Author Topic: Castes, Laws, Currency and other Miscellania  (Read 3052 times)

Offline bhu

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Castes, Laws, Currency and other Miscellania
« on: June 29, 2014, 03:45:05 AM »
Castes vary from time to time in Japan, but I will be presenting the one for the Edo Period as it will be familiar to most players.  In order from highest to lowest they are:

Shi: Samurai
No: Peasants and farmers.
Ko: Artisans and craftsmen.
Sho Merchants.  Although they ad much wealth, they were regarded as leeches on society as they produced nothing.
Eta: People employed in professions regarded as religiously impure or defiling, such as butchers, midwives, tanners, etc.  People who came into contact with dead bodies (human or otherwise), or the products of them.  They are regarded as filth.
Hinin: "Non humans".  The Hinin have left caste society behind and become wanderers, or simply do not fit in within society.  They include beggars, prostitutes, itinerant entertainers and actors, unofficial mediums and diviners, or fugitives from justice.  One can also be assigned Hinin status as a legal punishment. 

Technically there are also the Shogun and the Emperor as castes unto themselves (as are the Kuge, or court nobles).  Castes do not become rigidly formalized until the Shogunate, and groups may feel free to not use the rules associated with castes if playing outside this period.  In earlier classical Japan there were two main classes with several subdivisions.  There were the Ryomin (good citizens) divided up into Kanjin (government officials), Komin (citizens), Shinabe (merchants) and Zakko (miscellaneous households).  Below them were the Senmin (low citizens) divided into the Ryoko (dedicated to the Imperial family or the guards of tombs), Kanko (dedicated to public ministries), Kenin (servants of high ranking families), Kunuhi (slaves of the court), and Shiuhi (slaves of the families). 

The Ryukyuan people were slightly different.  They had 9 different ranks of aristocratic hierarchy, followed by the rest of the populace (for whom I can find no ranking). 

The Ainu were a hunter-gatherer society who had no caste system.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2014, 12:05:02 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2014, 04:27:07 AM »
Shi

The warrior nobility comprise roughly 6% of the populace.  There are several ranks of Shi, one of which is technically the Shogun, though he (along with the Emperor and Imperial family) are considered to be above the caste systems.  Next come the Daimyo, feudal landowners second only to the Shogun.  They held military and police powers, as well as significant economic power within their province.  Under them were the Samurai, who were retainers for the Daimyo, granted a house and land by their masters.  Also within this caste would be the Bugyo (administrators and officials, lower levels of which were called Bugyonin), Bunji (Imperial court officials), Daikan (deputies and tax-collectors). Dairyo (district magistrates), Gennin (attendants of the Samurai), Hikan (retainers of low rank), the Kuge (court nobles, referred to as Kugyo if highly placed), Metsuke (undercover police and spies), and the Yoriki (policemen).    There are also the Chugen who are very low ranking retainers considered to be below the Samurai and who don't have permission to bear a sword (but they are still considered above the No peasantry).

Samurai ranks are largely hereditary, and even the most talented Samurai might never find themselves rising more than a few ranks above their birth.  At the top were the Daimyo's personal retainers and most trusted men, many of whom were wealthy enough to retain their own Samurai.  Mid Level Samurai held some military and bureaucratic positions.  Low Level Samurai were paid subsistence wages and worked as guards, messengers and clerks.  During hard times many Samurai suddenly found themselves unemployed as Ronin (or they were declared Ronin when being ordered to commit suicide alongside their master, and refusing).  This was a difficult position as Samurai were paid a stipend in rice based on the lands assigned to them and were legally not allowed to own land independent from their duties to their lord or engage in activities which would otherwise raise money as it was a distraction.  Some produced crafts on the side but this was considered highly demeaning, and thus one could be high in rank but live in abject poverty.  Ronin found themselves unemployed, and not likely to be re-employed in the future (and with no other legal option for making an income).  Their old Lord usually couldn't rehire them, and no one else would take them because they could not be sure of their loyalties.  Indeeed at some point the SHogunate forbade hiring them, and heavily restricted their movements until he realized he was causing them to revolt.  Thus many were reduced to becoming bandits, gamblers or murderers for hire.  Many could easily find themselves executed or reduced to Hinin status.  Others tried to remain true to their past by becoming scholars, joining the Buddhist priesthood, opening martial arts schools, or becoming bodyguards.

