Methods of Social Control in Japan, Early Tokugawa Period (1603 - 1867)

Source ukiyo-e.org

Annotation

Japan in the 15th century was a decentralized confederation of principalities with a nominal emperor, with no real power. Shogun Ashikaga Takauji, an emperor-appointed military leader, faces the challenge of collecting taxes and obeying his orders as the regional principalities grow in independence.

Principalities are constantly at war with each other, alliances form and break up, but do not create a stable center of power. Many regional feudal lords govern their territories in a rigid but indirect way, giving the peasants a significant amount of autonomy while they produce their crops. The peasants periodically organize uprisings against the excessively rough daimyo.

Sengoku Jidai (戦國時代) Warring States period, 1467-1568:

• Ashikaga Shogunate (足利幕府, 1336–1573) is the ruling clan of Japan.
• The Ōnin War (応仁の乱 1467-1477) was a struggle for power after the death of the Ashikaga shogun.
• The period of civil wars Gekokujo (下克上 1477 - 1568) - literally “rebellion of vassals” - weakened central power, daimyo fight among themselves for territories. The clan affiliation of principalities and individual villages often changes.

Major influential military leaders:

• Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582);
• Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598);
• Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616).

In 1543, the Portuguese brought firearms to Japan. Many samurai look with contempt on the arquebus, the individual skill of the archer and his effectiveness on the battlefield far exceeds the capabilities of the shooter. However, the main advantage of this weapon is that any peasant could master its use faster than becoming a quality archer. The massive use of these weapons make any army an incredible force.

The tactics of a new war are successfully used by the daimyo Oda Nobunaga, who significantly expanded his domain from 1550 to 1560. He won a decisive victory over the powerful principality of Arshigara in 1568, gaining control of most of the country's territory. This victory marks the beginning of the unification of Japan, which was continued by the military leaders Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

This period is characterized as the period of the "big peace": 200 years without wars on the territory of Japan, the growth of culture, technology and state organization.

There was mass printing, road infrastructure, the level of education rise and standards of living increasing, the diversity of culture and business flourished.

By the early 19th century, Japan became the most urbanized country in the world, with ten percent of its population living in cities.

How does the Tokugawa shogunate manage to hold the country together and keep the peace after centuries of clan strife? As usual, there is no simple answer. This is a long process of introducing new relations for society through the formation of complex social interactions.

Main social reforms

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) http://www.benespen.com/journal/2018/5/24/the-long-view-tokugawa-america

The Tokugawa dynasty established its rule from 1603 to 1867, the so-called "Tokugawa Shogunate" period, with the establishment of its capital in Edo. 

The source of the power of the shogunate is two main factors: the freezing of the political process and the indirect control of society. Setting the rule of law over justice and the doctrine of absolute obedience are the main tools of government. There are no strong religious institutions in the Tokugawa state, but there is a personality cult of Ieyasu - a mystification of the power of the shogun with a mixture of Buddhism, Shinto and neo-Confucian vocabulary.

During the Tokugawa period, society was divided into classes, depending on its purpose. Peasants are the middle class, which historically has partial autonomy:

• Emperor / daimyo;
• Samurai;
• Peasants;
• Artisans;
• Merchants (lower group);
• Special groups - “eta ॑” - untouchables such as fugitives, beggars, blind, who created their own semi-legal guilds from which the yakuza and the shadow economy of the country emerged;

In the hierarchy of classes, the peasants are above the rest of the commoners, trade is considered an unworthy activity. Special groups of society create their own guilds, which trade in not entirely legal methods, but the Tokugawa government tolerates them as long as they do not interfere with public order. Heads of guilds have the right to judge their members, manage the shadow economy. There are "floating cities" - brothels on boats. Over time, they are transformed into special areas where prostitution becomes the norm. Theaters with restaurants, tea houses appear in these areas, which the authorities perceive as immoral, but necessary entertainment.

Reorganization of the peasantry and autonomy of the countryside

Source icanvas.com

The first significant innovation of the Tokugawa period was the reorganization of the peasantry.

