Post by Uesugi Norimasa on Nov 16, 2012 4:04:20 GMT -5
Daimyo were powerful feudal lords. They arose from the shugo, military governors appointed to rule in the name of the shogun. But the weakening of the Ashikaga shogunate over a succession crisis, and the resulting Onin War (1467–1477), ushered in a long era of civil war. Many of the former shugo and shugodai - the first of the daimyo - seized power for themselves, carving petty kingdoms for themselves out of the provinces they once administered. Later daimyo of the Sengoku period could come from the ranks of the kuge, ronin, kokujin, and the like. Treachery was not uncommon during the Sengoku Period, despite the samurai emphasis on loyalty.
The domain a daimyo was called a kokka, and they were not always coterminous with the provinces. Some daimyo did rule a single province, but the greatest of them commanded vast territories stretching across more than one. At the other end of the scale, lesser daimyo might only control a portion of a province. But whatever their size, each of the kokka were governed autonomously, effectively separate states, with a shared culture and language between them.
Supreme authority ultimately rests with the daimyo, but like any ruler each has a number of lesser lords (some of which could be minor daimyo in their own right) in his service to help administer the different regions of his realm. Each kokka is divided into the lands held directly by the daimyo, lands held by his family members, and fiefs granted by the daimyo to his kashin (vassals/retainers). The kashin enjoy a degree of semi-independence within their own fiefs, and may potentially grow wealthy from the taxation of their lands. In return they must pay their own taxes to the daimyo, as well as levy troops for the daimyo's army.
The exact organization and hierarchy of each daimyo's kashindan ("vassal/retainer band") is different, reflecting their own personalities and needs. However, there are common groupings and similar terminology within each, and they are sometimes arranged according to personal relations rather than function:
Ichimon or Ichizoku: "Kinsmen/clansmen". Family members and relatives of the daimyo.
Fudai: "Inner lords". Long-standing hereditary retainers.
Karō, Rōshin or Shukurō: "Senior" or "elder" kashin, which often form the daimyo's innermost council for administration and military policy. Members of this group are often drawn from the daimyo's ichimon or the most powerful/trusted of the fudai. It is from the ranks of the karō that bugyō (military commissioners; see blow) and taishō (generals; see below) are often appointed.
Tozama: "Outsiders". That is to say, vassals who have submitted after being defeated in battle or who simply sat on the fence, waiting to join the winning side. Whatever the reason, they are new to an already established kashindan, and sometimes they are not fully trusted. But given enough time they can sometimes prove themselves, becoming fudai.
The domain a daimyo was called a kokka, and they were not always coterminous with the provinces. Some daimyo did rule a single province, but the greatest of them commanded vast territories stretching across more than one. At the other end of the scale, lesser daimyo might only control a portion of a province. But whatever their size, each of the kokka were governed autonomously, effectively separate states, with a shared culture and language between them.
Supreme authority ultimately rests with the daimyo, but like any ruler each has a number of lesser lords (some of which could be minor daimyo in their own right) in his service to help administer the different regions of his realm. Each kokka is divided into the lands held directly by the daimyo, lands held by his family members, and fiefs granted by the daimyo to his kashin (vassals/retainers). The kashin enjoy a degree of semi-independence within their own fiefs, and may potentially grow wealthy from the taxation of their lands. In return they must pay their own taxes to the daimyo, as well as levy troops for the daimyo's army.
The exact organization and hierarchy of each daimyo's kashindan ("vassal/retainer band") is different, reflecting their own personalities and needs. However, there are common groupings and similar terminology within each, and they are sometimes arranged according to personal relations rather than function:
Ichimon or Ichizoku: "Kinsmen/clansmen". Family members and relatives of the daimyo.
Fudai: "Inner lords". Long-standing hereditary retainers.
Karō, Rōshin or Shukurō: "Senior" or "elder" kashin, which often form the daimyo's innermost council for administration and military policy. Members of this group are often drawn from the daimyo's ichimon or the most powerful/trusted of the fudai. It is from the ranks of the karō that bugyō (military commissioners; see blow) and taishō (generals; see below) are often appointed.
Tozama: "Outsiders". That is to say, vassals who have submitted after being defeated in battle or who simply sat on the fence, waiting to join the winning side. Whatever the reason, they are new to an already established kashindan, and sometimes they are not fully trusted. But given enough time they can sometimes prove themselves, becoming fudai.