was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. In the social hierarchy, it was considered subordinate to the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

warrior class.

Social Class

The ''chōnin'' emerged in ''joka-machi'' or castle towns during the sixteenth century. The majority of ''chōnin'' were merchants, but some were craftsmen. were not considered ''chōnin''. Later, peasants, servants, and workers were also considered members of the social class. While ''chōnin'' are not as well known to non-Japanese as other social classes in Japan, they played a key role in the development of Japanese cultural products such as ''

ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk ta ...

'', '' rakugo'', and handicrafts. Aesthetic ideals such as ''iki'', ''tsū'', and '' wabi-sabi'' were also developed among the ''chōnin''. This association with cultural development emerged as a way for members of the class to break the strict social barriers that prevented individuals from ascending in the social hierarchy. Members of the ''chōnin'' opted to develop culture within their communities, allowing members of such community to rise as "cultured individuals". This phenomenon is said to be behind the popularity of the '' iemoto'' system in the Edo period. The socioeconomic ascendance of ''chōnin'' has certain similarities to the roughly contemporary rise of the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

in the West. In the latter part of the Tokugawa period, the social class wielded the real power in the society although the warrior class still dominated the political sphere.

Origins

By the late 17th century the prosperity and growth of

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

had begun to produce unforeseen changes in the Tokugawa social order. The ''chōnin'', who were theoretically at the bottom of the Edo hierarchy ( ''shinōkōshō'', samurai-farmers-craftsmen-merchants, with ''chōnin'' encompassing the two latter groups), flourished socially and economically at the expense of the ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

s'' and

, who were eager to trade

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

(the principal source of domainal income) for cash and consumer goods.

References

External links

Samurai, Chōnin and the Bakufu: Between Cultures of Frivolity and Frugality.Britannica Article
Japanese culture Japanese historical terms {{japan-hist-stub