During the warring states period, individual villages voluntarily go under the authority of different daimyo to avoid involvement in conflicts. Headmen negotiate with warlords and sometimes hire samurai to protect their villages and replenish their militia. The village, as a semi-independent unit, strives to preserve its integrity; it is not particularly important for it who will be considered the new owner of the territories. There is a constant redistribution of land ownership in the country, the life of the villages depends on the foresight of the elders and the available resources that must be given for patronage.

The Tokugawa government succeeds in persuading the peasants to cooperate with the new regime, through the establishment of a flat tax and promises of a "land of tranquility" - an end to the war and the need to constantly seek protection. The authorities seize weapons from the population, providing guarantees of security and order

The achievement of social stability is established through the supremacy of group interests over personal ones. Thus, by limiting the direct influence of the state on an individual from top to bottom, the horizontal restrictions imposed by the immediate environment increase many times over - society is controlled through a system of class prestige and rigid stratification.

Each village is an autonomous production unit with its own rules and code of conduct. As roads are built and cities grow, it becomes clear that increased human interaction underscores the need for common rules of conduct.

In 1588, a rule was adopted according to which commoners were deprived of swords, all weapons were confiscated (at first with some exceptions, then completely). This was done to prevent the possibility of an uprising and to mark the separation of peasants and soldiers. Owning and carrying weapons became a privilege available only to lords.

The Tokugawa state establishes feudal relations of a special nature with the peasantry.

The main difference from European feudalism lies in the method of distributing surplus production through economic rather than vassal relations.

Villages remain semi-autonomous, with a relatively free labor force. Their main task is to pay taxes to the state, which is about 30 percent of the annual harvest. The remaining 70 percent is used by the village at its own discretion, most of which goes to the newly formed commodity markets.

These changes, along with improvements in preventive medicine and hygiene, lead to a gradual increase in the level and quality of life in the countryside, an increase in marriages and birth rates, and an increase in the life expectancy of the population. Even the poorest people have left their dugouts, having built full-fledged houses, can now afford cotton clothes and a varied diet.

But the main change can be considered a change in the attitude towards the peasants on the part of the upper classes. They are no longer considered an instrument of slave labor, and receive an indexed salary for their fixed-term service.

These reforms are becoming one of the main factors in the rapid coming industrialization.

Bakufu-Khan system

Source: coronariauctions.com

Early in his reign, the Tokugawa actively shuffled the regional daimyo. The bakuhan system - a system of estates - involves the confiscation of land and its redistribution. Higher samurai are forced to settle in new provinces - loyal ones settle closer to the capital, unreliable or dissatisfied further. It should be noted that this is not initially problematic for regional daimyo, as they receive a new province in accordance with their existing status. The new provinces are distributed so that the daimyō does not have a loss in the level of rice production that determines his total income. The management of the land is carried out by standard methods throughout the country, so it is not so important for the noble in which area he is a master.

The Bakuhan System

“Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu actively forced the daimyō to relocate to other domains. The daimyō from advanced regions were required to gain experience as lords in backward regions, and the overlord of a warring state were also forcibly estranged from their land. Also, the kokudaka – the average production amount assessed through the cadastral surveys known as kenchi – became the sole standard, and its amount determined the pecking order for the warriors from the daimyō on down. Therefore, during this period the daimyō were lords1 with land values expressed in “tens of thousands of koku” – the volume of rice production – and they were not the owners of specific lands. The same held true for the daimyō’s retainers. A daimyō with 200,000 koku was a daimyō with the rank of 200,000 koku, and it did not matter where he possessed his land as long as its value was 200,000 koku. Thus, the nationwide political system was called the bakufu-han (bakuhan) system.

[...] for example, a village having a rice crop yield of 1,000 koku meant that the value of the land converted into an amount of rice was 1,000 koku of this village and the levy was determined by either the kemidori (where the yield was assessed annually) or jōmendori (where the nengu was a fixed rate based on the average yield over a period of several years) method based on the village’s rice crop yield. Therefore, the kokudaka system is what characterizes the bakuhan system, and since it was the cadastral surveys that made it possible, we shall now look at these surveys from that viewpoint.”