The Ninja clans also belong to this class as they began as Samurai Clans before becoming professional mercenaries and sowers of disinformation.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2014, 12:28:06 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2014, 04:38:44 AM »
No

The village peasants who are mostly rice farmers working for the various Daimyo comprise 80% of the remaining populace.  Some tried to rise through the ranks by becoming Ashigaru in the hopes of one day becoming a low level Samurai, as well as becoming low level police officers (though much of that became difficult under Tokugawa).  Village leaders (Dogo), sometimes had local political or military clout as well.  Most peasants never moved beyond their own village other than for seasonal work, and pilgrimages required some form of permit, a result of which is that villages became highly xenophobic.  Social bonding was necessary for the villages survival, and those who refused to conform could expect a beating or exile (which was effectively a death sentence).  They were one of the few classes that could be taxed, so they needed to produce enough rice to pay taxes and feed themselves.  If they didn't they could simply die out.  Some could become fairly wealthy and even enjoy influence, but were readily shown their place if necessary. 

Due to excessive taxation and unemployed Ronin murdering people villages had problems.  They needed Samurai to defend them from bandits, but the Samurai would often get drunk and simply hack the villagers down (as they were legally allowed to do so).  This eventually led to the formation of what would become the Yakuza. as a form of self defense against the nobility (employed or otherwise).  Villages were taxed as a unit, often as much as 40-50% of their entire crop, and if they failed to pay enough they were punished as a unit as well.  The village headman collected the taxes and pressured individual families to perform.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2014, 03:10:55 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2014, 03:01:05 AM »
Ko
10% of the population was made up of townsfolk (mostly Ko and Sho).  The Daimyo and Samurai lived in castles, and towns of merchants and craftsmen sprung up around them, with each class strictly relegated to it's own quarters.  The artisans made goods which were not necessary and so were seen as less valuable than the farmers (which is no way slowed the Samurai down from buying their goods as a way of displaying wealth).  Not all artisans were equal though.  Craftsmen who made the best weapons and armor could acquire lodging with the Emperor or Daimyo, and even acquire privileges similar to the Samurai.  Craftsmen who mad necessary items such as carpenters or smiths were afforded more respect than those who made more ephemeral materials (unless the local Daimyo was a patron of the arts).  While the nobility may like artisans, the peasants and farmers thought little of them (and even less of the merchants).
« Last Edit: July 05, 2014, 03:20:28 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2014, 03:02:00 AM »
Sho

The merchants were a necessary evil, considered leeches on society.  As they formed monopolies they would have liked to display their wealth in a manner similar to the Samurai, but laws prevented them from doing so.  The stipends the Samurai were given did not increase with the cost of living, so eventually the merchants found the levers of political power by becoming money lenders to the nobility (which is still a risky proposition given that the nobility is also the military and prone to killing people of a lower caste than themselves).  The richest were the Rice Brokers, who stored the rice that was the official pay to the Samurai caste for a small fee, as well as selling it for them on the markets.  The merchants at Kyoto eventually grew so powerful and corrupt they were even able to defy the Emperor by indulging in a price fixing scheme.  At least until the horrifying violence of the Onin war.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2014, 03:06:24 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2014, 03:51:04 AM »
Eta

Literal translation "an abundance of filth".  There were a great many jobs that ere considered ritually unclean and corrupting in nature by both the Buddhist and Shinto religions.  Complicating this was a religious view that corruption was like a virus.  If you let an unclean or criminal person reside in the village he would corrupt others into becoming like him.  Some might even become Oni or Obakemono.  So the Eta were forced to live in their own ghetto villages where they were hated and spat upon by all.  They were not taxed, however, and could in theory become wealthy based on their monopoly on certain jobs: tanning, public sanitation, butchering animals, scavenging dead farm animals, preparing the dead for burial, executing criminals, midwives, etc.  Most Eta were born into their status as the work their parents performed was seen as so unclean it sullied them as well.  But one could fall to Eta status by committing crimes considered degrading, such as incest or bestiality.  Eta status was permanent once the Shogun rose to power, and was never rescinded.  Before him an Eta could rise in status.  Many also became criminals in the organizations which would become known as the Yakuza.

Eta were banned from rice farming, were required to wear specific clothing and hairstyles to make them identifiable, had curfews, and were required to make obeisances to those of a higher class.  They were not even allowed to worship in public temples, and had to use temples designated solely for them. 

