Final answer:
Pre-modern young people in Japan were expected to conform to a strict social hierarchy established during the Edo period, where their inherited social status dictated conduct, dress, and various aspects of daily life.
Step-by-step explanation:
In pre-modern Japan, particularly during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate, young people were expected to adhere strictly to a hierarchical societal structure. This society was characterized by a rigid social stratification system where the samurai class was highly regarded, and there were specific norms and rules governing behavior, dress, and conduct for every social stratum, including young individuals. Occupations as well as everyday activities were influenced by traditional practices, and while the merchant class was financially powerful, they ranked lowest in the societal hierarchy and thus had limited social mobility. Hence, young people in merchant or lower-level families had to navigate these sumptuary laws, which defined acceptable consumption and expenditure based on class. Moreover, despite an expanding economy and interactions with the broader world, a norm especially strong for young people was to maintain the status quo of their inherited social positions, whether they were samurais, peasants, or merchants.