Unit 3

From Isolation to Adaptation

Lesson 2

How can military power and social structure be used to maintain control in a society?

The Japanese feudal system placed people in a hierarchy, in a similar fashion to the feudal system in Europe.

The emperor was at the top and everyone else was below him.

The samurai were the knights of Japan, serving a shogun or daimyo. Beneath them were all other members of society.

The samurai were high on the hierarchy of power and importance in Edo Japan. Under them were peasants, artisans, merchants, women, and outcasts.

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