Bushi Regime In Japan Before Perry

The Emergence of a Regime as a by Product for Social Change

As a nation develops, it undergoes through a series of cultural, social, economic and political changes. Consequently establishing particular lifestyle and beliefs. In Japan Before Perry: A Short History, Totman presents to the reader the emergence of bushi as the ruling class during the Kamakura period. With the decline of the Taira family, Minamoto Yoritomo succeed to establish the bushi regime. Although bushi embraced samurai principles of honoring a master and remaining loyal under any given -even deadly- circumstance, a greater motive might have motivated men to become bushi. Japan was facing difficult times in which there was a claim for social change amongst the non-aristocratic
Yoritomo came from aristocratic families, much less social stratum favored the emergence of bushi dominance during the Kamakura period. In order to immortalize the establishment of power in favor of the Yorimoto family, bushi leaders partook in many changes that were applied to politics with the purpose of controlling the law. Yoritomo managed to dominate followers through the distribution of land in exchange for their service as bushi elite warriors. The japanese population was rapidly increasing as this nation-wide transformation was taking place, which might have been a potential reason to why many men became warriors. The need to sustain a family can be a consequence for the need to seek for new alternatives, give that bushi came from different backgrounds, including farmers. Even Though the political, economic and social circumstances that influenced the bushi emergence were narrowed down to the previously mentioned by Totman, I believe that the need for a change in Japan’s infrastructure was desired by all social classes. The imperial institution needed a new regime of order and the marginalized people needed new sustainable opportunities. The emergence of bushi might have been chaotic, yet progressive in means of the country’s
Bushi were known for being someone who served a master, someone who was willing to die at any give moment for the sake of honor. Such ideals were adopted from the samurai principles and beliefs; honor, self-discipline, deathly warriors, loyalty and obligation to serve a master for mutual interest. Bushi warriors were recompensed for their service of pride of death and devotion, therefore they were to be aware of the brevity of life. A symbiotic yet centralized relationship in which, it seems like bushi had more to lose than their master. Bushi relied on military organization, as well as feudal techniques of governance. As the bushi warriors rapidly increased in numbers, so did their standards. Bushi were also expected to promote the study of poetry, practiced painting and calligraphy. Little by little bushi created a concrete image of who bushi was. Despite the fact that bushi were categorized as warriors who would protect a particular person or group as long as they received a compensation, they were still a human being seeking for a voice or identity in a repressed