The feudal system is a term for the economic, political and social structures that governed Europe during the Middle Ages; but halfway across the world in Japan, very similar structures were in place.
In both cases, a class of peasant farmers formed the economic backbone; an honorable warrior class was the basis for military power, and civil order depended on a bond of personal loyalty between vassal and lord. Samurai pledged their service to a Daimyo (a powerful clan lord) who ruled the land on behalf of the Shogun – Japan's warlord in chief; just as European knights served barons and dukes whose authority derived from their king.
In Europe, the Middle Ages was an era of destructive conflict, with the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses being prime examples. Similarly, the “Sengoku Age” - or “Warring States Period” - saw Japan plunged into political turmoil, as various clans sought to usurp the seat of the crumbling Ashikaga Shogunate.
The mythical reputations of the samurai and ninja - two popular icons derived from Japanese culture - are a product of this era. The former sought to win honor for their lords in glorious battle, while the latter waged war through assassination and subterfuge.
There was an event of religious conflict to rival that of Europe, as some clans chose to embrace the Christian influence introduced by newly arrived European explorers, while others vehemently resisted it.
But the feudal system was never even uniform across Europe, so it's unlikely to be so among cultures separated by such vast distance. For all the similarities on the surface, the deeper inspection reveals important differences in the values that governed political and economic relationships in Japan and Europe during their respective feudal periods.
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All were popular ideas or inventions in England and came to the colonies with the Puritans.
