The Comparative Study of Indian and Feudal
Japanese Caste System

Key words: Caste system, India, Japan, comparison, Burakumin
The Comparative Study of Indian and Feudal Japanese Caste System

Introduction to Japanese Society
Final Essay

Introduction to caste system

The caste system is a type of social stratification characterized by endogamy, inherited
propagation of a lifestyle that does not necessarily, but often involves occupation, hierarchical
status and marginalization of certain groups based on cultural ideas of purity and pollution
(M.S.D. 2010). It comes under a closed stratification system in which membership into the caste
group is determined by birth and remains consistent throughout their life.

The caste is alsodeeply interrelated with a person’s spiritual periphery which could be one of the reasons why eastern society seems to be more sophisticated regarding the caste system since the historical era.
While the caste system is often assumed to be a tradition peculiar to Indian culture, the system
also seems to be prevailing in many Asian societies such as Japan, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan,
Israel etc (Newell, 1961). However, these countries usually have their own customs and
traditions of accumulating their individuals together based on one’s culture, caste, rituals, social
norms etc., and are not always identical to others. Although it is true that India has the prime
example of a caste structure, some studies show that the feudal Japanese caste system has many
similarities to that of India despite coming from a very distinctive cultural and religious source
(Newell, 1961). Since the degree of similarities and differences between the two caste systems is
unknown to many of us, this paper aims to shed some light on this matter by presenting a
comparative analysis of Indian and Feudal Japanese caste system.

Indian caste system

The Indian caste system is one of the oldest remaining forms of social stratification in the world
that is generally accepted to be more than 3,000 years old (BBC, 2019). It originated from the
Hindu belief of reincarnation. The Hindus are divided into strict hierarchical order based on the
cultural notion of dharma (duty) and karma (deeds) in the past lives, which means the action of
the soul in the previous life determines its position in the caste system. This implies that the only
way to move ahead in the hierarchy within the caste system is to be kind and vigorous in this life
and expect to reincarnate in the higher station the next time (K.S ,2018). Hence, mobility within
the Indian caste system is very inflexible. The traditional caste system of India consists of four
different categories of people, with others falling below the system entirely. As per religious mystical theories, the four ‘Varnas’ or ‘castes’ are determined by the descending order of the
different body organs of Brahma, the creator (Olcott, 1944).

They are as follows:
1) Brahmans – hindu priests (from the head of Bramha)
2) Kshatriyas – the kings and warriors (from the hands of Bramha)
3) Vaishyas – farmers, traders, and skilled artisans (from the thigh of Bramha)
4) Sudras – tenant farmers and servants (from the feet of Bramha)

 

At the highest of the caste system are the Brahmins, the teachers and spiritual leaders, who
originated from Brahma’s head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and kings, who
emerge from his arms. Likewise, the third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the merchants and
farmers, who evolved from his thighs. Lastly, at the underside of the heap were the Shudras, who
came from Brahma’s foot and did all the menial jobs (M.S.D. 2010). However, this is not the end
of the conventional social stratification in India because below the caste system comes the
“untouchables”. Untouchables are those categories of people who were involved in unclean jobs
such as scavenging animal carcasses, tanning leather, etc. Within the society, they were
considered to be so impure that they could contaminate the higher caste people just by physically
touching or even by getting close to them (Olcott, 1944). Although the concept of pure and
impure originated a very long time ago, we can still see it being practiced in some of the rural
areas of India (M.S.D. 2010).

