the ruling class during the Tokugawa shogunate. What distinguishes Japan from other countries is that Japan was near continuously ruled by the military class with the shōgun, daimyo and samurai in the top of the Japanese social structure for 676 years (from 1192 till 1868).
Who is known as the father of Japanese militarism?
Duke Yamagata Aritomo was born in a lower ranked samurai family from Hagi. He was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He was one of the main architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo is regarded as the father of Japanese militarism. [65] [66]
What term is given to the nobility of feudal Japan?
The samurai were the soldier-nobles of feudal Japan, similar to the knights of feudal European society. Their position was hereditary and they served a daimyo in return for land.
What were Japanese nobility called?
KugeKuge (court noble) (公家) Kuge is a general term to refer to nobles and government officials who serve chotei (Imperial Court) in Japan. Originally it meant Emperor or chotei and read 'koke' (public family) or 'oyake' (public or official).
What were soldiers called in feudal Japan?
AshigaruAshigaru were foot soldiers that made up an extremely large but historically silent part of ancient Japan's armies.
What is the name for a feudal Japanese military leader?
shogunOn August 21, 1192, Minamoto Yorimoto was appointed a shogun, or Japanese military leader. He established the first shogunate, a system of military government that would last until the 19th century.
Does Japan have nobility?
The 1947 Constitution of Japan abolished the kazoku and ended the use of all titles of nobility or rank outside the immediate Imperial Family. Since the end of the war, many descendants of the kazoku families continue to occupy prominent roles in Japanese society and industry.
Why is it called feudal Japan?
Feudalism in medieval Japan (1185-1603 CE) describes the relationship between lords and vassals where land ownership and its use was exchanged for military service and loyalty.
What daimyo means?
daimyo, any of the largest and most powerful landholding magnates in Japan from about the 10th century until the latter half of the 19th century. The Japanese word daimyo is compounded from dai (“large”) and myō (for myōden, or “name-land,” meaning “private land”).
What are foot soldiers called?
In modern usage, foot soldiers of any era are now considered infantry and infantrymen.
What is ronin in Japan?
In feudal Japan, a ronin was a warrior, a samurai without a master, who travelled the country offering his service to anyone in need of a sword to hire.
What did Japan call military leaders in history?
ShogunShogun was the name given to the title for a military commander or general in ancient Japan, between the 8th and 12th centuries, leading vast armies.
What were Japanese professional warriors called?
The samuraiThe samurai (or bushi) were the warriors of premodern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class which eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol was the sword.
What did emperors do in feudal Japan?
Historically, the emperor controlled the cultural life of Japan and was integral in ceremonies associated with the Japanese religion of Shinto. The emperor was often only minimally involved in politics. Still, he was the symbol of the nation and revered above all others.
Are there Japanese aristocrats?
The right bloodlines are everything at the Kasumi Kaikan, Japan's most exclusive social club. There is no direct translation of the club's Japanese name, but "Peers Club" or "Aristocracy Club" is probably closest: All 950 members are men, the eldest sons and grandsons of Japan's old nobility.
What rank is a shogun?
Shogun (将軍) Shogun is a job grade and title given to the commander of a relatively large armed force and is also the rank of a military clique leader. As title, it is also called Shogun-go (title of General). It has been the title of the military commander in the Orient since ancient times.
What is a daimyo mean?
daimyo, any of the largest and most powerful landholding magnates in Japan from about the 10th century until the latter half of the 19th century. The Japanese word daimyo is compounded from dai (“large”) and myō (for myōden, or “name-land,” meaning “private land”).
What is the royal ranks in Japan?
The Nobility (Kazoku) Act of 1884 (Meiji 17) had established five ranks of nobility, prince, marquis, count, viscount, and baron. [The ranks was conferred to 500 men chosen from the old court nobility, the former daimyo, and samurai who had served the emperor].
How many Japanese noble families are there?
The 14 Japanese Princely Families listed below were genealogically related to the Japanese and Korean Imperial Families with living members still alive in the period 1885-1946. These prominent families of the Japanese Nobility were mentioned frequently in British, French, German, USA, Spanish and Italian Newspapers, Reference Books, and Diplomatic Almanacs and Government Guides, as most of the members of these Japanese noble families held political and military positions of the highest importance.
What are the Princes of Japan?
