Japanese and European Feudalism

         There are time periods in the history of both Japan and Western Europe (namely England and France) in which feudalism was the system of government.  It was the major political system of both cultures between the 11th and 13th centuries, involving a system of mutual obligations.  Though they share the same name, there are a few major differences between the two versions, causing European feudalism to stand out as what most people likely think of feudalism today and Japanese feudalism to fall into the background.  Although both systems of feudalism were based on mutual obligations and protection and influenced the social structures of their people, European feudalism was created to protect Europeans from outside invasions and was mainly economic while Japanese feudalism developed because of internal attacks by groups of uncontrolled armies and had more of a military aspect.
         European and Japanese feudalism were similar in the fact that they both developed out of a need for protection.  In Europe, invasions from outside groups, such as the Vikings, Muslims and Magyars (Hungarians), created problems for the lords.  They divided their land amongst various vassals, or lower-ranking lords, who pledged loyalty and military service.  In Japan, the decline of the central government allowed private armies to form, and similar to feudalism in Europe, the farmers wanted protection so they gave land to warlords, called daimyo, in exchange.  Feudalism in both regions was based on a system of mutual obligations.  For example, when a lord granted a fief (a land estate) to a vassal, that vassal would pledge his loyalty to the lord and give him advice and occasional money payments.  In addition, he was required to provide forty days per year of military service to the lord.  In Japan, a local farmer or landowner seeking protection would give some of his land to a daimyo, who in turn would vow to protect that landowner.  In this way, the vassals and daimyos gained power and land while the lords and farmers/landowners gained protection from enemies.  Finally, both systems of feudalism influenced the society so much that in some contexts today the term feudalism refers collectively to the government, culture, and social structure of an nation as well as the actual structure of feudalism itself.  In Europe, feudalism formed the basic social class structure.  Each lord would have vassals, who in turn had lower vassals below them.  Feudalism created the need for knights, warriors who fought for their local lords.  Also, peasants formed a large part of the culture, not only forming a large part of medieval Europe's population, but also performing most of the work on the estate.  When a vassal received a fief, the peasants were included along with the land.  In Japan, the peasants were the farmers and small landowners.  Japanese samurai were similar to the knights in that they were local warriors who fought for their lords.  These lords, the daimyo, who gained their power from the accumulation of land, eventually became powerful leaders in Japan under the shogun, or supreme military ruler.
         When foreign groups such as the Vikings, Muslims and Magyars invaded England and France, the kings were not able to protect the people and they needed to protect themselves.  Thus, the European feudalism system emerged.  Although rival lords constantly fought, the European feudal system became mostly economic.  Vassals were allowed to work the land but they had to send money payments up to the lords.  Once new business practices such as partnerships and insurance became common, peasants began to sell goods and pay the lords with money rather than work in order to make their lives better.
         In Japan, there were no attacks from foreigners during this time period.  Instead, large private armies, formed by landowners while the central government was losing power, roamed the land and sea.  Independent soldiers and pirates attacked anybody who was vulnerable.  Because of these dangerous circumstances, the Japanese system of feudalism emerged.  This system was somewhat the opposite of European feudalism; in Europe the lords gave land to lesser vassals while in Japan the farmers gave land to higher warlords.  Also, in Japan the military aspect is much stronger than in Europe.  Because the daimyo were constantly fighting each other, they gained power from a military aspect rather than an economic aspect, as was the case in Europe. The daimyo warlords were appointed governors by the shogun, the military leader who ruled through an emperor figurehead. Even though the emperor figurehead had no power, he still symbolized Japan's unity, something that was nonexistent in European feudalism.
         The feudal systems of Japan and Western Europe have similarities mainly centered on the definition of feudalism itself: it is a system based on mutual obligations.  However, the two versions of feudalism are quite different, and it may be more correct if each system were to have different names, as Japanese feudalism is not generally included when one thinks of the term "feudalism".  European feudalism stemmed from outside attacks while Japanese feudalism developed from internal warfare.  The fact that Japanese feudalism had a more military standpoint and Europe had a more economic standpoint led to the rather different development of both cultures.