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Re: Castes
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2014, 04:25:30 AM »
Hinin

Literally "non-human."  The Hinin status was more flexible than Eta, and could be left behind in some cases, and it represented those who did not fit within the caste system, but were not necessarily impure like the Eta.  Many Hinin were exiles from villages who could find no employment elsewhere other than as beggars, street sweepers, town guards or prostitutes.  Slightly more acceptable were acrobats, actors and entertainers.  Geisha and courtesans, doctors, and most religious clergy were outside the castes, but were not considered non persons as the Hinin were.  At the bottom were criminals who had been assigned Hinin status as punishment, such as the Yakuza gamblers, particularly bad Ronin, etc.  Killing criminals within the towns limits could create vengeful ghosts, so they were generally banned from entering the towns and exiled to live life as travelers or as bandits and highwaymen.  The Hinin also includes foreigners, and the Ainu and Ryukyuan peoples.  Hinin adopted into families of a higher caste could leave their status behind, as could those who left the priesthood.  Exiles were unlikely to see this happen but it was possible.  Not so much for criminals.  Once they had committed enough illegal acts they were likely executed or became Hinin for life.  While Hinin were not taxed and had no expectations made of them, they also had no legal protections either.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2014, 12:04:02 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes, Laws, Currency and other Miscellania
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2014, 09:20:04 PM »
Criminal Punishments
Criminal Punishments in the Edo Period were harsh.  The most serious crimes were murder and arson, and they usually carried a death penalty.  Prisoners were executed by burning (arsonists), boiling, being sawed in half, decapitated by sword or crucifixion if you murdered a parent or spouse.  Executions were never done inside town, and were carried out on grounds especially set aside for them in order to avoid spiritual contamination (and angry ghosts).  Because of their rank Samurai were allowed to commit ritual suicide and so maintain their (and their families) honor.  Treason was also a capitol offense, but treason could be something as simple as criticizing the Shogun or as overt as plotting against him.

Crimes not deserving of death but requiring harsh penalties carried a sentence of exile or imprisonment.  As few cities has jails, exile was more common.  Peasants or others were taken to distant islands or mountains and left to die, while Samurai were sent to the furthest reaches of the empire to unwanted posts.  Exiles were often tattooed to prevent them from returning and were called Mushuku. 

Crimes requiring a more modern punishment received a sentence of indentured servitude.  Particularly harsh sentences involved working in gold mines for long periods of time.  Women were often sold into slavery, particularly as prostitutes.

Minor crimes such as theft or fighting were punished by handcuffed house arrest lasting 30, 50 or 100 days.  Women might simply be driven through the streets naked as a form of humiliation.  If a harsher penalty was warranted, the criminal received up to 100 lashes, usually with a staff or cane.  In the Edo period this fell out of favor and was replaced by amputation of the nose or ears.  Samurai and Priests were spared flogging or amputation.  Oddly enough not reporting theft was also a crime, so if a theft was discovered the victim was punished alongside the offender if he had not reported it.

Merchants were the only class that had a punishment restricted to them: Kessho, or complete forfeiture of assets.

While men were allowed to commit adultery, women had their heads shaved, while the husband was immediately granted a divorce.

There was no presumption of innocence or such thing as civil rights.  Once you were arrested you were questioned, and if they believed they had sufficient reason you were brought to a jail and questioned further before being locked up to await trial at the hands of a Magistrate (who could be the same officer who arrested you).  Much of the trial revolved around whether or not you had confessed, and beating or torturing you to gain a confession was not outlawed.  Outright torture required permission from a superior, and was used only a handful of times per year in most circumstances.  A criminal could only be sentenced to death if he had confessed, so generally torture for confession was reserved for stubborn criminals who had committed the most severe crimes.   Punishments were considered to be either 'particular' or 'general'.  For example 'particular' punishments existed to prevent you from committing more crimes (jail, exile, forced labor, etc).  'General' punishments were there to serve as an example to the masses to convince them not to repeat your mistakes (execution, flogging, etc). 

Villages were allowed surprising autonomy so long as they kept the rice production high, and the Shogun's spies detected nothing unusual among them.  The village hierarchy were often allowed to set punishment for criminals, unless it was a crime that was require d to be reported such as murder, arson, gambling, and serious theft.  Many villages simply had their headmen as judge or subjected accused to trial by ordeal.  Another concept was trial by vote.  If a crime was committed and no guilty party was found the villagers voted on who they believed was guilty and that person was imprisoned.  If the crimes continued another vote was taken and another person imprisoned until the crimes stopped.  Capitol punishment could not be ordered though, that was reserved for the Samurai class.  The worst a village could impose was exile.  Banishment automatically relegated one to Hinin status.  More commonly a villager was simply ostracized until they changed.

