Contents
- 1 Interesting Facts About the Japanese Shogunate
- 1.0.1 RELATED POSTS
- 1.0.2 India: Maharashtra
- 1.0.3 Scandinavia: Sámi (North Sámi)
- 1.0.4 1) The first clans of Japan were called “uji.”
- 1.0.5 2) The Chinese philosophy of Confucianism greatly influenced Japanese leaders.
- 1.0.6 3) Japanese clans were stronger than the Emperor.
- 1.0.7 4) Early shoguns knew little about military strategy.
- 1.0.8 5) The shogunate was not supposed to be permanent.
- 1.0.9 6) Shoguns ruled Japan for seven centuries.
- 1.0.10 7) Society was highly stratified under the shoguns.
- 1.0.11 8) The shogunate was briefly overthrown in 1333.
- 1.0.12 9) Shoguns were patrons of Zen arts and culture.
- 1.0.13 10) Shoguns were collectors and builders.
- 1.0.14 11) Castle-building was popular under the shogunate.
- 1.0.15 12) Feudal Japanese towns were mostly wood.
- 1.0.16 13) Clan leaders desired contact with the West, but the shoguns were skeptical.
- 1.0.17 14) Japan’s strict trading rules kept out most foreigners.
- 1.0.18 15) Edo was the largest city in the world in the 18th century.
- 1.0.19 16) Europeans accidentally discovered Japan.
- 1.0.20 17) Several shoguns were assassinated by their own family.
- 1.0.21 18) The Japanese shogunate ended in 1868.
Interesting Facts About the Japanese Shogunate
The Japanese shogunate was a system of military dictatorship that governed the country during its feudal period and into the modern era.
Shoguns held a vast amount of power as the true leaders of Japan. Emperors who “ruled” during the centuries of shogun control were mere figureheads.
![shogunate](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
The history of Japan’s shoguns is long, complex, and fascinating. Fans of samurai and general Japanese history and culture will enjoy learning more about these powerful men and their rise to influence.
The following are 18 interesting facts about Japan before the shogunate, the rise of shoguns, and life under shogun rule.
1) The first clans of Japan were called “uji.”
Before shoguns, daimyo, and samurai, Japan was separated into uji clans. These early clans operated under a feudal system that predated and informed that of the powerful shogunate.
2) The Chinese philosophy of Confucianism greatly influenced Japanese leaders.
Japan borrowed and adapted Confucianism to fit its own unique culture and government. Confucianism was influential in centralizing Japan’s government and inspired the Taika reforms.
Through Confucian principles, Japanese leaders introduced centralized taxation, land distribution, military conscription and more.
Powerful clan leaders pushed back against these centralization measures, however, and many were not successful.
3) Japanese clans were stronger than the Emperor.
Clans became powerful enough to rise up against Japan’s emperors thanks to the professionalization of their militaries. Conscripted soldiers were trained to fight the Emishi people of northern Japan, but they also could be used against the emperor if desired.
4) Early shoguns knew little about military strategy.
![emishi territory](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632270_522_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
The shogunate was created to fight the enemy Emishi people of northern Japan. One would think that the shogun would be chosen for his military capabilities, but the earliest shoguns were actually aristocrats inexperienced with war.
The shogunate would evolve to be a military dictatorship as the shogun gained power over the emperor himself.
5) The shogunate was not supposed to be permanent.
![Japan clans](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632271_285_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
The shogunate was originally created for times of military crisis. A strong leader was needed to fight against the Emishi and other people deemed threatening.
The position of “general who quells barbarians” gradually became permanent and hereditary as the emperors weakened and shoguns passed their titles on to family members.
6) Shoguns ruled Japan for seven centuries.
The hereditary nature of the shogunate meant that shoguns held onto their power for centuries of Japan’s history. The military dictators claimed their legitimacy through “nomination” by the emperor, who could do little to stop new shoguns from taking over.
7) Society was highly stratified under the shoguns.
![Japanese peasants](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632272_485_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Life under a shogun differed greatly depending on one’s social status. Daimyo (clan leaders and landowners) and samurai enjoyed privileges while tradespeople and peasants worked hard and lived modestly.
8) The shogunate was briefly overthrown in 1333.
![Emperor Go-Daigo](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632273_267_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Emperor Go-Daigo successfully overthrew the Kamakura shogun in 1333 and held onto power until 1337, when the Ashikaga shogun Takauji reclaimed the shogunate.
9) Shoguns were patrons of Zen arts and culture.
![Zen garden](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632274_969_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Like the samurai class, shoguns enjoyed Zen culture and arts like gardens, literature, the tea ceremony, and ink painting.
![ink painting Japan](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632275_633_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Noh dance drama was another favorite form of entertainment for shoguns.
10) Shoguns were collectors and builders.
![Golden pavilion](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632276_736_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Shoguns used their wealth and status to build ornate pavilions and other structures across Japan. Many shoguns also collected artwork and tea utensils.
11) Castle-building was popular under the shogunate.
![Japanese castle](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632277_894_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
By the year 1615, clan leaders under the shogun built a whopping 200 castles across Japan.
12) Feudal Japanese towns were mostly wood.
![wooden buildings Kyoto](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632278_857_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Japanese houses during the reign of the shoguns were crafted from wood and paper materials. Outer walls were fortified with stone to protect against enemies.
13) Clan leaders desired contact with the West, but the shoguns were skeptical.
![Japan trade 1600s](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632279_32_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Daimyo of the 16th and 17th centuries saw the perks of opening Japan to trade with foreigners like the Europeans and Chinese. Weapons and other supplies could be obtained through shrewd business deals.
However, shoguns were more skeptical of Western influence in Japan. Leaders cut Japan off from the influences of the Dutch, English, and other Europeans to protect the traditions and governing structure of the country.
14) Japan’s strict trading rules kept out most foreigners.
![Tokugawa Ieyasu](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632280_336_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
The shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of trade with foreign countries through strict regulations. His permit system only allowed for specific companies to trade in Japan.
Only twelve trading companies from Europe and eleven from China are known to have gained permits under Tokugawa Ieyasu.
15) Edo was the largest city in the world in the 18th century.
![tokyo](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632281_749_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Edo, known today as Tokyo, was a huge city even back in the 1700s. It boasted a population of around one million people in 1721, making it the largest city in the world at the time.
16) Europeans accidentally discovered Japan.
The first visit to Japan by Europeans in 1544 happened by accident after a Portuguese ship was blown off course in a storm. This first landing would set in motion several centuries of rocky trade relations between Japan and Europe.
17) Several shoguns were assassinated by their own family.
![Minamoto no Sanetomo](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632282_999_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
Perhaps unsurprising due to their powerful position, shoguns faced the threat of assassination throughout their rule. Several were murdered by their own family members.
Minamoto no Sanetomo, one of the earliest shoguns, was murdered by his own nephew. This nephew would in turn be assassinated. These events marked the extinction of the Minamoto shoguns and the rise of the Fujiwara leaders.
18) The Japanese shogunate ended in 1868.
![Emperor Meiji](https://tribe-jewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712632283_709_18-Interesting-Facts-About-Shoguns-2024-Updated.jpg)
After centuries of complete control, the shogunate reached its end with the 1868 Meiji Restoration. This period ushered in attempts to modernize, and the shogunate was seen as outdated.
The last shogun to rule Japan was Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
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