Princes (koshaku), awarded to 1° collateral branches of the Imperial Family (see above), 2° the 5 sekke (the 5 FUJIWARA Noble Houses who ruled Japan as Shogun): ICHIJO, KONOE, KUJO, NIJO and TAKATSUKASA, 3° the most prominent members of the Shogunal TOKUGAWA House, 4° the former Imperial House of KOREA: RI (or LEE or YI), 5° individuals who merited from the State, whatever their previous status: ITO, MOORI (MORI), SANJO, SHIMAZU, TOKUDAIJI, YAMAGATA.
What is count in Japan?
Count (Hakushaku), awarded to 1° minor non-heir branches of the Imperial Family: KASHIMA, KATSURAGI, YAMASHINA, 2° secondary branches (sankyo) of the TOKUGAWA and FUJIWARA Houses: REIZEI (Fujiwara), 3° the families who enjoyed the status of Senior Councellor (dainagon) in the State Council (daijokan), 4° the daimyo (domain lords) with important rice revenues: MATSUDAIRA, NANBU, (NAMBU?), OGASAWARA, OMURA, SAKAI, SHIMAZU, TODA, 5° prominent individuals, whatever their previous status: DATE, ITO, YANAGIWARA
What is the Kazoku?
The Kazoku: merging the Daimyo (Feudal Lords) and Kuge (Nobility compris ed of Courtiers and High Civil Servants)
Who was Prince Fushimi?
HIH Prince Hiroyasu, 23rd Prince FUSHIMI, Admiral, Chief of Staff of the Navy ( 1932-1939), Member of the Council of the Marshalls ( 1921-1925, 1933-1937), Member of the Supreme War Council. ( 1928-1932), Commander of the Naval Prefecture of Sasebo ( 1925-1926).
Who was the Grand Master of Ceremonies in 1907?
Count TODA, Grand Master of the Ceremonies ( 1907-1921)
Who created the new nobility?
The new nobility created by the Emperors.
How long has Japan been a military country?
Military history of Japan. The military history of Japan covers a vast time-period of over three millennia - from the Jōmon ( c. 1000 BC) to the present day. After a long period of clan warfare until the 12th century, there followed feudal wars that culminated in military governments known as the Shogunate.
Who is the commander in chief of the Japanese military?
The Prime Minister is the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Military authority runs from the Prime Minister to the cabinet-level Minister of Defense of the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
How long did the Sakoku policy last?
The sakoku policy effectively closed Japan from foreign influences for 212 years - from 1641 to 1853. Feudal militarism transitioned to imperialism in the 19th century after the arrival of Admiral Perry in 1853 and the elevation of Emperor Meiji in 1868.
How long has Japan been in history?
History. Timeline. v. t. e. The military history of Japan covers a vast time-period of over three millennia - from the Jōmon ( c. 1000 BC) to the present day. After a long period of clan warfare until the 12th century, there followed feudal wars that culminated in military governments known as the Shogunate.
What was the name of the Korean kingdom that defeated Japan?
Yamato Japan had close relations with the southwestern Korean kingdom of Baekje. In 663, Japan, supporting Baekje, was defeated by the allied forces of Tang China and the southeastern Korean kingdom of Silla, at the Battle of Hakusonko in the Korean peninsula. As a result, the Japanese were banished from the peninsula.
Why didn't Japan participate in the Gulf War?
During the Gulf War (1990–1991) the Japan Self-Defense Forces couldn't participate due to restrictions of the 1947 constitution. However, Japan did make a financial contribution of $10 billion and sent military hardware. Japan's inability to send troops was regarded as a big humiliation. They learned that only making financial contributions ( checkbook diplomacy) did not earn Japan international respect. Furthermore, Japan couldn't provide much support to US forces which caused frustration. This humiliation was decisive in making policymakers and military planners determined to depart from Japan's pacifist foreign policy.
What was the Yayoi period?
The Yayoi period is the Iron Age era of Japan from 1000 BC to 300 AD. Japan transitioned to a settled agricultural society. There was a big influx of farmers from the Asian continent to Japan. The Yayoi culture flourished from southern Kyūshū to northern Honshū. The rapid increase of roughly four million people in Japan between the Jōmon and Yayoi periods are partially due to migration and due to a shift from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural diet with the introduction of rice cultivation.
How did the Meiji government affect the samurai?
