Gone Medieval How Everyday People Built Medieval Japan
Feb 5, 2024
Dr. Eleanor Janega discusses skilled artisans in medieval Japan, exploring their trade networks and influence. They delve into the governance structure, artisan identity through poetry scrolls, guilds, legal documentation, and the legacy of metal casters' mythical origins.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
How Japan Adopted The Medieval Label
- The Japanese "medieval" period generally spans the 12th to the end of the 16th century and was framed using Western periodization in the 19th century.
- The term's adoption reflects Japan's efforts to compare its history to European models during modernization.
Overlapping Power, Not A Single State
- Medieval Japan featured overlapping power centres: the imperial court, warrior governments and religious institutions, not a single centralized state.
- Legal and political authority often overlapped and conflicted across regions and institutions.
Feudalism Is A Imported, Political Lens
- The term "feudal" was imported and politicized; scholarship on medieval Japan was shaped by nationalism and 20th-century ideological shifts.
- This produced long-standing focus on elites (warriors, peasants) while marginalizing merchants and artisans until social history rose in the 1960s–70s.