It’s good and interesting to see the Japanese make relations with other powers such as the Mughals and Ottomans.
Nobunaga’s Ambition Realized: Dawn of a New Rising Sun
- Thread starter Ambassador Huntsman
- Start date
I think you can check the book
The Idea of Ancient India Essays on Religion, Politics, and Archaeology by Upinder singh particularly last two essays aka gifts from other lands and Politics, piety and patronage. Also for assimilation of Buddha in Indian fremework check Buddhist visnu by John Holt.
The Idea of Ancient India Essays on Religion, Politics, and Archaeology by Upinder singh particularly last two essays aka gifts from other lands and Politics, piety and patronage. Also for assimilation of Buddha in Indian fremework check Buddhist visnu by John Holt.
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I'll definitely try to get my hands on it, thanks for the recommendation.
That is strange, considering Japan society itself is still stratified
Possibly not as much ITTL as it was OTL. It used IRL to be possible for peasants to become samurai via merit - ji-samurai was the term used IIRC. It was the Tokugawa I think who ended that and set the class lines in stone. ITTL, without that, things are likely more fluid.
Though they’d still have the eta as ‘untouchables’ of course…
The dynamics of the Mughal Empire’s social structure fell in between that of a feudal system and a centralized system. It can be broken down in to four distinct groups that, just like most cultures, seemed to depend on wealth as the deciding factor of social class. Members of the Mughal population could move to a higher social class; however, this was extremely difficult, especially for those at the lowest echelons of society.
At the top of the social ladder was the royal family. This was headed by the Emperor with and his sons immediately below him. The Emperor typically kept a large harem, which made allowed for a large number of princes. As the head of the empire, the royal family lived in supreme luxury. The resources of the entire empire were available to them. They all lived in lavish homes in which they hosted frequent parties. The women of the Emperor’s harem set the trends in fashion and other cultural aspects among the women of the lower classes.
The next group in the social structure was comprised of the noble class. Many of these were members of the Emperor’s extended family and of his Council. It also included important heads of the empire’s clans and people that had found favor with the Emperor. People from all social classes and nationalities could gain noble status should the Emperor desire to bestow it. This class also included high ranking mansabdars. These were men served as commanders in the empire’s army and aided the Emperor in governing matters. Many of them were assigned tracts of land called jagirs from which they would collect revenue for the empire. They were permitted to keep a portion of this revenue for themselves. Mansabdars who owned jagirs were known as Jagirdars. All members of the noble class lived extravagantly just as the Emperor and his princes, though on a smaller scale. The nobles owned elaborate houses and many kept small harems.
Below the nobles came the middle class. This group was made up of wealthy traders, lower ranking mansabdars, successful merchants, farmers and other professionals. This class of people was able to live a comfortable life, though nowhere near as lavish as that of the noble class. They typically had jobs that paid well and a majority of them owned their own land. These factors allowed them to enjoy some luxuries, though not nearly the level of the nobles.
The majority of the Mughal Empire’s population belonged to the lower class. These were the poor, slaves and others who barely could get by. Those fortunate enough to hold menial jobs such as cleaning worked long hours for meager pay. Some worked basically as volunteer slaves in the hopes that they would be shown mercy from their higher-classed masters. They fought for the basic necessities, often owning very few pieces of clothing. They owned no land and lived in houses made of mud. During tough times such as famine, this class struggled to survive.
It is not so different from Japanese system. Look at IQTIDAR ALAM KHAN's The Middle Classes in the Mughal Empire Essay.
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And there was also the added complication of the caste system.
It had been Toyotomi Hideyoshi who first promulgated it.
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Japanese also have untouchable aka https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin
It is indeed to an extent but ITTL the “four classes” structure doesn’t really get entrenched due to the rising mercantile power of merchants and craftsmen and the lessened influence of Confucianism. The countryside, however, is still more stratified. Also Yasubee is a globe-trotting merchant from Sakai, the most cosmopolitan city in Japan, so someone like him would express distaste. If it was someone like a noble or even samurai, not so much.
Correct.
Yeah Nobunaga doesn’t ITTL due to his meritocratic tendencies like promoting farmers and non-Japanese.
This is definitely the same as OTL.
@Ambassador Huntsman I think Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism which originally patronized the lower castes and Burakumin in japan have best chance to convert dalits in india. In 1922, when the National Levelers' Association (Zenkoku-suiheisha) was initiated in Kyoto, Mankichi Saiko, a founder of the society and Jodo Shinshu priest, said, critiquing aggressive postures on the denouncement of acts of discrimination: "We shouldn't disgrace our ancestors and violate humanity by our harsh words and terrible actions. We, who know how cold the human world is, and how to take care of humanity, can seek and rejoice from the bottom of our hearts in the warmth and light of human life." Other buddhist sects are not so pragmatic and support untouchablility of butchers, gravedigger, tanners etc.
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That's a definite possibility. A lot of it is gonna depend on the reaction of the Mughals. Also, the syncretic Catholic-Buddhist faith will also be in the mix pretty soon.
Have you read about Christian Ashram movement? Also mughals more or less hands on approach regarding religion. Dara particularly very interested in vedanta and universalist approach and religious Synthesis. Other than Aurangzeb there no one among Mughals were much interested in imposing orthodoxy upon religious fremework and even he followed pragmatism for his benefits while forsaking orthodox approach. For example when he tried to conquer golconda he informed his kazi to write a fatwa against them. Kazi refused as they are fellow muslims thus it will be unprovoked attack against them and against laws of Islam. Aurangzeb told him to write it anyway because they are heretic so it does goes against islam. He allows followed letter of law rather than spirit and even bend the law according to his needs.
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Just looked it up, definitely very interesting. The future syncretic faith will be in some ways similar in concept in a different cultural context. However, it will be much more of a distinct faith rather than just an adaptation of one religion in a different cultural context.
It is true that the Mughals are generally tolerant and it’s mainly Aurangzeb that stood out in his intolerance. Then again, that could be the change because as of now who succeeds Shah Jahan is a tossup. Could be Aurangzeb or Dara Shikoh or even Shah Jahan’s other two sons.
I hope that would happen, maybe the Mughals wouldn't get the bad idea to conquer the whole of India now
Hopefully since it'll keep the East India Company from destabilizing them.
I'm pretty sure it was less EIC but moreso the Marathas and Nader Shah that caused the Mughals to terminally decline.
Honestly the impetus was the succession crisis after the death of Bahadur Shah I.