Although many lesser samurai had been active in the Meiji restoration, the older ones represented an obsolete feudal institution that had a practical monopoly of military force, and to a large extent of education as well. A priority of the Meiji government was to gradually abolish the entire class of samurai and integrate them into the Japanese professional, military and business classes. Their traditional guaranteed salaries were very expensive, and in 1873 the government started taxing the stipends and began to transform them into interest-bearing government bonds; the process was completed in 1879. The main goal was to provide enough financial liquidity to enable former samurai to invest in land and industry. A military force capable of contesting not just China but the imperial powers required a large conscript army that closely followed Western standards. Germany became the model. The notion of very strict obedience to chain of command was incompatible with the individual authority of the samurai. Samurai now became Shizoku ( 士族; this status was abolished in 1947). The right to wear a katana in public was abolished, along with the right to execute commoners who paid them disrespect. In 1877, there was a localized samurai rebellion that was quickly crushed.
What is a samurai?
Samurai ( 侍) were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century to their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the daimyo (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords.
How did the samurai influence Japanese culture?
As aristocrats for centuries, samurai developed their own cultures that influenced Japanese culture as a whole. The culture associated with the samurai such as the tea ceremony, monochrome ink painting, rock gardens and poetry was adopted by warrior patrons throughout the centuries 1200–1600. These practices were adapted from the Chinese arts. Zen monks introduced them to Japan and they were allowed to flourish due to the interest of powerful warrior elites. Musō Soseki (1275–1351) was a Zen monk who was advisor to both Emperor Go-Daigo and General Ashikaga Takauji (1304–58). Musō, as well as other monks, served as a political and cultural diplomat between Japan and China. Musō was particularly well known for his garden design. Another Ashikaga patron of the arts was Yoshimasa. His cultural advisor, the Zen monk Zeami, introduced the tea ceremony to him. Previously, tea had been used primarily for Buddhist monks to stay awake during meditation.
Why were samurai so literate?
By the 12th century, upper-class samurai were highly literate because of the general introduction of Confucianism from China during the 7th to 9th centuries and in response to their perceived need to deal with the imperial court, who had a monopoly on culture and literacy for most of the Heian period.
What is the meaning of the word "samurai"?
The samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, and were trained as officers in military tactics and grand strategy .
How did Buddhism influence samurai?
The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching because it offered a process to calm one's mind. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth led samurai to abandon torture and needless killing, while some samurai even gave up violence altogether and became Buddhist monks after coming to believe that their killings were fruitless. Some were killed as they came to terms with these conclusions in the battlefield. The most defining role that Confucianism played in samurai philosophy was to stress the importance of the lord-retainer relationship—the loyalty that a samurai was required to show his lord.
What does the word "buke" mean in Japanese?
In Japanese, they are usually referred to as bushi (武士 , [bɯ.ɕi]), meaning 'warrior', or buke (武家), meaning 'military family'. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning 'to wait upon', 'accompany persons' in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean 'those who serve in close attendance to the nobility', the Japanese term saburai being the nominal form of the verb." According to Wilson, an early reference to the word samurai appears in the Kokin Wakashū, the first imperial anthology of poems, completed in the 10th century.
The Katana (Japanese sword)
In recent years, the Japanese katana (sword) has become increasingly popular with the re-acknowledgement of its value as a work of art. Exhibitions are held more often and are attracting a younger generation of visitors.
A brief history of the Katana
The first use of the term katana to describe a sword occurs as early as the Kamakura period (1185–1333), but the actual history of bladed weapon craftsmanship in Japan stretches back over twenty centuries. At first, Japanese swords were simple variations of the Chinese swords that were straight, double-edged iron blades.
The process of making a Katana
The process of making a katana differs depending on the style of the sword and the swordsmith's individual preferences, but certain steps are necessary for the forging of all swords.
WITNESS THE MAKING OF JAPANESE KATANA SWORDS
An invaluable opportunity to see with your own eyes the ancient process of sword-making, a Japanese art recognized and praised around the world.
