Feudal Society: Medieval Europe vs. Japan's Modernization

Introduction: Feudalism as a Framework

This essay evaluates the concept of medieval feudalism as defined in Feudal Society by Marc Bloch, and compares it to a modern developing nation where the concept of feudalism has been applied to describe the changes and challenges that country faced in modernizing. Japan and its modernization after World War II is an instructive example of a country that emerged from a feudalistic tradition and transformed into a modern and viable nation-state.

Core Features of Feudal Society in Bloch's Model

Feudal society as described by Bloch is a frankly military society that revolves around military service and a lord who requires service from his vassals in return for land grants, called fiefs. The lord or liege was a hierarchical figure, and in late medieval times he may have granted fiefs for other types of service rather than purely military ones. Essentially, the principle as Bloch defines it is that of an obligation owed to the leader or ruler of the area, and it affected all areas of society. Most historians and experts agree that the feudal states of Europe and the rest of the world eventually developed into modern nation-states. Indeed, this framework has consistently been applied to the Asian nations of China and Japan, for a variety of reasons.

Japanese Feudalism: Similarities with Europe

Japan was a feudalistic society well into the 19th century — as late as 1867 (Scalapino 3). In fact, Japan resisted modernization until heavily influenced by Western culture and ideas. In Japan, feudalism consisted of landowner groups who commanded large numbers of peasants who worked in their fields. These people were quite close to nature, something they shared with their European counterparts, as Bloch notes: "The men of the two feudal ages were close to nature — much closer than we are" (Bloch 72). This observation is important for a number of reasons. Japan's main economy was based in agriculture, and Japanese culture has always maintained a close relationship with the natural world, far more so than Western culture.

In addition, formal education was not especially important in Japanese feudalism, just as it was not in European feudalism. Few people of the peasant class could read or write, and literacy was not essential to their daily existence. Like the feudal system in Europe, the feudal system in Japan revolved around the lord and vassal, and the vassal was often a military warrior. However, there was one significant difference. In feudal Japan, the relationship between vassal and lord was not simply militaristic — there was a "familial" bond as well, which was often absent in European relationships. Moreover, Japanese vassals did not expect monetary reward or land in exchange for service. As one historian notes, "In theory the vassal owed service to his lord simply because he was his lord, and he did not claim, though he might reasonably hope for, protection and reward" (Sansom 291).

Both European and Japanese feudal societies were religiously grounded. In Europe, many vassals followed their lords into battle during the Christian Crusades. In Japan, Buddhism was the dominant faith and relied on monks as church leaders, much as Christianity in Europe relied on its clergy. However, the Japanese did not fight for their faith as Europeans did. As Sansom explains:

"In Japan, there arose no such circumstances to identify feudal and religious interests. Buddhism had spread over the whole Far Eastern world, and even Khubilai Khan's Mongols had come under its influence when they invaded Japan; so that it would have been difficult for a Japanese Peter the Hermit to rouse the Minamoto vassals by crying that dangers assailed the faith" (Sansom 294).

Thus, religion, agriculture, societal needs, and the economy were all important in both feudal societies, but they developed differently, and there were certainly as many differences as there were commonalities.

Conclusion

Feudalism can be applied to many early societies, and it served a valid purpose at a time when people needed structure and strong leadership in their lives. Feudalism gave the world some of the greatest monuments to culture, from castles to cathedrals that still stand today. It also produced despotic rulers who cared more for their own profits than for the welfare of their peasants. It was a period of change — one that ultimately led to greater freedoms and more complex societies than had ever existed before.

Modern nation-states owe much of their current success to the lessons learned from the feudal system, as Japan's trajectory clearly demonstrates. Elements of feudalism may still be observed in societies where governments maintain strong centralized control and keep their populations in a weakened position, but feudalism is no longer a valid model for modern governance. It is antiquated and limiting. Nevertheless, it served a vital purpose at the time it developed and thrived, and its legacy continues to shape the political and social structures of societies around the world.

References

Bloch, Marc. Feudal Society. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1961.

Sansom, G.B. Japan: A Short Cultural History. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1978.

Scalapino, Robert A. Democracy and the Party Movement in Prewar Japan. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1953.