Shinoukosho

Japanese: 士農工商 - しのうこうしょう

The four basic classes in the Edo period were samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants. As the ruling class, samurai had privileges such as surnames and carrying swords, while among the ruled classes, farmers were ranked higher as producers who supported the samurai's livelihood by paying taxes, artisans were ranked second because they produced various handicrafts, and merchants were ranked lower because they were unproductive and sought profit. The hierarchy of farmers, artisans, and merchants is an expression that shows the samurai's view of their occupations and does not have any legal discrimination. Rather, the basic relationship of dominance in feudal society was between samurai and farmers, so political control was strong on both, while artisans and merchants were derivative and less restricted, and were collectively called townspeople. The policy of separating soldiers and farmers promoted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi was completed by the Edo Shogunate, and the class system based on hereditary occupations was solidified. However, with the development of the commodity economy, merchants with economic power surpassing that of daimyo appeared, and in the late Edo period, some samurai became impoverished and adopted townspeople, causing unrest. Below the four classes were people known as eta and hinin, who were considered to be of low class.

Source: Obunsha Japanese History Dictionary, Third Edition About Obunsha Japanese History Dictionary, Third Edition

Japanese:

江戸時代の基本的身分で，武士・農民・職人・商人のこと
四民ともいう。武士は支配階級として苗字・帯刀などの特権をもち，被支配階級のうち農民は年貢納入により武士の生活を支える生産者として上位に，職人はさまざまな手工業品の生産のゆえに次位に，商人は非生産的で利を求めるので下位とされた。農工商の序列は武士の職業観を示す言いならわしで法的な差別はない。むしろ封建社会の基本的な支配関係は武士・農民間にあるので，両者には政治的統制が強く及ぶのに対し，工商は派生的で制約が少なく一括して町人と呼ばれた。豊臣秀吉が推進した兵農分離政策が江戸幕府で完成され，職業世襲による身分制が固定化された。しかし商品経済の進展の中で大名をしのぐ経済力をもつ商人が現れ，また江戸後期になると，武士が困窮して町人と養子縁組する者が現れるなど，動揺がみられた。なお四民の下には賤民として穢多 (えた) ・非人と呼ばれた人びとが置かれた。

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