Final answer:
The Japanese government during the Middle Ages was a feudal system with the shogun exerting actual power, the daimyo ruling territories semi-autonomously, and the samurai serving as military retainers. Strict social hierarchies and policies, including the sankin-kōtai system, maintained order and loyalty.
Step-by-step explanation:
The government of Japan during the Middle Ages was a feudal system dominated by the shogun, daimyo, and samurai, with the emperor being more of a figurehead. The shogun, who was the military commander, held the real power and governed the country through an elite army of samurai warriors.
Daimyo were powerful samurai warlords that ruled large domains as if they were independent kingdoms, imposing their own laws and recruiting their own warriors. The samurai were loyal retainers to the daimyo and shogun, upholding the military strength and social order of the period.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate enforced a policy of isolation while growing the economy internally. A strict social structure was in place, with an immutable hierarchy from the emperor down to merchants and peasants.
This period also saw the adoption of the sankin-kōtai system, which mandated that daimyo alternate living between their domains and Edo (Tokyo), leaving their families as political hostages and thereby ensuring their loyalty to the shogun.