Hayami, Akira, Japan’s Industrious Revolution: Economic and Social Transformations in the Early Modern Period - Springer, Japan 2015 p. 53

Almost immediately after the end of the land redistribution, Tokugawa's made an unexpected and strong political move: a system of mandatory visits to the capital of Edo was introduced, which automatically created an additional hierarchy that depended on geographical location. It becomes compulsory for daimyo of nearby cities to visit the capital once a year, for regional daimyo twice a year. At the same time, a demonstration of status was mandatory: often walking processions consist of many servants, military squads and gifts for the shogunate. The farther the lord lives from the capital, the more expensive the visit was, since the servants needed a salary, and if the journey takes several days, then food and a hotel has to be provided.

It should be noted that these costs went directly to society and served a form of indirect tax: travelers needed roads and service infrastructure, traveling lords ensured the flourishing of small businesses along the way.

Tokugawa Shogunate” (Edo period) - from 1603 to 1867

Bakufu-Khan system (Central government - estate)

Main characteristics:

• Class society;
• Bakufu centralized political system (central government);
• Decentralized economic system (partial autonomy of production units);
• Special and arbitrary taxes and fees, compulsory expenses of vassals of the shogunate;
• Increase in the area of agricultural land;
• Organization of road infrastructure;
• Small business development, including domestic tourism;
• Development and differentiation of production;
• Education reform and mass printing;
• Development of cultural diversity;
• Rise in the average standard of living of the population;

Regional princes had to spend only 6 months a year in Edo, then return to the assigned provinces. Their families reside in the capital, and although they have all the privileges of noble citizens, they were hostages of the shogunate, and were not allowed to leave the city without special permission. Thus, a multilateral, but indirect, control of the desire of the discontented to raise an army for an uprising against the central government was carried out.

The Taming of the Samurai

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/4543

Samurai - before Tokugawa - were self-armed gangs with considerable independence. During this period, the samurai (originally - “saburakhi” - adjutant) is a vassal who does not differ significantly from a wealthy peasant. He also cultivates the land, and how ordinary peasants can be called up to serve in the army of the local daimyo. A samurai is basically a mounted archer, but can serve in a variety of capacities. His difference from the peasant is his devotion to his daimyo and the code of honor of a warrior, which requires unquestioned respect for his status from a commoner. 

Taming the samurai's right to violence and resolving their disputes is the most important task of building a single, stable country. With the formation of a centralized state, the samurai lose their monopoly on violence, they must obey the new rules. 

Middle and lower samurai are deprived of the right to own land and transferred to public service with a fixed stipend. Their function is converted into an administrative one, the military elite is transformed into a bureaucratic elite. The military status of an individual is limited to the right to carry two swords, and the general status of a samurai as a class implies a code of conduct, uniforms, selfless service to the ladies and the state.

The bureaucracy limits the freedoms of the samurai, young lords brought up by the urban culture of Edo in Confucian schools are losing the "warlike spirit" of the rural samurai.

Four stages of samurai taming:

• Resistance
• Adaptation
• Compromise
• Absorption by the state

To belong to the samurai class means to be inscribed in a carefully constructed hierarchy revolving around one center - The Edo shogunate.

However, the process of pacification does not go smoothly. Between the samurai dissatisfied with the central government and their position, friction and quarrels arise, leading to duels with a fatal outcome. Anything can become a formal occasion, even an accidental touch of the scabbard of another samurai on the street. Matters of honor, wounded pride, and saving face are very sensitive.

Resolution of internal conflicts

Source toshidama-japanese-prints.com

Prior to the Tokugawa period, conflict resolution was divided into two main areas, depending on the circumstances, but obeyed the basic rule of kenka ryoseibai - both parties receive equal punishment up to execution (or no one is punished, and the conflict is considered a private matter). Each damyo regulates his own concepts of law; during the sengoku period there is no common legal field.

It is important to note that before the Tokugawa period, each damyo regulated their own concepts of law and conflict resolution. During the sengoku period no general legal field existed.

General Sakai Tadatsugu, before the beginning of the Tokugawa reign, extended this principle to ascertain the motives of the parties, establishing the beginning of the process of jurisprudence. The Sakai code takes into account exactly where the quarrel takes place, whether the ordinary public or superior samurai are present, whether it is caused by guests of the official house, the state of intoxication, manners and other nuances are taken into account.