Punishments also changed depending on the status of those involved.  Murdering  those of inferior status or committing a contract murder meant banishment, but premeditated murder for personal gain meant death.  Accomplices generally got a similar or slightly lesser punishment.  Executed criminals could be turned over to the Samurai for sword practice as well as having their possessions confiscated.  Additionally there was little if any difference in the eyes of the government between civil and criminal lawsuits, other than that the Daimyo considered civil matters a nuisance.  Villages tried to settle these sorts of disputes on their own without either side appealing to the Daimyoo, since it was largely realized that the Daimyo would do what was good for him, not good for those involved.  He might also simply punish everyone involved to make the matter go away. 
« Last Edit: July 05, 2014, 10:07:35 PM by bhu »

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Re: Castes, Laws, Currency and other Miscellania
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2014, 10:21:45 PM »
The Government and Law Enforcement

At the top of the food chain are the Emperor and the Shogun.  The Emperor is head of the Imperial Court, and he and the Kuge (nobles) are outside the cast system.  In theory they create the laws and have political power, but in fact most all political, economic and military might resides with the Shogun (who technically must swear fealty to the Emperor).  The Emperor is a figurehead designed to provide a lesson to the peasants that power is a Divine right.  He and the Kuge exist to take part in various religious rituals belonging to Shinto.  The Kuge sustained themselves by taking apprentices in various fields (usually artistic) and maintained a great deal of cultural influence if no actual power.

The Shogun is the head of the Daimyo, who own pretty much all the land, and their retainers the Samurai.   They are simultaneously the military, the tax collectors, and the police and judges.  Most magistrates and judges as well as all titled policemen are Samurai.  They do have lower ranked assistants, and many call upon the Hinin or Eta for use as executioners, torturers, jailors, and expendable muscle. 

Villages, whether they are No, Eta or Hinin, are usually run by a headman or council who report to the local Daimyo.  They maintain law and order within their village and solve disputes between villagers.  They often employ Hinin as guards, particularly for festivals.

Both merchants, criminals, Shinto and Buddhist clergy and craftsmen had their own Guilds or other governing body that took care of internal problems or crimes so as to prevent the Shogunate from becoming involved.  The Geisha houses and redlight districts had similar arrangements.

The Machi-Bugyo were high ranking Samurai appointed as city magistrates.  They were the judge, jury and chief of police and oversaw all legal matters.  Beneath them were the Yoriki, who managed guard patrols of infantry from horseback.  Beneath them were low level Samurai called Doshin.   They patrolled on foot, guarded prisoners, assisted with executions and investigate crimes by speaking to the peasantry.   They were sometimes accompanied by Komono, who were craftsmen or merchants who supplemented their income by assisting patrols.  They also hired Eta or Hinin to serve as spies or torturers and executioners.  Policemen typically wore a chain shirt and hood with armored gauntlets and a forehead protector.  Since suspects were required to be taken alive a police station was required to stock the following weapons: Aribo, Sasumata, Sodegarami, Tsukubo, Kanemuchi, Jutte, Kusari-Fundo, Tekkan, Teyari, and various forms of Metsubishi (blinding powder). 
« Last Edit: July 06, 2014, 12:15:13 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes, Laws, Currency and other Miscellania
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2014, 10:32:23 PM »
Laws

Land: Land could not be owned by any class other than Samurai or farmers.  Samurai had to sell their land to other Samurai.  If they could not find another buyer they had to have permission from their fellows to sell it to peasants (and there were usually conditions for that permission to be given as the sale could affect the local taxes).   In addition Samurai could not own lands that would interfere with their official duties.  Eta and Hinin could, in theory, own land, but it was land restricted to the use of their own kind.  I.e. land no one else wanted.  Eta and Hinin were not allowed to farm rice.  Even the farmers who produced all of the rice crop rareyl got ot eat rice, and had to subsist on millet or other grains.

Sumptuary Laws: Sumptuary laws regulate consumption of goods, making it easier to identify what social caste you came from and to reinforce discrimination.  They reached unparalleled heights under the Shogunate.  Castes had laws regulating what they could eat, wear, possess, how they could wear their hair, tattoos, where they could live, who they could associate with, and sometimes how they could be paid and what they were paid with.  In some cases it was such micro management that it decided how many children a poorer family could afford before they had to sell or give away the excess.  Ostentatious behavior or display of wealth was forbidden to all the classes (though not so much for the Samurai).  Many of these laws were virtually unenforceable and were punished less often than the authorities simply convinced people to follow them through threats.

