The document discusses the social structure and values of Edo society in Japan. Confucianism played an important role in maintaining the class system and social order. Samurai ruled over farmers, artisans, and merchants, and used strict social controls like the goningumi system to regulate behavior. While early contacts with Europeans were positive, cultural and religious differences later emerged, such as between Japanese loyalty to the shogun and Christian loyalty to God.

1.  Honour and duty in our lives:
 Very important in Edo society (Lord Asano and the 47
ronin)
 Honour and death were more important than law.

2.  Tokugawa used the social structure to support his rule
(feudalism)
 Social Controls: the rules and customs in a society that
regulate people’s behavior - purpose: to maintain
order
 Confucianism: important role in the acceptance of
class distinctions (taught everyone they had a proper
place in society)
 Modest/work and study hard/proper
behavior/compassion

3. Ruler Subject
Father Children
Husband Wife
Older brother Younger brother
Friend Friend
Duties and Obligations: Duties and Obligations:
•To be a wise and just leader •To obey
•To support and provide for the other •To respect
•To protect the other •To honour

4.  Samurai were masters of farmers, artisans, and
merchants
 Used power to keep order
 Organized lower classes into groups of five families
called goningumi (members were to help each other)
 Group members were responsible for the behavior of
others in the group – all could be punished if one
person was disobedient, disrespectful to a superior or
did not work hard enough.

5.  Shogunate used military and social controls to shape
Edo society (developed a strong sense of identity)
 1534 Age of European Exploration(50 years before
Tokugawa Ieyasu united Japan)
 1543 a Portuguese ship wrecked off the shore of a small
Japanese island (traders)
 Came from a southerly direction so became known as
“southern barbarians”
 Soon followed by Spanish, Dutch and British Traders
and Christian missionaries.

6.  First contacts were favorable however they had many
cultural and religious differences.
 Portuguese society had been influenced by
Renaissance values and ideals which favored
competition/individuality/more flexible social
structure

7.  Francis Xavier, a Jesuit, arrived in Japan in 1549 to start
missions to convert the upper classes, the daimyo and
the samuai, to Christianity.
 Both the Japanese beliefs and Christianity had ethical
codes (rules about right and wrong behavior)
 The Christian idea of one God was a new idea to the
Japanese
 The Japanese believed in loyalty to daimyo, emperor,
and the shogun
 Christians taught that a person’s spiritual loyalty
should be to God in Heaven.