General Sakai Tadatsugu extended this principle to ascertain the motives of the parties

established the beginning of the process of jurisprudence The “Code of Sakai” takes into account exactly where the quarrel takes place, whether the ordinary public or superior samurai are present, whether it is caused by guests of the official house, the state of intoxication, manners and other nuances are taken into account.

Nature of samurai quarrels

“Lord Sakai was deeply concerned with preventing any conflicts among his vassals. Instead of declaring kenka ryoseibai, however, he encouraged his samurai to arrange a reconciliation. Sakai prescribed the rules out of a strong desire to prevent trouble. He even detailed different rules of treatment when a quarrel (1) occurred at Omotezashiki (an official part of the han state house); (2) was caused by a mad or drunk person; (3) happened in the residential section (Nagaya) of samurai, (4) was caused by guests in the official house (which means samurai of other han states), and so on. Different procedures were prescribed for these various situations. It is amazing to read the detailed rules; they show how cautious Lord Sakai was, and how much he wanted to prevent further conflicts:

Quarrels and fights are a matter of moral principle (gi) because they are triggered by a loss of samurai face. Quarrels aim to keep a samurai's dignity by killing those who gave shame to him. But only a few quarrels really practice this moral principle. Most quarrels result in meaningless death, as they do not stem from this moral principle. Rather, persons with mean personalities and with biased views or ill tempers often invite stupid quarrels as they often receive shame, because their bad joking causes rudeness and because they often ridicule others. If you are always considering your position (bu), and are always polite and patient, and if the matter at hand does not seriously violate the ways of samurai, fights should not occur at all. As vassals devote their lives to their lord, quarrels are only private matters. Those who disregard public duty [by becoming involved in private conflicts] should be punished. Following the "great law" 1 persons [who caused quarrels] could be executed. However, considering the degree of quarrels and ones' attitudes and manners in ordinary time, exceptional treatment can be made. 

This code shows that the rule of kenka ryoseibai was by now considered a kind of common law. But unlike the previous period, the code now actually ruled investigation and dictated one's ordinary attitudes. Sakai’s code took for granted kenka ryoseibai., but modified its application. It was therefore one step toward the development of jurisdiction which judged the motives of both parties.”

Ikegami, E., Disciplining the japanese: The reconstruction of social control in tokugawa, japan - UMI, Havard Ubivesity 1989, p. 100-101

The strong move of the Tokugawa government was the compartmentalization of attitudes towards conflicts depending on the situational subtleties. It is important that the central government maintain its impartiality, preventing the samurai as a class from focusing their discontent on it.  

Reform of the Tokugawa period - Division of conflicts into two types:

Military Situation - The Lords assume legal authority and severe punishment for both sides, regardless of the nature of the disputes - a military discipline based on a universal understanding of reason (dori) that denies justice. The requirement for a samurai to obey the rules of kenka ryoseibai evolves according to the common law of Tenka no Taiho (the great law of the world).

Peaceful situation: the parties decide through a "duel", assuming that the conflict is a private matter, not subject to public judgment.

Standard of discipline 

Source thecollector.com

Since the new system requires grumpy warriors to work together while carrying lethal arms, new rules of conduct had to be introduced and enforced. Emphasis was placed on self-discipline and careful, mannered treatment of servants, colleagues, and leaders. Paying increased attention to senior colleagues was greatly encouraged, it is considered good manners to know their names, the names of their children, and to periodically send them symbolic gifts.

However, such behavior contradicted even the nominal status of a warrior, who should put the will of his master first. For a samurai, burdening himself with a web of secular relations makes no sense.

To resolve this conundrum, a mixture of neo-Confucianism, Buddhism and the so-called "fatalism of the sword" was developed into an instrument of discipline that introduced the idea of the “perfect samurai” - the Bushido code.

The Bushido code

“In Japan, almost all well-known writings on bushido, which stressed the values of honor and absolute loyalty to one’s master, were the product of the Tokugawa period, when samurai were no longer functioning as warriors. This process of changing honor was fabricated out of dynamic interactions between the expanding state and groups of samurai. Samurai resistance, adaptation, compromise, and finally absorption into the state can be ascertained through empirical observation.

