JAPAN EMPIRE:

   Military Structure 

 

                                                                                 The military structure in Japan was the most important part of their empire.                                                                                 Even though the emperor was supposedly the the highest on the totem pole, the                                                                                 Shogun had the most political power.                                                                                                                                                               The Shogun, military general, was the                                                                                                                                                               one who truly controlled Japan and                                                                                                                                                                   controlled the emperor. Under the                                                                                                                                                                     Shogun were the Daimyo, landowners.                                                                                                                                                             Then the samurai were below them, and                                                                                                                                                         they were the puppets who took orders                                                                                        from the Daimyo and Shogun. Below the samurai were the ronin, foot soldiers,

     who weren’t as skilled as the samurai. Basically the upper class of the Tokugawa                                                                                  Shogunate was controlled by the military.

 

 

 

   Samurai 

 

                                                                 Warriors were called samurai during the Tokugawa Shogunate. The samurai were the                                                                   puppets of the Shogun and Daimyo, they just did whatever their leaders said them to do.                                                                 Samurai were the most elite fighters and to become one it had to be inherited. A samurai                                                                 was a very noble warrior and took their job very seriously. An example is Bushido, the                                                                       code all samurai abide to. If it was not followed, then the samurai took the sword and                                                                       stabbed himself. They followed this since they they it is better to die nobly then live with                                                                   knowing you committed an error.

                                                                  Samurai were depicted as a men clad in intricate armor and clothing. The armor was                                                                   made by taking small metal pieces and combining them with the help of string. They also                                                                 wore intimidating masks to scare away the enemy. Samurai also had many weapons they          used on the battlefield such as, spears, war fans, double swords, bows, and many more. Samurai also advanced with new      technology as they were seen with muskets.

 

 

   Effect on Society

           The military effected the Tokugawa Shogunate citizens like a dictatorship would. The military controlled all of the             empire, the Daimyo and the Shogunate owned and controlled most of the empire. For example, the Shogun had so                   much control they could stop any trade, except if allowed. This is when the world found out that the emperor was truly           powerless. Also any military member was given so much more power than the people. A samurai could just kill anyone           who didn’t respect them. Some British people didn’t turn away from the samurai, so they thought it was disrespectful,             therefore the British were killed.