thumb|The house of the merchant Fukagawa Edo Museum During the Tokugawa period, the social order, based on inherited position rather than personal merits, was rigid and highly formalized. At the top were the emperor and court nobles (kuge), together with the shōgun and daimyo. Older scholars believed that there were of "samurai, peasants (hyakushō), craftsmen, and merchants (chōnin)" under the daimyo, with 80% of peasants under the 5% samurai class, followed by craftsmen and merchants. However, various studies have revealed since about 1995 that the classes of peasants, craftsmen, and merchants under the samurai are equal, and the old hierarchy chart has been removed from Japanese history textbooks. In other words, peasants, craftsmen, and merchants are not a social pecking order, but a social classification.
thumb|the house of the merchant fukagawa edo museum during the tokugawa period the social order based on inherited position rather than personal merits was rigid and highly formalized at the top were the emperor and court nobles (kuge) together with the shōgun and daimyo older scholars believed that there were of "samurai peasants (hyakushō) craftsmen and merchants (chōnin)" under the daimyo with 80% of peasants under the 5% samurai class followed by craftsmen and merchants however various studies have revealed since about 1995 that the classes of peasants craftsmen and merchants under the samurai are equal and the old hierarchy chart has been removed from japanese history textbooks in other words peasants craftsmen and merchants are not a social pecking order but a social classification