Introduction
The Tokugawa period in Japan was characterized by social class struggles and changes in their value and standard of living. Among the peoples of the Japanese feudal system, the samurai, who remained long at the center of military and political power, suffered the most. They were previously respected and valued, and their contributions to society were rewarded equitably. At the same time, during the Tokugawa period, the samurai were transformed from elite warriors to non-militaristic individuals with negligible financial support.
The Position of the Class in Society
The book narrates stories about the life and status of the samurai through the example of the protagonist. It is apparent at once that the expectations and conflicts faced by Katsu reflect the fundamental economic and social tensions in Tokugawa, Japan (Kokichi 4). Hence, Musui’s Story presents the samurai as an inferior class of society, attempting to establish its own principles in the community. Katsu tried to restore the struggle to establish justice, but as a consequence, he violated the samurai code (Kokichi 4). Although, fighting was a characteristic that distinguished the Tokugawa samurai from other classes.
It is essential to mention that this code dictated the rules of samurai life and behavior, which made it very valuable in their community. At the same time, the samurai class experienced oppression due to low incomes and lack of recognition of identity (Kokichi 7). The samurai became the dominant warrior class during the feudal era in Japan. The original country class, including the Katsu, migrated to Edo during the Tokugawa period, where they lived on limited government allowances. That is, the samurai were formally at the top of Japan’s four-tiered shi-no-ko-sho system, but many of them found themselves unemployed (Kokichi 8). Thus, the samurai were highly indebted and no longer had a purpose that explained the existence of their class and encouraged them to consolidate and rebuild their position. Accordingly, Musui’s Story epitomizes the growing pressure many samurai faced as they were torn between outdated cultural expectations and an impossible financial reality.
It should be emphasized that Katsu is a samurai who does not conform to any of the roles or the official state ideology of the Tokugawa in Japan. This can be explained by the fact that although samurai and warriors in Tokugawa society often despised state-sanctioned morality, they could not oppose it (Kokichi 9). That is, the Japanese power system controlled them, but Katsu could not tolerate such a low standard of living and wanted to restore the samurai to their former glory and respect. This extraordinary man provides a great insight into what life was like on the margins of respectable Japanese society. Interestingly, with the end of the unification wars, the samurai class of Katsu attempted to find its place in the shogunate and competed with the new merchant class for power and influence (Kokichi 16). Consequently, he tried to gain a position in leadership, but the unfairness and the insignificant real role of the samurai in the society of that time hardly afforded him a chance to do it.
Conclusion
Therefore, the samurai class was formally recognized in Japan as one of the most privileged, although in reality, the samurai lost favor with the government and the ordinary people. They lived poorly because they had no jobs to earn them a decent income. At the same time, Katsu attempted to restore the samurai to their former role in society but encountered resistance and misunderstanding. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the status and life of the samurai in Tokugawa Japan was unsatisfactory, which contributed to the loss of their former prominence and prestige. For this reason, samurai with small salaries and no real prospects, only status without economic power, encouraged Katsu to commit criminal acts.
Work Cited
Kokichi, Katsu. Musui’s Story: The Autobiography of A Tokugawa Samurai. University of Arizona Press, 1991.