Japanese Feudalism vs. European Feudalism

Feudalism is a form of government that consists of devolved political and social systems
where a monarchy attempts to control lands that are not part of its kingdom. It is vital to
acknowledge that the Japanese and European feudalism are different in many aspects. The
Japanese feudal system has a social structure composed of the emperor, other influential leaders,
peasants, and merchants regarding the production system. Notably, the untouchable people of
Japan, known as Burakumin, occupy the lowest social level. On the other hand, the production
system in Europe’s feudalism mainly involved the landlords and peasants. Unlike the Chinese
system, the landlords in the European model greatly exploited the peasants (Bulliet, Crossley,
and Headrick 523).
A critical examination of Japanese feudalism indicates that they had mainly three power
levels. The emperor was at the top of the hierarchy and controlled numerous activities in society.
The second in the hierarchy is the nobility, followed by the Samurai, which mainly comprises
warriors (CrashCourse). On the other hand, the hierarchy of political power in Europe consisted
of four main classes of people: Monarchs, Lords, knights, and Peasants. Sitting at the helm of the
hierarchy tree, the monarchs controlled territorial issues.
Another difference between the two feudalism systems is in religion. In Japan, religion
played an integral role, especially in the way people interacted. During this period, Shinto and
Zen Buddhism were the main religions. Shinto helped organize activities that occurred each day,

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while Zen Buddhism prepared people for future life (Chris). On the other hand, Christianity was
the main religion that dominated feudal Europe. The lives of the peasants and the nobility were
significantly affected by Christianity. The rulings of the Catholic Church greatly affected
political activities.

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Works Cited

Bulliet, Richard, Crossley Pamela, and Headrick Daniel. The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global
History. Cengage Learning, 2018.
Harman, Chris. A People’s History of the World. Bookmarks, 1999.
CrashCourse. “Japan in the Heian Period and Cultural.” YouTube, 5 Mar 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnZEoOJ-cxE.