Content and expression of ideas were heavily regulated.  At times current events, unorthodox theories, rumors, scandals, erotica, gossip about government officials, or anything directly related to the Tokugawa rulers or the Imperial Family being worthy of punishment.  Sometimes an artist would be fined half or even all of his net worth as an example to others.

Expenditures and clothing were heavily regulated by status.  Dressing or spending above ones station carried serious punishment.  On the flip side of this coin there were mandatory expenditures demanded by caste etiquette which could bankrupt low paid Samurai (or force them to turn to merchants or gamblers for loans) who couldn't live according to the expectations of their station.

Trade and Travel: Once the Shogunate took power Japan became a closed land.  Citizens could not leave Japan, and if they somehow did succeed in escaping they were forbidden on pain of death from returning.  Foreign ideas and religions were heavily persecuted.  Villagers could not move from their lands without permission as it could disrupt the flow of tribute the government was based upon.  Eta were restricted to their own lands.  Hinin who weren't criminals could reside with the Eta or in heavily restricted quarters within the towns (obviously this did not apply to physicians and priests).  Daimyo and Samurai were required to maintain two residences: one in their lands and one at the Bakufu Shogunate, and they were mandated to divide their time between these residences.

Legal Rights: Individuals had virtually no legal rights in Tokugawa Japan.  The head of the family was legally responsible for his family, as the head of a village was legally responsible for his village, etc.  Among the lower classes a crime committed by one could be punishable to all.  If a villager murdered a villager he might be executed or banished.  If that same villager murdered a Samurai he would most definitely be executed, and his family and/or village would face some punishment as well.  If he attempted an attack on the Emperor or Shogun he and his immediate family would likely face death, and his extended family (clan) could lose their inherited name and titles.

Marriage and Divorce: Marriage among the nobility focused on the brides dowry.  A poor Daimyo or Samurai's daughters might never marry someone of their stations as their family could not afford the minimum dowry required.  Divorce was rare as it meant having to repay the brides family her dowry, which meant borrowing money.  If the husband wished to remarry he therefore had to find a bride with a dowry sufficient to pat off the debt from the previous marriage unless his new wife was willing to accept being in debt.  Also, marriages and divorces required the permission of ones superiors given the positions of those involved.  This ensured strong alliances, and hopefully a minimum of trouble.   Commoners had much less restriction.  For peasants a man could simply hand his wife a letter of divorce, and if she accepted it she moved out to her family and they were no longer man and wife.  Or he could simply accuse her of adultery.  While men were allowed to stray, if a woman was convicted of adultery divorce was immediate.  Women who remarried without a letter of divorce had their heads shaved and were forcibly returned to their parents houses.  Men who remarried without a receipt for their letter of divorce could, in theory, be banished.  And while adultery for men was tolerated, angry wives could obtain legal documents that were 'advance divorce letters'.  In it the husband agreed that if he strayed again his wife was automatically granted a divorce.  Sometimes families insisted on these letters being drawn up in advance before the marriage. 

In most cases divorce and remarriage was simpler than in modern society so long as the nobility wasn't involved.  In principle a man could freely divorce his wife without her family or anyone else objections so long as he could make the following requirements:  Return the wife's dowry and all goods in her name, along with all money and real estate in the wife's name.   If he could not do this, he could not arbitrarily seek divorce unless he could pay a fine for any items destroyed, damaged, or missing.  Wives seeking a divorce might have to renounce their claim on their dowry, however.   If there was no dowry, then the party seeking divorce must pay some sort of fine.

Weapons: Once introduced, firearms and gunpowder were strictly for the Samurai and Ashigaru (indeed virtually all weapons were restricted to the Samurai class).  They were considered cowardly by the Samurai, who had pistols or rifles as hunting items or showpieces, but never for combat.  The lowly Ashigaru, however, had massive groups of riflemen before the weapons were banned as they were seen as altering warfare to the detriment of the Samurai class. 

Lower classes who assisted in warfare or police work received some training, but their weapons were issued by the Samurai only for the duration of their assigned work, and then promptly returned to the Samurai.  The Ryukyuan peoples and Ainu were asked (forced) to disarm almost completely.   Buddhist temples had their own armies and weaponry, and often clashed with the Samurai over efforts to lessen their military power.  Eventually some very powerful merchants or other individuals were granted the right to carry a single sword, but only the Samurai ever had the right to carry both a Katana and Wakizashi. 

