Merchants were at the bottom of the social order because they generated wealth without producing any goods. Third were artisans because they produced nonessential goods. According to Confucian philosophy, society could not survive without agriculture. Peasants came second because they produced the most important commodity, food. The system was meant to reinforce their position of power in society by justifying their ruling status. Samurai were placed at the top of society because they started an order and set a high moral example for others to follow. By this system, society was composed of samurai (shi), farming peasants (nō), artisans (kō) and merchants (shō). This system was based on the ideas of Confucianism that spread to Japan from China. The Tokugawa government intentionally created a social order called the Four divisions of society (shinōkōshō), that would stabilize the country.
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