Overview
Japan's militaristic heritage
What distinguishes Japan from other countries is that Japan was near continuously ruled by the military class with the shōgun, daimyo and samurai in the top of the Japanese social structure for 676 years (from 1192 till 1868). In 1192, the shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo and the Minamoto clan established a feudal military government in Kamakura. The Emperor was above the shōgun and …
Prehistoric and Ancient Japan
The Jōmon period is the time in Japanese prehistory between c. 14,000 and 1000 BC during which the Japanese archipelago was inhabited by the Jōmon, a hunter-gatherer culture that reached a considerable degree of sedentism and cultural complexity. The name "cord-marked" was first applied by the American scholar Edward S. Morse, who discovered sherds of pottery in 1877 and subsequently tr…
Classical Japan
By the end of the 4th century, the Yamato clan was well established on the Nara plain with considerable control over the surrounding areas. The Five kings of Wa sent envoys to China to recognize their dominion of the Japanese Islands. The Nihon Shoki states that the Yamato were strong enough to have sent an army against the powerful northern Korean state of Goguryeo (of the Three Kingdom…
Feudal Japan
This period is marked by the departure from relatively small or medium-sized clan-like battles, to massive clashes of clans over the control of Japan. The establishment of the Kamakura shogunate coincided with the ascendancy of the samurai class over the aristocratic nobility kuge (公家) of the Imperial Court. The Shogunates were military governments and de facto rulers of Japan. They domi…
Early modern period
This period was one of relative peace under the authority of the Tokugawa shogunate, a forced peace that was maintained through a variety of measures that weakened the daimyōs and ensured their loyalty to the shogunate. Since 1660, Japan had 200 years of peace with no major domestic or foreign conflicts. The Tokugawa peace was ruptured only rarely and briefly prior to th…
Modern period
Since the first visit of Commodore Perry to Edo Bay in July 1853, Japan lacked industrial and military power to prevent western coercion with unequal treaties that took advantage of Japan. Japan had antiquated and decentralized military forces. The feudal lords were pressured into signing multiple treaties with the Americans known as "The Unequal Treaties".
Contemporary period
Post World War II, Japan was deprived of any military capability after signing the surrender agreement in 1945. The U.S. occupation forces were fully responsible for protecting Japan from external threats. Japan only had a minor police force for domestic security. Japan was under the sole control of the United States. This was the only time in Japanese history that it was occupied by a foreign po…
Overview
Samurai (侍) were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the daimyo (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords and Kiri-sute gomen (right to kill anyone of a lower class in certain situation). They …
Terminology
In Japanese, historical warriors are usually referred to as bushi (武士, [bɯ.ɕi]), meaning 'warrior', or buke (武家), meaning 'military family'. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning 'to wait upon', 'accompany persons' in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean 'those who serve in close attendance to the nobility', the Japan…
History
Following the Battle of Hakusukinoe against Tang China and Silla in 663 AD, which led to a retreat from Korean affairs, Japan underwent widespread reform. One of the most important was that of the Taika Reform, issued by Prince Naka-no-Ōe (Emperor Tenji) in 646.
This edict allowed the Japanese aristocracy to adopt the Tang dynasty politica…
Philosophy
The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching because it offered a process to calm one's mind. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth led samurai to abandon torture and needless killing, while some samurai even gave up violence altogether and became Buddhist m…
Arts
In December 1547, Francis was in Malacca (Malaysia) waiting to return to Goa (India) when he met a low-ranked samurai named Anjiro (possibly spelled "Yajiro"). Anjiro was not an intellectual, but he impressed Xavier because he took careful notes of everything he said in church. Xavier made the decision to go to Japan in part because this low-ranking samurai convinced him in Portuguese that the Japanese people were highly educated and eager to learn. They were hard workers and …
Culture
As aristocrats for centuries, samurai developed their own cultures that influenced Japanese culture as a whole. The culture associated with the samurai such as the tea ceremony, monochrome ink painting, rock gardens and poetry was adopted by warrior patrons throughout the centuries 1200–1600. These practices were adapted from the Chinese arts. Zen monks introduced th…
Women
Maintaining the household was the main duty of women of the samurai class. This was especially crucial during early feudal Japan, when warrior husbands were often traveling abroad or engaged in clan battles. The wife, or okugatasama (meaning: one who remains in the home), was left to manage all household affairs, care for the children, and perhaps even defend the home for…
Foreign samurai
Several people born in foreign countries were granted the title of samurai.
After Bunroku and Keichō no eki, many people born in the Joseon dynasty were brought to Japan as prisoners or cooperators. Some of them served daimyōs as retainers. One of the most prominent figures among them was Kim Yeocheol, who was granted the Japanese name Wakita Naokata and promoted to Commi…