Rise of Feudalism: In contrast to Europe, where feudalism declined as centralized national monarchies grew stronger, in Japan feudal institutions increasingly replaced national ones after the 11th century. Emperors continued to reign, but they no longer ruled. Their power was replaced by that of the provincial lords, who were descended from the old clan lords or court nobility that had left the capital. These lords managed the estates, fought the wars, and supervised the peasant population. Some still acknowledged their patronage to the great court families such as the Fujiwara, and remitted part of their income to them, but as time went on they became less inclined to do so, as they no longer needed protection from the imperial court.
The Economic and Political Structure of Japan encouraged a more decentralized power structure. Once attempts to establish a Chinese-style tax system were given up, centralized government resorted to fixed quotas, which were collected by the regional authorities, and any amount collected over the quota was kept by the regional authorities. …