They were also bureaucrats receiving salaries from the state and administrating governmental activities. Still, formally, samurai were warriors. The carrying of swords was a symbol showing their status. Their privilege came from the assumption that they would fight for their masters in an emergency. No other class was allowed to take on military obligations in Tokugawa Japan. The military function of the elite was thus inseparable from their bureaucratic function.”

Ikegami, E., Disciplining the japanese: The reconstruction of social control in tokugawa, japan - UMI, Havard Ubivesity 1989, pp. 79-80, 82-83, 84

The concepts of "Honor" and "Dignity" are transformed from a reputation for bravery to a reputation for status for meritorious public service. The concept of "Samurai" expands to people who are not originally warriors. The concept of "Honor" is associated with the system of public administration and is replaced by the concept of "order". Bushido emphasizes loyalty, obedience, self-sacrifice and dedication to work.

• The concept of "Samurai" is extended to include non-warriors;
• The "honor" of society is replaced by "order";
• Bushido emphasizes loyalty, obedience, and dedication to work.

An example of such a pattern is the Memo from the diary of the standard-bearer Amano Nagashige which emphasizes the importance of good manners. To become a good officer, he advises first to learn to read and write, as well as to master the techniques of formal greeting and address. Emphasis is placed on self-discipline and careful, mannered treatment of servants, colleagues, and leaders. Paying increased attention to senior colleagues will be encouraged, it is considered good manners to know their names, the names of their children, and periodically send them symbolic gifts.

Model of samurai discipline

“Amano Nagashige (1620-1705) served the Shogunate as a middle level banner man. In his diary of February 1682, Nagashige wrote "a word for young yoriki (officers)." His advice to young samurai is a model of samurai discipline exemplified by an organization man. He recommends, for example, to banshi, guards who worked at the gates of the castle: "Remember the rale on how to check passengers at the seven gates of Edo castles by writing yourself a memo. If you believe you have memorized it all, you may make a mistake. The day before the duty day, read the memo again to make sure." Nagashige also stressed the importance o f habituated discipline and good manners. He advised that, in order to be a good officer, one should first learn reading and writing, and master ways of formal greeting and addressing.”

Ikegami, E., Disciplining the japanese: The reconstruction of social control in tokugawa, japan - UMI, Havard Ubivesity 1989, p. 108-109, 113

Rating system

Source toshidama-japanese-prints.com

A new interpretation of the concept of honor and hierarchy is approved by the Tokugawa shogunate through a detailed dress code for daimyo and high samurai. Kimino type, pattern, hairstyle and ceremonial dresses are regulated in detail. Local daimyo set a similar code for their subordinates.

A samurai's costume depends on the ranking of his house in the kaku ranking system. This status is determined through the amount of the scholarship, which depends on the achievements of the samurai family in establishing the Tokugawa shogunate. Subsequently, the status affects the scholarships awarded to their descendants. Gaining hereditary prestige does not imply automatic admission to public office, but a descendant of a samurai with a higher ranking starts service at a higher level than the rest. In fact, it is easier to get a promotion than raise one's prestige.

It is through this new bureaucracy that Tokugawa's power extends deep into the countryside, and the samurai becomes the role model for the rest of society. 

Promotion also affects kakuu's ranking, but more often they are not directly dependent on each other. This is an honorary ranking system that does not give direct power, but shows the level of status of the samurai in society. Accordingly, the samurai bureaucrats direct their zeal not so much towards material as towards status rewards. The struggle for promotion is limited to the struggle to gain and maintain prestige.

The social control of the samurai class is achieved by including them in the system of the bureaucracy. Economic growth and urbanization devalue a stable stipend, and the samurai class is gradually but steadily getting poorer. In particular, this affects the numerous lower ranks, which every year find it increasingly difficult to observe the external attributes of status. They accumulate debts that are difficult to pay off. Many are forced to pawn property, including their own swords, but in order not to lose face, they publicly wear well-camouflaged bamboo imitations.

A new interpretation of the concept of honor and hierarchy is affirmed through a detailed dress code.