Feudal Japanese caste system

Japan is renowned for its homogenous and harmonious society all over the world. However, the
truth is Japan was not always as homogenous as it is widely perceived. Like India, Japan too has
a deep history of caste division that divided the society into different fragments. During the Edo
period (1603-1867), emperor Tokugawa Shogunate enforced a strict caste system upon Feudal
Japanese society (Newell, 1961). Under this caste system, the majority of Japanese society was
classified into a strict hierarchy of social classes based on the four occupations derived from
confucius beliefs (Hendry,2012). The four classes were:

1) Samurai
2) Farmers
3) Artisans
4) Merchants

Under the feudal Japanese class system, Samurai warriors were at the top of the chart, having
significant influence and rights within society. Below the Samurais ranked the peasants, who
were the farmers and fishermen of the country. The peasants were held in high regards during the
Edo period because they produced the most significant commodity; food. Due to this reason,
they were the second-most powerful class among the commoners. Then comes the Artisans, who
were the craftsmen that produced non-essential goods. Lastly, the lowest class in the system were
the merchants. They were placed in the very bottom of the official system because, at that time,
merchants did not produce any goods in the society and thus, had a low status. However, not
everyone in the country was a part of this class system. The members of the nobility, including
the emperor, court nobility, shōgun (military dictators) and daimyō (feudal lords), were
considered superior to the system and thus, placed above the entire class structure. Similarly, at
the end of the spectrum were the “eta” or “burakumin”, who were engaged in the defiling of
occupations, such as burying of the deceased and tanning the hides of animals (Hendry,2012).
They were also referred to as untouchables. These people fell outside of mainstream Japanese
because their occupations were considered impure and dirtier than other classes. Following the
dissolution of the caste system in 1871, commoners and burakumins steadily combined into a
single commoner class without limitations or differentiation for their occupation; though,
evidence suggests that Burakumin continued to experience prejudice similar to that of the Edo era for a long time (Shimahara, 1984).

Comparison: Similarities and differences (Study of Indian and Feudal Japanese Caste System)

Japan and India seem to have several commonalities in terms of social structure, as they both had
four primary divisions of people, reflecting the form of occupation that people had. One of the
most significant similarities between the two-caste system is the presence of “untouchable” in the
Indian system and “burakumin” in the feudal Japanese caste system. Like untouchables of India,
burakumins also fell below the four-tier caste system. Both burakumin and untouchable were
placed below the lowest rung on the social ladder and practically served the same function:
butchering, leather tanning, and other unclean jobs. While their descendants have much better
prospects today, prejudice against people who are viewed as belonging to these “outcast” classes
is still prevailing in both societies. Moreover, both Indian and feudal Japanese caste systems
intended to promote stability and order within the society through classification of people into
specific groups. Although the caste system in feudal Japan and Indian have some features in
common, the two systems are also distinct from each other. If we look at the origins of the Indian
and feudal caste systems in Japan, we can see that they both come from very distinct
backgrounds. The Indian caste system is based on the Hindu conception of social order derived
from religious books and texts. Whereas, the feudal Japanese caste system came out of
Confucian philosophy, rather than religion. Thus, although the two systems tend to be quite
similar, particularly in terms of structure and functionality, the beliefs from which they
originated were rather different. Likewise, the shogun and the imperial family were above the
class system in the case of Japan. Whereas nobody is above the structure in the Indian caste
system, in fact, kings and warriors were grouped together to the second most powerful class: the
Kshatriyas. Lastly, in Japan’s caste system, the Buddhist monks and nuns were detached from
the social ladder, in contrast to the Indian system, where the Hindu priestly class were the highest
and strongest caste – the Brahmins.

Conclusion

The objective of this paper was to make a comparative analysis of Indian and feudal Japanese
caste system. Our findings suggest that the numbers of differences exceed the total number of
similarities between the two systems. However, I think the similarities between the two caste
systems are still very shocking if we consider how culturally, socially and religiously distinct the
two countries are. Likewise, I found out that the role of religion in shaping societal order in
Japan is not as important as it is in Indian. The social order and religion in Japan appear to have a
fine dividing line, whereas they are mostly merging in Indian society. To conclude, Indian and
feudal Japanese caste systems have many similarities; however, they are also distinctive in the
most significant way.

Read more Japanese Distribution system 

The Comparative Study of Indian and Feudal Japanese Caste System

References
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Shimahara, N. (1984). Toward the Equality of a Japanese Minority: the case of
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The Comparative Study of Indian and Feudal Japanese Caste System