Unarmed fighting techniques were popular with lower classes who could carry no other weapons than tools (i.e. knives, hunting bows, and on rare occasion short swords of low quality).   Originally they were allowed weapons, but after decades of bloody warfare, each Shogun who conquered territory declared a sword hunt in which all weapons were confiscated to prevent revolts.  By the time of Tokugawa no obvious weapons were left (which doesn't rule out hidden weapons or former tools modified for self-defense).  Most self defense laws related to the Samurai class who were not only given the widest latitude, but were even required to be able to defend themselves at all times.   Thus was born an interest in hidden or disguised weaponry to enable them to do so.   These weapons spread quickly, and soon enough laws banning weaponry were difficult to enforce other than by adding a charge of possession when the accused criminal was caught using one. 

Samurai serving in Edo or as police were required to bring criminals in alive and were restricted in the weapons they could use while carrying out this duty.  Because of religious concerns, Samurai serving the Emperor were required to use weapons that were used to disarm and capture as they could not spill blood on the palace grounds.  All Samurai were allowed to kill a member of a class lower than themselves who compromised their honor.  This right to self-defense was called Kiri-sute Gomen, and had to be done immediately after the insult (in other words you couldn't kill someone later for an offense it had to be done immediately).  Once you had struck the victim with your sword, a coup de grace was forbidden.  Due to the rather arbitrary nature of this the offender is allowed to defend himself with a Wakizashi ( a weapon he has no idea how to use unless he is a lower ranked Samurai).  The attacking Samurai must produce a witness in court to defend his right to use Kiri-Sute Gomen, especially in provinces foreign to his own.  If he is found to kill indiscriminately he may be beheaded without right to commit seppuku, and his house abolished, meaning his sons could not succeed him.  Many contrived to commit seppuku before this could happen.   A frowned upon use of this self-defense right is Tsujigiri, in which a Samurai wishes to test a new weapon, skill, or blade.  He goes to the crossroads late at night and simply murders a passerby with no witnesses.  It becomes banned in the Edo period when it's use gets far too out of hand.  Tsujigiri attacks by Kabukimono and drunken Samurai who no longer had war as an excuse to kill were implicated in causing the formation of the Yakuza and other criminal enterprises as the commoners and townsfolk needed to defend themselves.

Taxes: Only the No caste can be taxed, and they are taxed in the form of rice harvests, which are used to pay the Daimyo and Samurai.  The Shogunate can also exact levies upon the Daimyo to fund the central government, and to weaken them to prevent quarrels and warfare.  Forfeiture of assets is also a common criminal penalty, especially for craftsmen and merchants.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2014, 01:17:26 AM by bhu »

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Re: Castes, Laws, Currency and other Miscellania
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2014, 04:25:37 AM »
Edo Period Currency

Oban Large gold coin plate equal to 7.5 Ryo.

Ryo/Koban Ovoid gold coin worth 4 Bu/Kan, or 50 Momme.

Nibuban Rectangular gold coin worth half a Ryo.

Bu Rectangular gold coin worth 4 Shu.

Shu Rectangular gold coin worth 1/16 a Ryo.

Kamme Silver coin equal to 1000 Momme.

Momme Silver Coin equal to 10 Fun.

Fun Silver coin equal to 10 Rin.

Rin Silver ingot equal to 1/100th of a Momme.

Kan Copper coins equal to 100 Mon.

Mon Copper, iron or bronze coins with holes in the middle so they could be strung up.

Scrip Domains sometimes offered paper scrip called Hnasatsu, which was usually a fixed amount of silver coinage that could be exchanged for rice (values in gold and copper were eventually issued as well.  This eventually led to the development of a form of paper money for use within the Daimyo's domain only.  And in times of financial hardship the value of said scrip could be lowered or even nullified.

It should be noted that the Samurai class was paid an amount of rice equal to a measurement of the volume their lands could be expected to produce (note this amount did not go down if the crops failed!).  They sold this three times a year to raise money for goods.  Most other people were paid in silver or copper coins (though in the case of silver it was less coin than a specific weight of silver ingot).  Transactions between merchants are conducted in silver, though in larger cities the transportation costs of the metal gives rise to a checking system limited to business.  Due to market fluctuations, debasement of coins and variances in coins produced their worth was not always stable.  Gold was only common near Edo. 
« Last Edit: July 11, 2014, 01:46:43 AM by bhu »