<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > a well-behaved samurai </h1>
Japan's Edo period, is the origin of many core elements of modern Japan, many people think that the samurai as the ruling class of Japan, consumed a lot of Japan's wealth, and according to relevant information, The Japanese samurai in life is very concise, so the real life of the Japanese samurai is luxury or frugality?
During the Edo period, the shogunate established an identity system to maintain its rule, and this system was transformed by the will of the individual, and both daimyō and samurai lived in a strict social identity order. The samurai, on the other hand, were the rulers of the entire class, and they were fundamentally different from the other classes, enjoying both privileges and defender privileges.
On the other hand, there was also a complex identity order within the samurai class. The qualifications and social hierarchy of the samurai's family are called "family qualities", which are embodied in the samurai's "stone height". "Stone" is the unit of volume, and "high" is the quantity. Ishigaki was a unit of land measurement in the Edo period, expressed in terms of the amount of gentemi produced on the land, showing the size of the samurai domain and being the benchmark for identity order.
Samurai must abide by many of the norms of the identity system, which is a mandatory requirement of laws and systems. The samurai as the ruling class distinguished it from other social classes, and every samurai had an obligation to maintain this status, otherwise he would be punished. Samurai also strictly adhered to the hierarchy of identities within the class. In the shogunate and the administrative bodies of the various domains, samurai could only perform positions corresponding to their own class. To hold an official position at a certain level, it is first necessary to see whether he was born in the corresponding family style, born in a low family, no matter how outstanding the talent can not be high, there are different rules for the samurai of different family personalities, there must be no slightest trespassing, otherwise they will be punished.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > employment expenses</h1>
Of the financial expenditure of the daimyo lords, the expenditure of hiring courtiers accounted for a large proportion. The shogunate system stipulated that the daimyo lords must have a certain number of vassals to perform their duties accordingly, and the daimyo clan mainly paid salaries to the vassals. The system of posts in each clan generally included the "family elders" who were in charge of the government affairs, the guards of the guard, the employment of the imperial side, the temple society, as well as the cooks, physicians, and a large number of subordinate courtiers.
The employment of vassals in each domain was a considerable expense, and the "Attendance confession" system greatly increased the employment expenses of the daimyō. In order to control the daimyōs of various regions, the shogunate stipulated that the major names should go to Edo within a certain period of time to meet the shogun and serve in the shogunate, and return to the domain after the expiration of the period.
When the daimyo went to Edo, he had to bring a large number of military and political personnel to provide services to the shogunate, and a government system similar to that of the domain was set up in the Edo mansion. Salaries were paid to the vassals and servants on both sides of the Edo and domains, which directly caused the daimyo to spend double financial expenses. During the tenmei-kusan period in the middle and late Edo period, the expenditure of the Tsuyama domain in Edo and the domain reached more than 6,000 taels respectively, because the employment expenditure was multiplied by the participation in the accounting, which was a considerable burden on the finances of each domain.
Not only did the daimyo clan mainly pay salaries to their vassals, but ordinary samurai also spent on this. Under the shogunate system, the samurai had to bear certain military obligations, so the samurai had to hire a certain number of servants according to their status. Admittedly, it was very difficult for the samurai to fulfill their duties without compromise. Because the actual income of the samurai is decreasing, while the salary of the minions is rising.
