P1+Castle+Towns

= = Castle Towns
 * By:** Alex J. & Kennedy B.

People in Ancient Japan lived in a village called Castle Towns. Castle Towns are the names of the villages the people lived in, they surround the Daimyo in his castle. The design for the castle was elegantly decorated and laid out it was very important to the people. The Samurai and Daimyo were the center of attention in the castle towns. Where the people lived in the towns depended on what their role was in the community. Tokugawa Ieyasu was an important leader to Ancient Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu is the one who started the 200 years of peace for Japan.
 * Introduction:**

Tokugawa Ieyasu was a samurai warrior who closed Japans doors. To do that he established the 200 years of peace in Japan and started Castle Towns for people to live in. There were negotiations to unify the provinces. He did this because Japan was fighting and not agreeing with each other. After the fighting, Tokugawa Ieyasu started the shogunate (capital city) in Edo (modern Tokyo). In the castle towns, they had very strict social classes. They were Samurai, Peasants, Artisans, and Merchants. During this time, Japan was isolated from the rest of the world. This really helped the Japanese people have a more unified country.
 * Tokugawa Ieyasu:**

Everyone lived in castle towns in Ancient Japan. The castles were in the middle of towns and the commoners lived around them. The roles of the people in the community decided on where they lived. Even though Farmers ranked higher than Artisans and Merchants they lived the furthest away. They lived the furthest away because they had to live where there was a lot of room so they could grow their crops.
 * Castle Towns:**

The castle towns were designed in a specific way. They were very detailed and always ready to defend because they never knew when people would attack. The towns were built on large earth mounds covered with blocks of stone and made of wood. This made it very high off the ground. First they built wooden gates next to a river or swamp. When they did that it made it harder for enemies to enter because people attacking had to cross the natural defense. The structure has a curvy roof with elegant decorations which gave it a fairytale loveliness look. The windows are barred and the doors have iron locks and bolts. The towns near trading routes were very specifically built. The Japanese adored the towns that Tokugawa Ieyasu created.
 * Castle Town designs:**

The Samurai and Daimyo castle is the best example of mixing beauty and practicality. Nearing the end of the 16th century the Daimyo took over private areas. The castle he lived in served as a base for fighting, political, and economical center. The family of the Daimyo lived in comfort and elegance and had brightly painted screens to lift up their rooms. The castle in which the Daimyo lived in was surrounded by all of his followers. The better rank the closer they each lived in the castle.
 * Samurai/Daimyo:**

In Ancient Japan you showed what social class you were in by the things you owned and where you lived. In Castle Towns the closer to the castle you lived the higher class you had, except for the farmers who had to live far away to work the fields. Also the size of house, and what was in it depended on rank. Samurai homes had very little furniture inside them. Average Samurai lived in normal farmhouse. In the Nara and Hein period’s education was only for wealthy people and Buddhist Monks Wealthy people like merchants had a Chinese style with usually three wings around the garden. Poor people homes were similar to wealthy ones except they were smaller. The Daimyo lived in the castle in the castle towns. It was surrounded by moats and walls.
 * Social classes:**

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Odijk, Pamela. //The Ancient World; The Japanese. Englewood Cliffs//: Silver Burdett Press, 1989.Print.
 * Citations:**

Schomp, Virginia. //Japan in the Days of a Samurai//. New York: Benchmark Books, 2002. Print.