How to be a Farmer in Edo Japan

1. How would you become a part of this class/group?

You could not become a peasant, choosing to be one was not an option. You could
only be born into the class, and if you were born a peasant did not have an
opportunity to become anything else and had to follow family tradition. When
conditions became unbearable, some of the peasants gave up their birthright as
honorable farmers and joined the ranks of laborers, craftsmen, or merchants.

2. What would your typical day look like?

The farmers worked on the farms all day, looking after stock life and the crops, but
also had side jobs such as making silk, paper, potter. They were very respected by
upper classes however were not treated well and lived under crushing tax burden.
Farmers had to give up the majority of food they grew to nobles, only keeping
whatever was left over for themselves(which was only a tiny bit or even nothing for
all the endless had work that they did). Most Japenese Farmers ate fish, vegetables
and rice after giving first amounts to the higher classes.
They were paid in rice, and land. Taxes were paid in rice and food every month, to
upper class and lord, also, paid taxes to the lord. The farmers worked endless hours,
working 7 days a week. They grew food such as herbs and rise, and they raised
livestock. They were required to work a certain number of days to work on their
lord's land, which from that they would earn land rights.

3. What would your worldview be?

According to the story we read on farmers, they valued responsibility,
stability/balanced, being prepared, time management, commitment, accountability,
thriftiness, industrious. I think that because of these values Farmers would take their
responsibility very seriously, and they would be determined people. Even if their
living conditions were harsh, they would continue working and supporting their
family, which in my opinion is a really good value to have.
 4. What would your house look like? Where would you go to school?
(How would you meet your basic needs?)

Farmers were not allowed to leave their lands or villages as the daimyo did not want
to lose the profits of their labor. Therefore, my house would be either the farm itself,
or separate from the farm but still on my land. Most farmers lived in shacks, so I
would too. Depending on the type of farmer I, or my family was my education would
be different. The honbyakusho (hone-byah-koo-show), principal farmers, controlled
specific land plots and sometimes owned their own homes. They often held
supervisory positions in the village. The hyakusho (hyah-koo-show), ordinary
farmers, were the tenant farmers who were forced to work yet could own nothing.
The honbyakusho were enterprising farmers and purchased fields from their
neighbors. These farmers became quite rich, educated themselves and their children,
and like wealthy merchants at times commissioned art from well-known schools.
They did not allow their hard conditions from striving for a better life.
The hyakusho farmers, however did not have the same opportunities to have a better
life, meaning that if I was this farmer I would probably not be educated from school,
rather my education would come from my parents, grandparents etc.
In certain areas the poverty was so intense that, after the birth of the first son,
families killed off all subsequent male children. Girls were welcomed since they
could be sold as servants or prostitutes.

Peasants in Japan did not have good access to medicine because it was all given to
the upper classes. They had to rely on herbs and other natural resources to maintain
good health. Clothes were made mostly out of cotton, hemp and straw. However,
Jappense peasants unlike European peasants bathed regularly and had fairly good
hygiene. The lower classes had no true place in Japan and worked all day, there was
no time even for the children to play (except for the winter in which not much could
be done).
LIke I said before they were paid in rice, and land. Taxes were paid in rice and food
every month, to upper class and lord, also, paid taxes to the lord. The farmers
worked endless hours, working 7 days a week. They grew food such as herbs and rise,
and they raised livestock. They were required to work a certain number of days to
work on their lord's land, which from that they would earn land rights. The samurai
would raise taxes as much as they dared, achieving a kind of delicate balance, until
some natural disasters led to famine, causing the farmers to riot.
Peasants made up 80 percent of the population, and were forbidden to engage in
nonagricultural activities so as to ensure a stable and continuing source of income
for those in positions of authority.

5. How do you see your relationship with others?

Farmers probably only had relationship with their families, and possibly their
neighbors. Contact was prohibited, meaning that their lives were isolated from any
outsiders. The only contact they had was with the bakufu, shogun and possibly the
daimyo of their area. Because of their harsh lives, they probably did not like the
government, the shogun and daimyo. very much However they were forced to
respect the higher classes.

6. Where are you getting your sources of ethical wisdom?

Since Farming was such a big part of my life, I would probably get a lot of my sources
of ethical wisdom from there. Religion could also play a big role in my ethical
wisdom. Most likely I would not be Christian since Chrisitniaty was banned during
the edo period. I would probably follow the beliefs and values of Confucianism, and
would be a confucianist. The Chinese influence on Japanese learning and culture
increased during isolation, as their goods and ideas were the few allowed into Japan.
So I could possibly get other sources of ethical wisdom from Chinese influence.

7. What is your relationship to the state?

Farmers were valued by the government, but were not treated well. The only reason
they got respect was because all of Japan was depending on the farmers for
producing food. They worked extremely hard, but didn't get anything from it.

8. What do you think is a good life?(Could you afford any luxuries?)

For a farmer I think that a good life would be that they produce lots of food,
and there is much food leftover for them. There good life isn't lavish and full of
glamour, it's simple because to them even a little more food makes a big difference in
their day. Based on the handbook that we read, farmers find being ahead of things,
and being punctual is very important to the good life. Which is why they treasured
any extra work that could be done, because the more farmers worked, the more they
would earn.
I don't think a farmer could afford any luxuries, because like I said before,
despite all of their hard work, they didn't receive much from it. They may be
respected by the upper classes, but the treatment was horrible so they couldn't get
any luxuries.
Research
● Choosing to be a peasant as not an option, you could only be born into the
class
● If your born a peasant you did not have an opportunity to become anything
else, and we're expected to follow family tradition
● The reason they are higher than merchants and craftsmen is because they
produced food that the upper class depending on
● Were very respected by upper classes
● However were not treated well
● Lived under crushing tax burden
● Had to give up the majority of food they grew to nobles, only keeping
whatever was left over for themselves(which was only a tiny bit or even
nothing for all the endless had work that they did)
● Paid in rice, and land.
● Paid taxes in rice and food every month, to upper class and lord, also, paid
taxes to lord
● Fields, nice growing conditions plough the land with oxen's
● Many farmers didn’t have enough oxen's, ploughing, difficult
● sow the fields, 3 year cycle
● Sown, 2 years left 3rd year, soil get nutrients back
● They also used manure for fertilizer, which came from the animals, such as:
sheep, pigs, goats and chickens
● “The peasants worked endless hours, working 7 days a week. They grew food
such as herbs and rise, and they raised livestock. They were required to work a
certain number of days to work on their lord's land, which from that they
would earn land rights.”

Sources

Tokugawa Period
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica -
https://www.britannica.com/event/Tokugawa-period

Social Class
https://peasantsinshogunatejapan.weebly.com/index.html

Peasants in Shogunate Japan Compared To Europe

https://peasantsinshogunatejapan.weebly.com/

Edo Period Society (1615–1868) in Japan

https://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/edo-period-
society-1615%E2%80%931868

https://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo_5.html

Everyday Life
https://medievaljapanivan.weebly.com/everyday-life.html

Jobs
https://peasantsinshogunatejapan.weebly.com/jobs.html