For example, in the Yoshioka family of the Ōkubo family of the Odawara Domain, the height of the territorial stone has always been 340 stones, but the actual amount of rice in hand is decreasing. During the Yuan Lu period, the actual amount of rice received by the Yoshioka family as a recipient was equivalent to about 40% of the amount of stone height. By the second half of the 18th century, the Yoshioka family actually received only eight percent of the amount of rice they received. Servants, on the other hand, have been rising. In the late Edo period and the early Edo period, the salaries of male servants had risen to 3 times and the number of maids had risen to 2 times, and under such blows, the samurai could only reduce the number of servants. Despite this, the samurai continued to fulfill their employment obligations, and the number of servants was replenished when the economic situation improved slightly, so the cost of employment remained a certain proportion of the samurai family's expenditure. Roughly speaking, the expenditure of samurai to employ servants accounted for 30% to 40% of the income throughout the Edo period, and the decrease in the number of servants did not affect the proportion of their expenses in the expenses of samurai families, which was always quite a considerable pressure on the samurai economy.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" daily life expenditure ></h1>
The samurai were separated from the land and lived on a fixed salary, with limited income. Since a part of the huge "identity cost" cannot be saved as a necessary expense, the only thing that can be saved is the daily living expenses, and the samurai do their best to be frugal to meet the necessary living expenses. The lord of the clan would also teach the samurai to be frugal.
For example, the Kumamoto lord's "Book of The Marquis of Higo" said: "Three meals of soup dishes, such as those prepared by the servants of the Sun, vegetarian food at dawn and night, one soup and one dish, and fish can be used at noon, etc., but also one soup and two dishes." Looking forward to the festive season, it is no different from the usual day. At the beginning of the year, when the family law is thrifty. There can be no negligence.
The Kumamoto domain has 540,000 stones, which is one of the few largest clans, and the lord of the clan refuses to eat as much as he wants. The daimyo lords not only did not have a luxurious diet in their own homes, but also required samurai in the domain, and many clans formulated special rules and regulations for this purpose. Under such discipline and regulation, the samurai were not extravagant in their diet, even the samurai in high positions.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > frugality in life</h1>
In addition to diet, samurai frugality manifested itself in other aspects of daily life. Many daimyōs of the Edo period made various admonitions for the daily use of samurai.
The Sakai Tadatomo Family Training stipulates, "Since the previous generation, those who dress have been suitable for the ordinary, and it is useless to seek magnificence." In case of unavoidable circumstances, it can be decided in consultation with the annual mail.
The "Nian Mail" was a heavy minister in charge of government affairs, and the samurai who wore a better dress had to ask him for instructions to report, which made a clear institutional guarantee for frugality. Under such advocacy and regulation, the actual life of the samurai as a whole was very simple. From the perspective of living conditions, although the samurai mansion covers a large area, the internal architecture and decoration are not luxurious. Regardless of the height of the samurai, the mansion was not decorated with gold paintings, and the roof was covered with thatch or wooden planks. It was not until the late Edo period that tile roofs appeared more often in samurai mansions.
In addition, if worn, the samurai is also very frugal. During the tenmei period in the middle and late Edo period, the Tsuyama Domain spent a huge amount of money on employment and gifts in the domain and Edo during the year, and the annual expenditure was almost two or more, but the cost of daily necessities and clothing was very economical, and there were often only a few expenses in a year.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
Judging from the state of the samurai's daily living expenses, the samurai were frugal except for the necessary expenses. In the strict order of identity, whether it is a daimyo lord or an ordinary samurai, the samurai must complete the consumption behaviors such as employment and etiquette that accompany identity. These expenditures were part of the samurai's obligations and could not be cut back to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. Faced with the current situation of the samurai's economic embarrassment, the shogunate and each clan demanded that the samurai live frugally, in addition to adjusting through the reform of the shogunate and the feudal government. Due to the limitations of economic conditions and related regulations, life was often very simple, whether it was a daimyo lord or an ordinary samurai.
The samurai's frugality in daily life was largely spent on maintaining the samurai's status. The reason why the samurai are in this state of life is closely related to their social existence and economic situation. Samurai lived in an order of identity, and identity meant rights, while requiring samurai to fulfill their obligations accordingly. When Wu Tu did his best to fulfill the requirements, it in turn strengthened the identity system and the actual social order. Fundamentally, the stability of the shogunate system was based on identity order, and while the samurai maintained the identity order, they also maintained the stability of the shogunate system and maintained the stability of the samurai class rule.