CONTEMPLATING
History
RISE OF THE MERCHANTS
Considered the lowest because they
believed trading does not contribute
anything to society.
Crops
Artisans
Where they used to live a lifestyle of the lowest in
society, for the first time, the Merchant class was
able to experience the same leisure as the ruling
class. It changed how they perceive the world
around them and it established a new culture of
the masses: a search for enjoyment. This led to a
newly discovered enthusiasm for the quality of
workmanship and art. To capture this dissipation
lifestyle derived from the people whose wellbeing
was greatly enhanced, ukiyo-e, which translates to
a “floating world” was an artistic representation of
their detachment from the bothers of life.
Trades
The class system was so distinct that it doesn’t
matter if you have the merits or not. Those from
the merchant to the artisan class were only
allowed to stick to the ‘place’ they were born from.
Whilst those from the Samurai and above are
notably considered as the elite of society. But what
the shogunate didn’t know was that due to the
increased opportunities the massive display of
agriculture has brought, the merchant class took
the chance to build a business around it. They
flourished from the bottom of society.
4