Asakawa Kan’ichi: The 1917 Discovery In The Japanese Feudal System
Fig. Manor, feudal Europe
Artist
Limbourg
brothers (fl. 1402–1416) wikidata:Q217816
and
Barthélemy
d'Eyck (fl. 1444–1469) wikidata:Q725551
image
of artwork listed in title parameter on this page
Title
Très
Riches Heures du duc de Berry Folio 3, verso: March
Part
of Très Riches Heures du duc de
Berry Edit this at Wikidata
Object
type manuscript illumination Edit this at
Wikidata
Genre genre art Edit this at Wikidata
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les_Tr%C3%A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_mars.jpg
This is in the public domain.
Fig. Feudal Japanese castle and surrounds. Azuchi.
World History website:
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10961/azuchi-castle/
This
is in the public domain.
Fig. Asakawa Kan’ichi
"Kan'ichi Asakawa Papers (MS 40).
Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library."
https://japanesehistory.yale.edu/about
Asakawa Kan’ichi (1873 –1948) was a Professor of History at Yale, a peace advocate, and a curator at the Yale Library. Born in Japan as the son of a samurai, he spent the majority of his life in America.
Fig. The Asakawa trajectory
In 1917, Asakawa visited his home country (see Fig. The Asakawa trajectory) and discovered the documents retained by the Iriki-in family in Iriki, Kyushu. (See Fig . Iriki) The documents span well over 700 years, from the 12th to the 19th century, and cover various aspects of the estate’s administration, such as land disputes, taxation, military service, and judicial proceedings. His study resulted in a book entitled “Documents of Iriki” in 1929 [1]. It took him 12 years to make the discovery as a book. The book contains an English translation and commentary of a collection of historical documents. The book also includes essays by Asakawa on the historical significance and interpretation of the documents
Source:
Google Earth
Data
Ldeo Columbia
NSF
NOAA Image Landsat/Copernicus
Fig.
Iriki-in Buke yashiki (samurai residence).
Iriki is the name of a place whereas Iriki-in is a samurai family
name in Iriki. The family still resides in Iriki.
This
is a schematic picture. Interested reader can visit the following website of
Iriki at
https://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/guide/10439
He was fascinated by the continuity and
uniqueness of the estate’s institutions, which he believed to be representative
of Japan’s feudal system. He also wanted to introduce Japanese primary sources
to Western scholars, who were mostly unfamiliar with Japan’s history and
culture. It would be worth noting that in order to comprehend those old
documents, one needs to decipher komonjo style of the Japanese writings.
They are a highly deformed version of the Japanese writings. For instance, Fig.
Komonjo is a letter from Oda Nobunaga to Nishi Honganji, a
powerful Buddhist temple in the 16th century. (unrelated to the Iriki
documents) One must be trained to decipher those writings which is highly
challenging to ordinary Japanese let alone non-Japanese people.
Fig.
A Komonjo. Source: Wikipedia at
It is in the public domain.
The book is 575 pages such that it is
difficult to thoroughly digest for a layman like myself, however, the real amazement
to me is the fact that he discovered such documents existed in an obscure place
more than 1000 km from Tokyo. (see Fig. Iriki)
One of the important findings was that while
there are several striking similarities between the Japanese feudal system and
that of Western
Europe as indicated by Fig. Feudal
Systems in Europe and Japan, there are clear distinctions between them.
Fig. A Komonjo. Source: Wikipedia at
The book is 575 pages such that it is difficult to thoroughly digest for a layman like myself, however, the real amazement to me is the fact that he discovered such documents existed in an obscure place more than 1000 km from Tokyo. (see Fig. Iriki)
One of the important findings was that while
there are several striking similarities between the Japanese feudal system and
that of Western
Europe as indicated by Fig. Feudal
Systems in Europe and Japan, there are clear distinctions between them.
Some of the similarities are:
a. Both
systems had a hierarchical class structure, with a king or emperor at the top,
followed by lords or shogun, vassals or daimyo, warriors or samurai/knights,
and serfs or
hyakusho/merchants/artisans at the bottom. The Japanese system
is from the Tokugawa period. Earlier system was slightly different even though
basic structure was the same.
b. Both
systems relied on the service and loyalty of the warriors, who were bound by a
code of honor and ethics, such as chivalry or bushido.
c. Both
systems involved land grants from the lords to the vassals in exchange for
military service and protection.
d. Both systems had an influence of religion. In the west, it had a strong influence of the Catholic Church, which played a role in the political and social affairs of the society. The Japanese feudal system had Buddhism. Those religions gave spiritual background of the feudal systems.
Distinctions are:
1. In
feudal Japan, the Emperor held a position of significant cultural and symbolic
importance, but unlike European kings, they did not wield direct political
power in the same way. The Japanese feudal system was characterized by a
complex web of power relationships, with real political authority being
exercised by other entities such as the Shogunate, regional daimyos (feudal
lords), and samurai.
The
Emperor's power was largely symbolic and religious in nature. The Emperor was
considered the highest authority in Shinto religion, which played a central
role in Japanese society. As the spiritual leader, the Emperor performed
rituals and ceremonies that were crucial for the well-being of the country and
its people. The concept of the "Imperial Court" was an integral part
of Japanese culture, and the Emperor was seen as a unifying figure who
connected the people to their historical and cultural roots.
The
Shogunate, on the other hand, held the actual political power in feudal Japan.
The Shogun was a military leader who effectively ruled the country on behalf of
the Emperor. The Kamakura, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa Shogunates were the main
periods of Shogunate rule in Japanese history. The Shogun managed
administrative and military matters, controlled the samurai class, and oversaw
the governance of the country.
The daimyos were feudal lords who held control
over specific territories. They pledged allegiance to the Shogun and were
responsible for managing their domains, collecting taxes, maintaining order,
and providing military service in times of conflict. The samurai served as the
warrior class and were bound to their daimyos through a feudal system based on
loyalty and military service.
In comparison to Europe's feudal systems, where kings often held significant political and administrative power, the Japanese Emperor's authority was more akin to a spiritual and cultural figurehead. While the Emperor's position was revered, their direct involvement in political matters was limited, especially during periods when strong Shogunates were in power.
2. Europe’s manor and Japan’s shoen are different as shown by the following table (from [2] modified by the author) :
3. The European feudal system lasted from approximately 800 to 1400 CE, while the Japanese feudal system lasted from approximately 1192 to 1868 CE. Japan’s borders were closed for much of this time, which allowed for the feudal system to be preserved without outside influence.
It is worth noting that while contemporary Western civilization has evolved significantly since the decline of feudalism, there are several aspects that can trace their roots back to the feudal system.
[1] Asakawa, K., “The Documents of Iriki : illustrative of the development of the feudal institutions of Japan”. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1929
Courtesy of Waseda Univrsity Library
[2] Yabuki, S. “Tenno-sei to Asakawa
Shigaku”, Waseda University Asakawa Kan-ichi Gakujutsu Kyokai Seminar, 2020
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