Strictly regulated:

• Kimino type,
• Pattern,
• Hairstyle
• Ceremonial dresses.

Rigid fixation of the status of the samurai through the rating system has the following effects:

• Economic growth and urbanization devalue a stable stipend;
• The samurai class is gradually but steadily getting poorer;
• Samurai accumulate debts that are difficult to pay off;
• Many are forced to pawn their property.

Fashion as a means of social control

Source hayakawajunpei.tumblr.com

Fashion in 16th century Japan is a strict social attitude that reinforces the state hierarchy. The official code of fashion is a system of honor applied to nobles and officials. Since ordinary people are not considered honorary, in the class of commoners, the hierarchy in appearance is not specially established, it is important that they differ from the upper classes for the worse.

The institutional rules of fashion are firmly embedded in the public consciousness, these principles are reproduced spontaneously at the lower levels of society, both through direct imitation and in manifestations of counterculture. Appearance gives a clear signal about a social position of a person and requires an appropriate attitude from others, and from the bearer of the status of a certain behavior. Each professional group develops its own style, its own hierarchy, which are strikingly different from each other.

• The dress code is highly regulated;
• The right to fashion is an honor system;
• The difference between estates is important;
• The lower classes adapt the system through imitation;
• Specific differences are formed in social subgroups;
• A trendy counterculture is emerging.

For example, the well-known hairstyle with a partially selected head - “chonmage” - was previously adapted by the samurai by analogy with the aristocracy of the 8th-12th centuries. 

It also had a practical purpose - a shaved head protects against overheating under a combat helmet. This tradition has been preserved in peacetime as a visible sign of the status of a warrior. The style spread to the lower classes, but as an honorary imitation, so the length of the hair of such a hairstyle is shortened. Today, an example of chonmage can be seen among sumo wrestlers.

Protest movement and counterculture

collections.mfa.org

At the beginning of the Tokugawa period, a radical reorganization of society takes place, and not all of its elements are ready for absolute submission to the new order. There is tension in society, which is exacerbated by unresolved issues of morality and honor. The samurai, who traditionally allow themselves to lynch commoners and engage in personal squabbles, found themselves in a situation of suppression by a system that could not be confronted directly. And this confrontation took an unexpected turn.

Already in 1615, a spontaneous movement “kabukimono” appeared, which consisted in deliberate deviations of the appearance of the samurai from the prescriptions of the charters. Kabukimono is a demonstrative, impractical fashion and defiant demeanor designed to irritate power structures.

A law against this movement was passed in the same year, and establishes a prison term for a person displaying such a fashion, and a fine for his owner.

Shiratsuka Gumi (しらつかぐみ) - "White Handle Group", wear clothes with non-standardized white patterns, and their swords have white elements in the hilt and scabbard. Members of the group arrange hooligan antics, disrupting public order in Edo. There were also groups of imitators among the lower classes. Members of the Shiratsuka Gumi arrested and executed in 1664.

But this does not stop the movement, and high-ranking samurai are often accompanied by servants dressed in kabukimono fashion. To the amusement of their owners, they brazenly behave in public places, provoking scandals and fights, dance and sing in obnoxious manner. Such behavior becomes a problem of social control of society, since the behavior of kabukimono has its influence on both the lower and upper strata of society. The challenge that this culture poses to the system is perceived as equal to military prowess.

Such people are called otokodate - "courageous fashionista" who retains the honor of a warrior and his own dignity despite the fact that such behavior can be life-threatening. Otokodate culture and kabukimono culture provide horizontal solidarity in Japanese society that blurred government-imposed boundaries of status.

Samurai discipline and the rules of corporate culture

Source library.metro.tokyo.lg.jp

The moral principles and hierarchical discipline of the samurai begin to manifest themselves into the merchant class. Disciplinary codes strictly regulate the rules of dress and manners of employees, but the internal rating is based not on the system of social prestige, but on the length of service of the employee. 

Shirokiya (白木屋) 1662 clothing store

First rules of conduct 1671, two articles only:

• obedience to the rules of the Great State Power (shogunate),
• always be humble and honest and not mess with prostitutes.

