Q- Examine the Social,economic and religious system of Japan under the Tokugawa shoguns.
Answer –
The condition of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate dynasty, Japan was ruled by the Tokurgawa dynasty for a long time, that is, the rulers of this dynasty Ruled for 265 years, that too in the era when most of the countries of the world were moving towards expansion of empire, spread of trade globally and continuous progress in industry, skill and scientific research on a large scale, but due to progress and development and industrial revolution In this era, the Shogun governance system in Japan had closed the door of its country for every type of novelty. That is, in this period of progress, he had separated himself. Japan’s insular status was also helping this isolation, as Japanese people generally did not even like to establish relations with the outside world and from above there was also a curb of state control for this. As a result, Japan could not cross the stairs of development due to its coup-mandocity, which had been crossed by European countries with free ideology. Of the Europeans, only the Dutch were having contact with the Japanese in the city of Nagasaki, through which Japan was moving towards modernity at a very slow pace. As a result, Japan, stuck in the old tradition, was unable to get rid of its medieval attitude.
The socio-economic and religious situation of Japan at that time was as follows-
Social condition –
The social system of Japan during this period was medieval only. The whole society was divided into several classes, for which it was necessary to follow those social rules which could keep the society moving in a peaceful and orderly manner. In relation to their working method, dress,food and living, some such social rules were going on since the previous period, which was mandatory for almost every Japanese to follow. In this situation of social bondage, it was futile to expect modernity from him.
The second and most important of the society was the samurai or military class, which became the leader of the country’s politics. This class was divided into many parts on the basis of its social and political status. The most important and powerful part of this class was called Daimyo.This was the richest and richest class of the country. They had big jagirs, from which they used to get sufficient income. In fact, it was the feudal class of the country which lost its old political importance during the Toku Gawa-reign and was living a life of happiness and splendor in the capital Tokyo. During this period, the total number of Daimyas in the whole country was 270.
The second class of samurai was called Hatamoto and Golanin. This was mainly a warrior class who lived in the capital and provided support in the administration. During the reign of Toku Gawa, the internal wars of the daimyo had come to an end and complete peace and order had been established in the country. At the same time, Japan was also free from the fear of external aggression.
As a result, there was no opportunity left for the samurai class to display their military capability. This is the reason that in this period this class was not only able to maintain physical strength and military capability, At the same time, they were also attracted towards studies and every soldier, along with being in the operation of the sword, also became proficient in education. In this way, this class skilled in both the fields of war-skills and scholarship became a part of special respect in the society.
The foot soldiers of the army were called Baishin. This section of the army was very large in number, which lived under the Daimyo and Hatamoto classes. Instead of being associated with any class, the military profession was independently known as Ronin. In peace-time, the military profession in agriculture and warfare was called Goshi.
Daimyo and Hatamoto classes were mainly called samurai. Due to the establishment of peace in the country and providing full cooperation in Bakufu administration, the samurai class had many rights and facilities. This class had increased its pride by getting education. This class had its own code of conduct which was known as ‘Bushidon’. According to him, courage, kindness, truthfulness, gentleness, self-control, contempt for wealth and adherence to firm principles were the main duties of every member of the samurai class. Under this, emphasis has been laid on strict discipline and self-reliance. This code of conduct of samurai reminds of the medieval feudal system of Europe. The samurai’s wife was also influenced by this code of conduct. She Also had the spirit of self-surrender and the ability to bear hardships and was always ready for self-sacrifice whenever there was an opportunity. This code of conduct of Bushido not only influenced the upper class but also the common people and the lower class of the society also tried to implement it in their daily practice. In fact, this code of conduct has contributed a lot to the character-building of the Japanese and even after the end of the samurai-institution, it has been affecting the Japanese life even on the Japanese.
The third class of society was the chonin merchant class. Along with art-skills, industry and trade, the importance of this class increased and from the eighteenth century, this class has been continuously accumulating wealth as well as power. This class has a big contribution in making the country prosperous.
The fourth class Senmin was the lowest class of the society which was absolutely powerless, and was considered untouchable in the society. People of this class generally used to do leather work. Their residences were made separate from the residences of people of other classes.
Religious Status –
From the beginning, the people of Japan have been following Shinto religion. Nature and soul were worshiped under this religion. According to this religion, the living emperor of Japan and the soldiers who died for the country were considered as gods. Along with Shinto religion, the residents of this country were also Buddhist. Numerous Buddhist Viharas and temples were built all over the country, in which thousands of Buddhist monks used to reside. The Buddhism of Japan differed in many respects from the Buddhism practiced in India or other countries. In fact, following tradition, many rules and regulations, rituals and beliefs of Shinto religion were accepted in Buddhism as well, because Japanese did not abandon many beliefs of Shinto religion even after accepting Buddhism.
Due to contact with China, the promotion of Confucianism also increased in Japan and this religion especially influenced the upper and educated class of the society. The Tokugawa shoguns respected the ideas of Confucius, and although they were patrons of Buddhism, they also encouraged the study of Confucian texts. In this way, Shinto religion, Buddhism and Confucianism were the propagation of these three religions in Japan, but Buddhism was the most influential among them.
Economic condition –
There was complete peace in the country during Tokugawa’s reign, due to which the country continued to progress on the path of prosperity. Japanese arts and crafts made great progress during this period. The people of the country’s feudal and other rich classes were great lovers of art and used to spend freely on crafts and art objects. To fulfill this need of theirs, a large class of artisans and artists got ready in the country, who started earning their living by making artistic items. On the other hand, a class of traders started buying these artistic items and arranging their sale in different cities of the country and started earning substantial profit through this sale and purchase. Seeing this increasing income of the merchant class, people from feudal and wealthy families also entered the field of business, due to which the business of the country got a big boost.
The main enterprise of Japan was agriculture and the economic system of the country was based on this during that period. For the progress of agriculture, there was development in the means of irrigation. Apart from this, fishing and production of tea were counted among the major industries of the country. There were also many cottage industries in the country, where very beautiful and artistic items were manufactured. Was. Colorful and ornate utensils started being made of porcelain. Apart from these, many other industries had started spreading their nets all over the country. For the growth of internal trade, many highways were constructed and old ones were renovated. This means that the country It was continuously moving forward on the path of economic progress.