Jobs in Ancient Japan: From Farmers to Courtiers

Ancient Japan (Yayoi → Kofun → Asuka → Nara → Heian, c. 300 BC – 1185 AD) had a stratified, agrarian-based economy with a sophisticated court bureaucracy.

Primary Sector (Base of Society)

• Farmers (Hyakushō): **~90% of population.** Rice (wet-paddy) = wealth/tax base. Also: millet, barley, wheat, soy, hemp. **Corvée labor (zōyō)** for state.
• Fishermen (Uminchu/Ama): Coastal/inland. Ama (female divers) – abalone, pearls, seaweed.
• Hunters/Trappers (Matagi precursors): Mountains – deer, boar, bear, fur.
• Gatherers: Nuts, mushrooms, mountain vegetables (sansai), medicinal herbs.

Secondary Sector (Craft & Industry)

• Artisans (Shokunin): **Be (部) system** – hereditary guilds attached to court/nobles/temples.
  • **Potters (Sueki → Stoneware), Weavers (Nishiki, Aya), Metalworkers (swords, mirrors, tools), Woodworkers (temples, sculpture), Lacquerers (Urushi), Papermakers (Washi).
• Builders (Ōkumi): Temple/palace/tomb (kofun) construction. Massive labor mobilization.
• Miners: Copper (Nara, Ashio), Silver, Gold, Iron sand (tatara).
• Salt Makers (Shi no Tsukasa): Coastal **moshio-yaki** (seaweed ash brine → salt). State monopoly.

Tertiary Sector (Services & Trade)

• Merchants (Akindo): Low status (Confucian), but vital. **Ichi (markets)** – periodic. **Port towns** (Hakata, Sakai, Ōtsu) – international trade (Tang, Song, Silla, Balhae).
• Moneylenders (Kashiage): Temple/estate-based loans (rice, coin).
• Physicians (Ishi): **Kampo** (Chinese medicine) – court, temple, private. Acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion.
• Entertainers (Geinin/Hinin): **Sarugaku/Noh** precursors, **Gigaku** (masked dance), **Kagura** (shrine), **Biwa Hōshi** (blind lute priests), **Shirabyōshi** (female dancers).

Government & Military (Ritsuryō System, 7th–10th c.)

• Officials (Kanri): **Daijō-kan** (Council of State) → **8 Ministries** (Central Affairs, Ceremonial, Civil Admin, Popular Affairs, War, Justice, Treasury, Imperial Household). Ranks (Kan'i) 1–8 + Initial Rank (Shōi). **Examination system (limited, aristocratic).**
• Military (Gundan → Kondei → Samurai precursors): **Conscripted peasants (Gundan)** → failed. **Local elite mounted warriors (Kondei, Tsuwamono)** → basis of **Samurai**. **Shugo/Jitō** (Kamakura, post-1185).

Religious & Intellectual

• Buddhist Clergy (Sōryo): State-regulated (Sōgō). Temples = landholders, schools, hospitals, banks. **Monks (Kūkai, Saichō, Hōnen, Shinran).**
• Shinto Priests (Kannushi): Shrine rites (Jingikan). Hereditary families (Urabe, Nakatomi).
• Scholars (Gakushō): Confucian classics, history (Kojiki, Nihon Shoki), poetry (Waka), law, astronomy, calendar.
• Artists (Eshi, Chōkokushi): Court painting (Yamato-e), sculpture (Buddhist), calligraphy.

Social Hierarchy (Ritsuryō Ideal)

1. Emperor / Imperial Family
2. Nobility (Kuge) – Court ranks 1–3
3. Senior Officials (Ranks 4–6)
4. Junior Officials (Ranks 7–8)
5. Commoners (Ryōmin) – Farmers, Artisans, Merchants
6. **Base/Unfree:** **Senmin** (Slaves - Kunuhi, Genin; Outcasts - Hinin/Kawaramono)

**Apprenticeship (Deshi-iri):** Live-in, years of menial work → secrets → independence (Norensuke). Guild (Za) monopolies in medieval period.