From the middle of the 18th century, the rules became more complicated: the rules of corporate conduct (Oieno Kunki) define a strict hierarchy of employees.

• in the middle of the 18th century, the Edo branch of the company had about 150 employees.
• all employees, from general managers to teenage apprentices (dekchi), lived in apartments in the shop building.

The five levels of differentiation also apply to the employee's personal belongings, as well as the types and quantities of clothing. Under such conditions, it becomes natural to work for a promotion that guarantees improved privileges and a dignified appearance. It marks an indirect transfer of the technology of samurai discipline into society.

“Only those who came to the Edo branch in the same year had equal status. I had to politely address those who were even a year older. This strategy of controlling employees through differentiation of mannerisms and appearance by establishing a hierarchical order was evidently drawn from samurai organizations. It is assumed that in the emerging formal structure of merchant houses, they had a cultural affinity for the formal etiquette and manners of samurai society.

Large trading houses with strict internal control principles naturally worried about the manners and etiquette of employees in relation to customers. Kobayashi Choji's rules for employees at the end of the Tokugawa period emphasized the importance of etiquette and good manners towards customers.”

Ikegami, E., Disciplining the japanese: The reconstruction of social control in tokugawa, japan - UMI, Havard Ubivesity 1989, p. 228

The quality of an employee's suit improves with time of work, discipline is maintained by strict differentiation in all elements of clothing: in appearance, you can instantly determine the level of an employee in the organization, which constantly reminds each employee of his place in this hierarchy.

Such an independent reproduction of hierarchical control in the merchant class is an indirect transfer of the technology of samurai discipline to society. Although the example of kabukimono shows that defiant behavior can affect all sections of society, the natural desire to imitate those of higher status should be noted. Thus, through the adoption of superficial elements of clothing and behavior, lower communities acquire the appearance of a “social elevator” that is usually not available to them. Legislative prohibition, in this case, is an amplifier of such desire.

Conclusions

Source googleusercontent.com

It should be noted that at the beginning of the Tokugawa period, the changes that took place were aimed specifically at pacifying and unifying the country. The government solves the following social tasks by implementing specific approach in following areas:

• The control of an individual's behavior is ensured through the pressure of his own status group, which removes the need for direct control over the private life of citizens. The source of the hierarchy is the central authority, which requires collective responsibility from the lower strata of society.
• The fight against the emergence of opposition is carried out through the forced demonstration of signs of status. The authorities can easily add or remove them, but it is practically impossible for the holder of the status to change appearance without losing face. Since the loss of honor for a samurai is worse than death, the constant struggle for the level and signs of status takes away his time, leaving no strength and resources to prepare a rebellion.
• The strengthening of social control occurs through the creation of a bureaucracy with a hard rating, which becomes the standard of manners and behavior for the rest of society. So the central government extends its influence to all levels of society.

Social Innovation of Tokugawa Ieyasu period:

• Separation of the warrior and peasant class;
• Establishing the autonomy of the village;
• Transition to family contracting in production and management;
• Establishment of economic relations with the peasantry;
• Redistribution of regional managers;
• Introduction of a system of obligatory expenses of subordinates;
• Reform and relaxation of legal codes;
• Strengthening the delimitation of social classes;
• The introduction of fashion and etiquette as an indicator of status;
• Introduction of the philosophy of equality between civil and military service;
• Organization of the bureaucracy with non-material rating.

The example of Japan demonstrates that it is possible to create a stable society, even after several centuries of internecine wars. The rating system, provided that direct control is not abused, can be a useful tool starting from the level of small groups that can be scaled up to the whole country.

Sources

Ikegami, E. (1989). Disciplining the japanese: The reconstruction of social control in tokugawa, japan  web 2021

Hayami, Akira, Japan’s Industrious Revolution: Economic and Social Transformations in the Early Modern Period web 2021

Hur, Nam-lin. Death and Social Order in Tokugawa Japan: Buddhism, Anti-Christianity, and the Danka System. 1st ed., vol. 282, web 2021

A. Krivolutsky (2015 ) “Reflection of the socio-political structure of medieval Japan in the country's legislation”, FGBOU, web 2021

50+ web pages and videos.

Source globalvoices.org