HIST 236 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Genroku, Ihara Saikaku, Sumptuary Law
11 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
Impact of peasant protest on the political authorities. No longer bakufu/daimyo and their specific policies. More internal village affair: poor against richer. Viewed by poor as defenders of elite interests. Reluctant to take sides: satisfy the demands of one set of peasants against another. Ikki loosely translates to rebellion, all your energy concentrated in one action. Punishments of village elites as divine retribution . The gods of world renewal are arriving to punish you here and now . Becomes connected to popular buddhist belief in the arrival of maitreya (future buddha) Arrival - renewal of buddhist teaching/peace and harmony. Indicative of peasants" belief that they and not the authorities must try to rectify the ills of society. Justice can be restored and society renewed. Problem for the authorities: how to keep those on the bottom in their place. Policies of 5th shogun tsunayoshi and 8th shogun yoshimune. Shift to providing foods and services to everyone.
