Question
“The greater and lesser daimyo [lords] of the provinces and all their salaried officials must speedily expel any soldiers in their service who have been accused of rebellion or murder. . . . Any repairs to castles in the provinces must be reported to the government of the shogun [ruler of Japan], as well as any new construction, which is strictly forbidden. Walls extending more than a certain distance are a peril to the state. High fortresses and well-dredged moats are the origins of great turmoil. . . . [When reporting for duty] daimyo with larger estates should not be escorted by more than twenty mounted warriors. Daimyo with smaller estates should reduce their escort proportionally.” Decree issued by the newly established Tokugawa Shogunate concerning the regulation of warrior households, Japan, 1615 written like an 8th grader In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable. Use the passage to answer all parts of the question that follows. a) Identify ONE purpose of the decree. b) Identify ONE way in which the decree reflects the historical situation of the period 1450–1750 in terms of state development. c) Identify ONE piece of evidence from the decree that a historian could use to argue that powerful elites remained a threat to states in the period 1450–1750.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
a) One purpose of the decree issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate was to maintain control over the daimyo and their armies by limiting the number of soldiers they could have and ensuring that any rebellious or violent individuals were expelled from their service. This was intended to prevent any potential uprisings or conflicts that could threaten the authority of the shogunate.
b) The decree reflects the historical situation of the period 1450–1750 in terms of state development by showing how the Tokugawa Shogunate was working to centralize power and stabilize the country after a long period of warfare. During this time, Japan was moving away from feudal conflicts and towards a more unified government, which required strict control over the powerful regional lords (daimyo) to maintain peace and order.
c) One piece of evidence from the decree that a historian could use to argue that powerful elites remained a threat to states in the period 1450–1750 is the directive that daimyo with larger estates could not be escorted by more than twenty mounted warriors. This restriction highlights the fear of armed rebellion among the elite, as large groups of warriors could potentially challenge the authority of the central government. This illustrates that the existence and power of the daimyo were seen as a continuous threat to the stability of the state during this period.
b) The decree reflects the historical situation of the period 1450–1750 in terms of state development by showing how the Tokugawa Shogunate was working to centralize power and stabilize the country after a long period of warfare. During this time, Japan was moving away from feudal conflicts and towards a more unified government, which required strict control over the powerful regional lords (daimyo) to maintain peace and order.
c) One piece of evidence from the decree that a historian could use to argue that powerful elites remained a threat to states in the period 1450–1750 is the directive that daimyo with larger estates could not be escorted by more than twenty mounted warriors. This restriction highlights the fear of armed rebellion among the elite, as large groups of warriors could potentially challenge the authority of the central government. This illustrates that the existence and power of the daimyo were seen as a continuous threat to the stability of the state during this period.