The idea of the untouchables was probably introduced in Japan to divide and conquer restive rural populations, especially by harshly oppressing landless agrarian laborers.
Some of the rigid caste laws regulating conducts of the population likely had -- in contrast to the rise of the concept of untouchability -- the effect of hindering the rise of capitalism: e.g., sumptuary edicts.
***** What were sumptuary edicts?
Numerous sumptuary regulations were issued throughout the Edo period (1615-1868) to control the expression of ideas that were deemed a threat to public decorum, safety, or morality, or that were subversive to the ruling Tokugawa shogunate. Ostentatious and inappropriate behavior and display for all the classes was proscribed. The earliest sumptuary laws were based on similar practices from China, where consumption was correlated positively with status. In Japan these regulations were called 'ken'yakurei' ("laws regulating expenditures") for all classes of society. They did not constitute a distinct body of laws, but rather were part of the occasional regulatory proclamations issued by the 'rôjû' ("council of elders") and disseminated through various intermediaries to the intended group or class. Although the 'chônin' ("persons of the town") often complained about the repressive measures, the government generally relied more on threats and exhortations than on imposing punishments. There were only a limited number of recorded cases of arrest for violating sumptuary edicts cited in Tokugawa-period legal documents or the popular literature. Throughout the Edo period the sumptuary regulations frequently referred to previous edicts, suggesting that many were not considered permanent or practically enforceable, and that compliance among the targeted groups was often a problem. An expression of the time, 'mikka hatto' ("three-day laws"), suggested that violations of sumptuary laws often followed after only brief periods of compliance....
Appearance and Expenditures
Other sumptuary edicts attempted to proscribe "appearance" and the expenditure of wealth as appropriate to each class. As some of the merchants began to amass large fortunes and live in a manner previously reserved only for the samurai class, the 'bakafu' ("tent government," the Shogun's ruling officials) issued sumptuary laws to reinforce the distinctions between the classes, to encourage frugality, and to maintain a Neo-Confucian system of moral conduct. The government was particularly concerned that the morale and discipline of the samurai class should not be undermined by ostentatious displays of wealth among the 'chônin'. Many regulations proscribed the consumption of goods and services and placed limits on luxurious entertainment, identifying what was appropriate for members of each social level and closely correlating consumption with social status.
The 'bakufu' recognized that fashion could be used to cross over the class boundaries, which were often differentiated by styles of clothing and accessories. The potentially seditious nature of dress and fashion during the Edo period was reflected in a startling number of repressive edicts involving clothing, although the edicts actually touched upon many aspects of behavior and life style. Edo-period sumptuary edicts were, in a practical sense, directed at controlling the more visible displays of social status, and they were issued with increasing frequency beginning in the 17th century. Edicts as early as 1617 prohibited gold and silver leaf appliqué on courtesans' clothing. Other edicts banned gold thread. In 1649 the first comprehensive list of restrictions for 'chônin' was issued for Edo, which included a ban on gold lacquer decoration, houses with gold or silver leaf trimming, and gold lacquer riding saddles. Gold or silver clasps were occasionally forbidden on tobacco pouches for being too ostentatious.
One notorious case of flagrant violation occurred in 1681 and involved a wealthy Edo merchant named Ishikawa Rokubei. The Rokubei household, including his wife and her servants, had proudly adorned themselves in magnificent dress in order to view the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709) when he visited Ueno. Thinking she was the wife of a 'daimyô', the shogun inquired after her, but when he was told she was only the wife of a merchant, the shogun was infuriated, believing they had shown disrespect to their superiors by dressing beyond their station. Tsunayoshi had the couple summoned to the office of the town magistrate, whereupon all of Rokubei's property was confiscated and the family banished from Edo. Soon afterwards, in 1683, Tsunayoshi and his officials issued sumptuary regulations in unprecedented numbers regarding the clothing of 'chônin' (ironic given Tsunayoshi's own profligate spending and ostentatious life style), and it is tempting to speculate that the Rokubei incident provoked Tsunayoshi to enact more clothing laws.
It is interesting to note that when the sumptuary laws were issued as frugality measures, expenditures were to be appropriate to one's social status: One had not only to avoid excessive spending but also had to live according to one's social position; in other words, a failure to spend in a manner appropriate to one's social position could also mean falling short of fulfilling one's obligations. It might be argued that the frugality edicts were not entirely negative, especially for the samurai class. Samurai were likely to understand that frugality was both virtuous and practical. The 'chônin', however, probably viewed these regulations in a negative light, as repressive measures aimed at limiting their success, and, in effect, protecting the samurai estate at their expense. Most of the 'chônin' appear to have controlled their public displays, and a few of the practical guides of the period (such as 'Chônin bukoro', "The Townsmen's Bag," by Nishikawa Joken, 1648-1724) admonished the 'chônin' not to exceed their superiors, while teachers of the Shingaku social and ethical philosophy (such as Ishida Baigan, 1685-1744, and Nakazawa Dôni, 1725-1803) urged the 'chônin' to observe their social position for fear of bringing disorder into the hierarchy and offending the natural order....
References
Jenkins, D.: The Floating World Revisited. Portland: Portland Art Museum, 1993, p. 186. Screech, T.: The Shogun's Painted Culture: Fear and Creativity in the Japanese States, 1760-1829. London: Reaktion Books, 2000. Shively, D.: "Sumptuary regulation and status in early Tokugawa Japan," in: Harvard Journal of Asiatic studies, Vol. 25, 1965, pp. 123-134. Thompson S. & Harootunian: Undercurrents in the Floating World: Censorship and Japanese Prints. New York: Asia Society, 1991.
<http://spectacle.berkeley.edu/~fiorillo/6special_topics.html#edicts> ***** -- Yoshie
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