Episode 9 - Pax Tokugawa

In this episode of the History of Japan podcast, the host discusses the social and political structure of the Tokugawa state, also known as the Pax Tokugawa, and how Tokugawa Ieyasu established a remarkably stable system. The episode explores the legally established class system based on Neo-Confucianism, the roles and governance of peasants, artisans, merchants, and the burakumin, and the subdivisions within the samurai class, including the shogun, daimyo (fudai and tozama), and retainers. The host also covers the alternate attendance system (sankin koutai), the economic dynamics between merchants and samurai, and Japan's relationship with the West, focusing on the suppression of Christianity and the isolationist policies (sakoku) that allowed limited trade with the Dutch, Koreans, and Chinese. The episode sets the stage for understanding the internal tensions and external pressures that would eventually lead to the overthrow of the bakufu.