Rather than being 'above' the system, like the emperor and shogun, priests and monks were usually 'outside' the system. Since they devoted their lives to isolation and their faith, they didn't really operate in a way that fit into the hierarchy. However, since the shogun actually controlled the military power in the country, the emperor was usually only second in importance, under the shogun.Īnother important group in Japanese society that didn't fit into these four groups were the religious people: Buddhist and Shinto priests. Because the Japanese believed that the emperor was actually a god, he was above The emperor was also a person who didn't actually fit into one of the four classes. As a result, the normal rules didn't apply to him, and everyone else in society had to treat him with the greatest respect.
Even though he was one of the daimyo, his power exceeded that of all other daimyo and, in most cases, was even
Even though these four classes were supposed to encompass every person in Japanese society, there were groups of people who did not actually fit.Īn example of this was the person of the shogun.
