<P> Society during the Edo period , also called Tokugawa period ( 1603 and 1868 CE ) , in Japan was ruled by strict customs and regulations intended to promote stability . Confucian ideas provided the foundation for a system of strict social prescriptions . At the top of the social order , although below the Emperor , the shōgun , daimyōs ( lords ) , and the samurai were the ruling class . The peasants ( heimin ) lived in villages and produced agricultural goods . Increasing urbanization and rising consumerism created merchant and artisan classes in towns and cities . Social mobility during this period was highly limited . As wealth became concentrated outside of the samurai class , conflicts between class arose and the social order became increasingly challenged . </P>
<P> Society during the Edo period , also called Tokugawa period ( 1603 and 1868 CE ) , in Japan was ruled by strict customs and regulations intended to promote stability . Confucian ideas provided the foundation for a system of strict social prescriptions . At the top of the social order , although below the Emperor , the shōgun , daimyōs ( lords ) , and the samurai were the ruling class . The peasants ( heimin ) lived in villages and produced agricultural goods . Increasing urbanization and rising consumerism created merchant and artisan classes in towns and cities . Social mobility during this period was highly limited . As wealth became concentrated outside of the samurai class , conflicts between class arose and the social order became increasingly challenged . </P>
what role did samurai play in japanese society
what role did samurai play in japanese society
the ruling class
the ruling class