Between the 12th and 19th centuries, feudal Japan had an elaborate four tier class system.
Feudal Japanese society was dominated by the samurai warrior class. Although they made up only about 10% of the population, samurai and their daimyo lords wielded enormous power. Samurai answered only to the daimyo for whom they worked. The daimyo, in turn, answered only to the shogun.
On the very pinnacle of society was the shogun, the military ruler. He was generally the most powerful daimyo; when the Tokugawa family seized power in 1603, the shogunate became hereditary. The Tokugawas ruled for 15 generations, until 1868.
Although the shoguns ran the show, they ruled in the name of the emperor. The emperor, his family and the court nobility had little power, but they were at least nominally above the shogun, and also above the four tier system.
The emperor served as a figurehead for the shogun, and as the religious leader of Japan.
Feudal Japanese society was dominated by the samurai warrior class. Although they made up only about 10% of the population, samurai and their daimyo lords wielded enormous power. Samurai answered only to the daimyo for whom they worked. The daimyo, in turn, answered only to the shogun.
On the very pinnacle of society was the shogun, the military ruler. He was generally the most powerful daimyo; when the Tokugawa family seized power in 1603, the shogunate became hereditary. The Tokugawas ruled for 15 generations, until 1868.
Although the shoguns ran the show, they ruled in the name of the emperor. The emperor, his family and the court nobility had little power, but they were at least nominally above the shogun, and also above the four tier system.
The emperor served as a figurehead for the shogun, and as the religious leader of Japan.