Medieval Japan and Korea

Samurai were fierce and loyal warriors

Literature was very popular in medieval Japan, particularly poetry and drama. They were not influenced by nearby empires because they decided to isolate themselves in order to preserve their culture, just as the Ming and Qing dynasties have done before them.

Medieval Japan was a very militaristic society which was based on social classes. This class system consisted of peasants, samurai, daimyo, shoguns, and the emperor. Merchants, artists, and farmers were all considered peasants and consisted of 80% of the population. Samurai were ranked much higher than peasants and were heavily respected due to their intimidating reputation. They were hired by a daimyo to protect them and their lands in times of danger. 

Daimyo were wealthy landowners who controlled their own land and the people on those lands. The daiymo were controlled by shoguns, who were military generals. While shoguns should have been controlled by the emperor, the emperor did not possess much power during this time, and Japan was mainly ruled by the shoguns. The emperor was little more than a figurehead for the empire.

Medieval Japan social classes