ROLE OF MILITARY IN THE EMPIRE
Samurai Warriors
Warriors of the Tokugawa Shogunate Empire were known as a samurai. The samurai abided by the code of "Bushido" which roughly translates into "Way of the Warrior". Bushido revolves around the concepts of honor and loyalty to the Daimyo. If the code of Bushido was not followed, the samurai ran himself through with his sword. This form of suicide, known as Seppuku, was considered more honorable than living on after breaking the code.
A typical samurai warrior a colorful set of clothing underneath their body armor. The armor was made by tying metal and leather scales together with a string. The warriors also wore horned helmets and fierce masks to scare the enemy. A Samurai's weapons included spears, halberds, war fans, bows, and the iconic double swords. In the 16th century, samurai also fought with muskets.
A typical samurai warrior a colorful set of clothing underneath their body armor. The armor was made by tying metal and leather scales together with a string. The warriors also wore horned helmets and fierce masks to scare the enemy. A Samurai's weapons included spears, halberds, war fans, bows, and the iconic double swords. In the 16th century, samurai also fought with muskets.
Hierarchy of Military
The social hierarchy of Japan was almost completely dominated by the military. The person who supposedly had the highest rank was the Emperor. Although he had the highest rank, the Shogun, or military general, was the one who actually had the most political power. Underneath the Shogun were Daimyo, who were large land owners. Underneath the the Diamoyo were the Samurai. Below the Samurai were the ronin, who were paid foot soldiers. As you can see, the highest positions of Feudal Society in Japan were dominated by the warrior class. Underneath the all these classes were the peasants, artisans, and merchants.
The Military's Role in Society
The Military played a huge role in the society of Feudal Japan. Obviously, the strong military of ancient Japanese society gave Japan a lot of power. As I stated earlier, the upper classes of the social pyramid were all dominated by the warrior caste. The Shogun, who was the general of the army, had all the power in ancient Japanese society. The entire warrior class was considered so much greater that than the other classes that the Samurai would often mistreat the peasants, artisans, and merchants. If a peasant even looked at a Samurai in a way that the Samurai didn't like, the Samurai had the right to kill the peasant. This led to many pheasants learning martial arts in order to protect themselves from the Samurai.
Siege of Osaka
The Siege of Osaka occurred in 1614 and was between the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori. Tokugawa launched a siege on Toyotomi's fortress in the city of Osaka. Tokugawa attacked and the two armies fought for a solid month before fighting stopped. Toyotomi had gathered a force of around 100,000 ronin within his walls, so Tokugawa's seige was unsuccessful.
Battle of Tennoji
The Battle of Tennoji was another conflict between the armies of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori that took place in 1615. Tokugawa once again laid siege to the city of Osaka in Japan, which was where Toyotomi's fortress was located. This caused the forces of Toyotomi launch a counter attack. Both sides kept fighting until Toyotomi's forces were eventually defeated. This battle resulted in the death of over 15,000 people.