1. Religion, Social Hierarchy, and
Change in Tokugawa, Japan
A Research Proposal By James. W. Greer

2. Buddhism and Confucianism
Buddhism
Main religion after
Shinto
Nobunaga vs
Hideyoshi
Status of merchant
class
Attitudes towards
westerners
Religion
Confucianism
The ideal moral
principles
Leadership and
example
Chu-Hsi
Confucianism
Visions of Virtue
Not a religion

3. Social Hierarchy
class structure before Tokugawa rule vs
after
Samurai -Samurai
Merchants -Peasants
Artisans -Artisans
Peasants -Merchants
Why did this happen?
Why is this important?

4. Socioeconomic change and
Response
Merchant and Buddhism
“The Buddhist belief in universal human capacity for
compassion, for example was used to counter the claim that
merchants were somehow incapable of such action because
of their work.”
Buddhism and social control
“The Tokugawa government patronized Buddhism for its
emphasis on rites of passage and its ability to control its
members”.

5. Socioeconomic change and
Response pt. 2
Peasant Riots
Persecution and excommunication of
European Christian merchants
New laws/systems of taxation and control of
villages
Danka System