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The peasants were treated as equals to the classes below them with little power over the people below them. The peasants provided the rice crops and foods for the people above them in the feudal pyramid.
The Peasants paid their taxes through rice, the samurai warriors would come to collect the rice. the amount of rice that needed to be paid was measured to the precise amount needed, the peasant family was left with a bare minimum amount of rice that they could only just survive on.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the most important person in Japan after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Tokugawa brought the whole country under tight control after winning the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 against Hideyoshi's successor Hideyori. Tokugawa cleverly distributed the gained land among the Diamyos. Tokugawa's foreign trade continued as he established relationships with the English and the Dutch.
Here is a quote about the Peasants role in society.
After defeating the Toyotomi clan, Ieyasu and his successors had practically no more rivals so the Edo Period was a very peaceful time. Because of this the Samurai were educating themselves not only in martial arts but also in literature, philosophy and the arts. Ieyasu's impact on Japan was very large because of the peace he brought with his rule ending hundreds of years of war and strife. Other than Ieyasu being a great military leader, he used his calculations and strategic skills to change the social structure of Japan and created a dynasty to ensure the Tokugawa clan would continue their rule after his death.
“The husband must work in the fields, the wife must work at the loom. Both must do night work, peasants are people without sense or foresight. Therefore they must not give rice to their wives and children at harvest time, but must save food for the future.” [Addison.P et al, Pearsons History 8, Page 196]
The Japanese Feudal pyramid worked so well because their feudal system allowed the people to be happy and last longer efficiently.
Unlike the Medieval Europe Feudal Pyramid the peasants in Medieval Japan are not on the bottom of their pyramid.
The peasants are the third highest in the Shogunate Japan Feudal Pyramid. Most of the peasants are Farmers and Fishermen. They took up almost 90% of the population.
The peasants had no power or responsibility over the classes above them but had a small amount of power and responsibility over the classes below it (i.e Artisans, Merchants).
Japanese peasants were divided into several sub-classes highest ranking being, farmers who own their own land then farmers who don't own land, second highest ranking is craftsmen, they work with wood and metal and some become well known Samurai sword makers, merchants were the lowest of the lowest, because it was felt that they made a living off other peoples trades and were known to be dis-honorable.
Peasants were to provide tax revenue in the form of rice instead of money. In the late 16th century, peasants depended on resources from the forest to help them survive, they used wood, grasses and shoots to help them repair houses and manure for the crops. Peasants main jobs were to provide food for the people they were answerable to.