P6+Artisans+and+Merchants

Merchants and Artisans: Don't hate me because I'm rich By Luke W. and Emma G.


 * INTRODUCTION**

In Japan Merchants and Artisans were at the bottom of the social class but yet without them there would be no armor or weapons for the warriors, no tea and paper to practice calligraphy, for the commoners and overall no one to make and sell the items that Japanese people used all the time. Merchants were at the bottom of the social structure and sold what Artisans made. Artisans had honor for making their own belongings and were also at the bottom of the social structure. There were four strict social classes in Japan. The “Floating World” was a place where Merchants went. Most Merchants and Artisans traded in castle towns. Merchants were often disgraced and looked down on because what they sold they did not make.


 * MERCHANTS**

Merchants and Artisans have played a major role in Japan’s history. I will start off with merchants. Merchants prospered in feudal Japan under the stability of the Tokugawa Period. They had no concern for war, thievery, or even poor roads. They benefitted from the growth of castletowns because they could provide goods to the increasing population around the daimyos’ castles. Many merchants traded with people overseas such as China, Korea, and Southwest Asia to earn a lot of money for the foreign belongings. The city of Osaka on the inland sea became a bustling port and financial center of feudal Japan when this happened. Osaka became the busiest port that people who traded overseas left and came back from. Most rich Merchants spent most of their money and time at the “Floating World”. This was a place that was dishonorable to go to as a Samurai, Peasant, or even Artisans. The floating world contained of game houses, bars, theatres, and districts of restaurants located in growing cities. Merchants were viewed as the lowest out of all the social class. They were often called scum or even parasites. This was all because they had no honor in their work. They make profit off of others’ labor and belongings while making no products of their own. Merchants only made money from their daily trading and keeping their family money going from one generation to the next because they earned no payroll from any boss. Merchants also live in separate parts of the city than the Artisans, Samurai, and Peasants. The major role that the Merchants played were being looked down on and always being rejected. The people who make what the merchants sell are artisans.

Artisans became a prosperous class during Japan's feudal era. During the time when warfare was widespread across Japan, the artisans were needed often to supply the Samurai. One of the most important types of artisans was sword smiths because weapons were needed so highly by the Samurai. Artisans with high skills moved to Diamyo castles and were attached to one particular noble Diamyo family. Though, artisan skills were needed as towns grew up around diamyo castles during feudal times, to build and repair cities and supply the townspeople with their basic necessities (like clothes and tools). Artisans sold their products at markets. Others worked for merchants in workshops in big trading cities such as Osaka and Edo. Artisans that had skills as painters or carvers became very popular in the Ukiyoe or "floating world" of city nightlife. There are many different types of artisans that are specialists in the manufacture of equipment for samurai's such as sword smiths, blacksmiths, sword-sharpeners, silver-smiths, scabbard-workers, lacquerers, and shaft-makers. Other craftsmen that were more generally employed are dyers, sake-brewers, carpenters, sawyers, plasterers, coopers, shinglers, thatchers, paperers, tobacco-cutters, tilers, and mat-makers. The wealthiest artisans were the ones who worked for the shogun and the diamyo. The artisans: carpenter, plasterer, stonemason, sawyer, and roofer built the building together. Sawyer cut the timbers for the carpenter, the plasterer covered the solid walls. Then the roofer used thatch, shingles or tiles, the stonemason worried about the platform of the building, and the stone lanterns, basins, statues and rocks for the gardens. Artisans are extremely helpful when it comes to making buildings and everyday necessties but yet they were at the bottom half of the social structure.
 * ARTISANS**

In Japan, there are four strict social classes, Samurai, peasant farmers, Artisans, and last and least, Merchants. Merchants are the lowest in the social class as I explained before. Merchants lived in separation from the rest of the city because of this reason. Artisans were the third highest on the social class and had some honor by making their own living from their own hands. These were the only things that artisans made profit from and therefore sometimes very poor. Peasants were the second highest in the social class because of their crucial role in society. The peasants were what unified Japan by growing rice. Without the peasants, the economy would be in pieces and there would be no rice made products or even rice for food. The Samurai were the highest rank of all the Social class because they were leaders of local clans who fought on horseback and served the Emperor by guarding the borders. They were the families with the most power, respect and honor. The Samurai followed the rules of Bushido. This was their code of honor. During the Tokugawa Period, Samurai collected taxes and kept peace in Japan. They were soon called Magistrates often more than samurai. The Samurai life was very different from the Merchant life.
 * SOCIAL CLASSES**


 * THE FLOATING WORLD**

Speaking of the Merchant life let me tell you about the “Floating World”. The “Floating World” is a place where rich Merchants spend most of their money and time. It was called the Floating World because only the Merchants were able to go their without disgracing their families for being with the Merchants. This was a separate form of entertainment that Merchants enjoyed personally. It contained game houses,bars, theaters, and districts of restaurants in growing cities. This was sometimes a soothing place for Merchants to calm down and relax, but other times loud and rowdy as to bring your adrenaline up. Many times the Merchants traded with each other and predicted the sales for the next day. Though merchants didn't only sell items in the floating world, they also sold items in castle towns.


 * SELLING IN CASTLETOWNS**

Merchants and artisans sold many items in Castle towns. As mentioned before merchants and artisans benefitted from growth of castle towns around Daimyo's castles by providing goods for the increasing numbers of the people in the city. In 1660 while trading in castle towns the prices were strictly controlled such as swords were paid for due to the length and not the quality or décor. Plus debts were not easy to collect from warriors. Money payments could be only part of the reward for labor. Travelling craftsmen who set up his workshop in a village would have their materials be provided by local resources. Then the lodging he received would go a long way towards paying for his work. As I mentioned before the best craftsmen worked for the Shogun and would not sell/trade in the castle towns. Even though artisans and merchants were not high in social class, this all shows that they were very important and without all the items that they produced and sold Japan would not be as functioning and it would be very hard for them to strive for perfection. media type="custom" key="12661670" CITATIONS Dunn, Charles James. //Everyday life in Traditional Japan [by]// C.J. Dunn. Drawings by Laurence Broderick. Boston: C E Tuttle Co, 2000

Ukiyo-e Prints and the Rise of the Merchant Class in Edo Period Japan. National Endowment for the Humanities. 24 Dec 2004. 26 March 2009. []. . Print.