The life of a peasant

Arata Sato was a common peasant living in feudal Japan. He is a rice farmer.

He is the one in the middle wearing blue, pulling the donkey.

He worked and farmed on the lands of the daimyo Mori Nishi. His produce is essential to the daimyo, who relies on it for food and income.

The daimyo sets heavy taxes on Arata's produce; he must just make do, and try to feed his family with what is left.

He had very little power in society. He was in the social class of peasants, which is still above artisans and merchants, but below everything else. Because the daimyo is reliant on his produce, that gives Arata a slight amount of power, and earns him respect.

For a peasant, Arata and his family had reasonable living conditions.

This is his house:

He would live off a meal called pottage. This is a soup made up from the available ingredients: usually rice or fish or vegetables.

He would wear wooden sandals and cotton clothes.

One year, Arata had to face a major challenge. His main crop, rice, failed. This is a devastating thing to happen, as their crop was their main source of food.

Luckily, the daimyo felt sorry for them, and was able to spare them a small amount of his other taxed produce. He and all his family survived.

He has a very important and critical role in society, providing the essential service of agriculture. His main produce, rice, would mostly be taken away by the daimyo, and consumed by the daimyo's family and samurai. This rice fuelled the whole feudal society and without it everything would fall down.