MEDIVAL JAPAN

Geography
Japan is located in the far east of Asia continent. It is a group of islands nation located in the Pacific Ocean. Japan Sea lies east of Japan that separates from Russia, China and Korean Peninsula.

Social Hierarchy
At the top of the social of the social pyramid was the Emperor. The Emperor had little power but he was above the Shoguns. The Shoguns were powerful military leaders. They basically controlled the government and had the most power while the Emperor was just a figurehead. The Daimyo followed the Shoguns. They were powerful Japanese landowners to whom the Samurai had sworn to serve and protect. Under the Daimyo were the Samurai. The Samurai were soldiers. They were like knights because of their views on honor and their codes of chivalry. The Ronin were Samurai that their own misdeeds, losses in battle, or the untimely death of their Daimyo had caused them to lose their noble sponsorship. The peasants were the people who farmed and tended the land and they were the majority of the Japanese people. Underneath the Peasants were the Artisans. These were the people who could take materials and craft them into different objects for example armor smiths and sword smiths could turn steel into fine weapons and armor. At the bottom of the social class pyramid were the Merchants. These were the people who sold objects made by Artisans and Peasants to make a living, They are at the bottom because they sell objects that other people had to make.

Shogun
In pre-modern Japan, the shogun was Japan's supreme military leader, awarded the title by the emperor, and by tradition a descendant of the prestigious Minamoto clan. From 1603 through 1869, Japan was ruled by a series of shoguns known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, descended from Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Samurai
The samurai (or bushi) were the warriors of premodern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo Period (1603-1867).Apr 11, 2014

RELIGION

• Buddhism - Buddhism /ˈbudɪzəm/ is a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha, commonly known as the Buddha ("the awakened one").
• Shinto- is a Japanese religion dating from the early 8th century and incorporating the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred power ( kami ) in both animate and inanimate things. It was the state religion of Japan until 1945.

Government
Medieval Japan was a monarchy. This means they had kings and queens. They even had emporers.