Daimyo's Significant Role In Japanese Society
Rights
Daimyo were very important to society in Japan as they had power over land and were the people that held most of it. They had many rights and too much power that it caused many conflicts between the higher social classes. Daimyo gained most of their income through taxation and the items that he collected from farmers and merchants. They had a significant role within the military and were the authority over the samurai. They immensely influenced the land they owned and the society living on it.
Food
As the daimyo were wealthy they would afford top quality food and often ate the best food in the land. Some of the dishes they often ate were tempura seafoods, Zoni (rice cake soup) and miso soup. Unsurprisingly, most dishes contained seafood and rice. Seafood was either cooked or eaten raw like sashimi or on top of rice. Popular dishes included octopus, squid, tuna, salmon, crab, lobster, …show more content…
shrimp, eel, shark, and whale. A popular drink at the table amongst the daimyos would be sake. Sake is a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice.
How they were viewed & Occupation
The daimyo’s jobs were to serve the shogun. They were equivalent to nobles (or lords) in medieval Europe and Politian in today’s society. They were the feudal lords of shogunate Japan and were the second most powerful rulers from the 10th to the 19th centuryCE. Owning large amounts of land and being control over armies were their main jobs and contribution into Japanese society. The early daimyo did not pay tax to the government and by the 12th century they were more powerful than the emperor. Daimyo had a high social status and much pressure to protect his reputation.
Specific Education
Assuming that all the inheritance of a daimyo is passed down to his offspring, the children of the daimyo attended a special school called Han School. Han school is an institutional form of education during the time of the Edo period. The school was established to educate the children of daimyo. These institutions were also referred to as hangaku (藩学), hangakkō (藩学校) or hankō (藩黌). Children who attended this school was strictly taught Confucian studies for the cultivation of the samurai elite. The daimyo children worked up to become just like their parents. Over time, the Han school accepted children of different social classes and expanded the variety of curriculums available.
Religion: Shinto and Zen Buddhism
The religion of Shinto is based on the beliefs of the indigenous Japanese.
The word ‘Shinto’ primarily means the way of the gods. They believe in the basic life-force called kami and it is the source of human life and nature. Worshippers of the religion have faith that kami cannot be explained by words or misunderstood. They believe in multiple gods such as Izanagi and Izanami, they are believed to have created Japan.
Zen Buddhism highlights the significance of self-discipline and control. The main purpose in Zen Buddhism is to accomplish a moment of enlightenment, when the truth finally speaks to you- this is called satori. Satori can be achieved mentally and physically through meditation and physical discipline. They also believe that you could obtain enlightenment from observing nature.
There were also an exception with the conversion of a few daimyo to ‘Kirishitan’ after the arrival of Portuguese. The people who converted were looked down upon as the religion had been forbidden and the Japanese had viewed as a threat to their
nation.
Lifestyle
A daimyo would typically live in a castle on a hill that would overlook their land. They would usually construct castles made from wood and stone to show their wealth and power. Daimyos commonly had two or more spouses and had approximately 10 to 20 children. His residence often had a house separate for his other wives and mistresses to live independently as the originally wife lived with the daimyo. Daimyo were few in numbers and in 1800CE there were approximately 170 daimyo living in Japan. In terms of clothing, a typical daimyo wore battle attire that was very similar to the samurai. They wore steel or iron plates delicately sewn by a skilled craftsman, underneath the plates a quilted padding, a mask that would protect their head and sometimes neck and they would carry a sword with them. When daimyo weren’t in their battle armour, they were recognised by their Eboshi and fan. An Eboshi is traditionally a tall hat that was produced from silk and paper. It was held onto a daimyo’s topknot by a white cord.
Where are the daimyo on the pyramid?
Daimyo are placed second highest rank on the medieval Japanese social hierarchy. They were very important in Japanese society and had a vast amount of power.
Daimyo were very important to society in Japan as they had power over land and were the people that held most of it. They had many rights and too much power that it caused many conflicts between the higher social classes. Daimyo gained most of their income through taxation and the items that he collected from farmers and merchants. They had a significant role within the military and were the authority over the samurai. They immensely influenced the land they owned and the society living on it.
Food
As the daimyo were wealthy they would afford top quality food and often ate the best food in the land. Some of the dishes they often ate were tempura seafoods, Zoni (rice cake soup) and miso soup. Unsurprisingly, most dishes contained seafood and rice. Seafood was either cooked or eaten raw like sashimi or on top of rice. Popular dishes included octopus, squid, tuna, salmon, crab, lobster, …show more content…
shrimp, eel, shark, and whale. A popular drink at the table amongst the daimyos would be sake. Sake is a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice.
How they were viewed & Occupation
The daimyo’s jobs were to serve the shogun. They were equivalent to nobles (or lords) in medieval Europe and Politian in today’s society. They were the feudal lords of shogunate Japan and were the second most powerful rulers from the 10th to the 19th centuryCE. Owning large amounts of land and being control over armies were their main jobs and contribution into Japanese society. The early daimyo did not pay tax to the government and by the 12th century they were more powerful than the emperor. Daimyo had a high social status and much pressure to protect his reputation.
Specific Education
Assuming that all the inheritance of a daimyo is passed down to his offspring, the children of the daimyo attended a special school called Han School. Han school is an institutional form of education during the time of the Edo period. The school was established to educate the children of daimyo. These institutions were also referred to as hangaku (藩学), hangakkō (藩学校) or hankō (藩黌). Children who attended this school was strictly taught Confucian studies for the cultivation of the samurai elite. The daimyo children worked up to become just like their parents. Over time, the Han school accepted children of different social classes and expanded the variety of curriculums available.
Religion: Shinto and Zen Buddhism
The religion of Shinto is based on the beliefs of the indigenous Japanese.
The word ‘Shinto’ primarily means the way of the gods. They believe in the basic life-force called kami and it is the source of human life and nature. Worshippers of the religion have faith that kami cannot be explained by words or misunderstood. They believe in multiple gods such as Izanagi and Izanami, they are believed to have created Japan.
Zen Buddhism highlights the significance of self-discipline and control. The main purpose in Zen Buddhism is to accomplish a moment of enlightenment, when the truth finally speaks to you- this is called satori. Satori can be achieved mentally and physically through meditation and physical discipline. They also believe that you could obtain enlightenment from observing nature.
There were also an exception with the conversion of a few daimyo to ‘Kirishitan’ after the arrival of Portuguese. The people who converted were looked down upon as the religion had been forbidden and the Japanese had viewed as a threat to their
nation.
Lifestyle
A daimyo would typically live in a castle on a hill that would overlook their land. They would usually construct castles made from wood and stone to show their wealth and power. Daimyos commonly had two or more spouses and had approximately 10 to 20 children. His residence often had a house separate for his other wives and mistresses to live independently as the originally wife lived with the daimyo. Daimyo were few in numbers and in 1800CE there were approximately 170 daimyo living in Japan. In terms of clothing, a typical daimyo wore battle attire that was very similar to the samurai. They wore steel or iron plates delicately sewn by a skilled craftsman, underneath the plates a quilted padding, a mask that would protect their head and sometimes neck and they would carry a sword with them. When daimyo weren’t in their battle armour, they were recognised by their Eboshi and fan. An Eboshi is traditionally a tall hat that was produced from silk and paper. It was held onto a daimyo’s topknot by a white cord.
Where are the daimyo on the pyramid?
Daimyo are placed second highest rank on the medieval Japanese social hierarchy. They were very important in Japanese society and had a vast amount of power.