THE FEUDAL SYSTEM ON MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN JAPAN Process Paper

Candice Wong and Ishka De Leos Boivin, Period 2 12/9/13

When choosing our topic, we decided to select something we were familiar with. In our World History I classes last year, Medieval Japan was a topic we learned a great deal about as well as it interested us; especially pertaining to the samurai warriors and the battles. The general social class of the medieval period was also interesting because every person played a prominent role in society. Us also being of Asian heritage, we felt interested in Japans traditions and wanted to educate ourselves more about that period of history than what we learned last year. To conduct our research, we first began by searching for sources online, so they could be easily accessible to us whenever needed. There were numerous sources, primary and secondary, available online. Most helpful were online books and websites that gave a detailed overview about Medieval Japan and what the important aspects of that period were; such as the samurai warriors in battle, feudal lords, traditions, and relationships between people within that time period. Online archives were also very useful to our research because they contained several maps, traditional paintings, and scrolls that gave us a better understanding of everyday life during the feudal period. We also took the time to visit our schools local library and other public libraries and read more about the medieval period of Japan. There were several translated texts available written by samurai warriors, lords, and peasants that explained how life during the feudal period was like for them. Selecting our presentation category was an easy process. We both have experience and interest in website creation and editing, so we decided the website category would be enjoyable. We can also access the website and work on it together at anytime, anywhere. For the layout of our website, we decided to include tabs that include what our topic is about, how it relates to the theme Rights and Responsibilities, our research, and a possible conclusion. We have decided to incorporate photos, music, and other elements of Japanese culture into the website so viewers

can get a better understanding of the Japanese Feudal Period. Much of the Feudal Period is described in traditional painting and scrolls. Our website also explains the different social classes of Feudal Japan through individual tabs. Our website has a simple layout so the viewer is not overwhelmed yet they can access numerous pieces of information on our topic. Our topic connects to the theme of Rights and Responsibilities because the Social Structure of Japan contained a series of relationships between social classes that each had their own set of rights and responsibilities; some classes, like the samurai, had more responsibilities to attain to, such as protecting the nation and its people while other lower classes such as the peasants did not have much responsibility. We are looking to describe not only the rights and responsibilities of each social class, but to also explain how each social class fulfilled those responsibilities and played a prominent role in society.

Word Count: 500