Before agriculture was introduced in Japan the population was mostly small groups hunters and gatherers. Farming became widespread between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D. Only 20% of Japan's land was farmable. Because of the scarcity of farmable land the imperial court established the six-year Equal fields distribution practice. Every six years the land was divided equally among the population. Tax exemptions were granted to families who would reclaim land and support their own militias at their …showed first 75 words of 1281 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1281 total…literature. Others became ronin, who were master less samurai who wandered around the country in search for work. The samurai class completely disappeared in 1868 at the beginning of the Meji Restoration. Within three months the government issued the Charter Oath of April 1868 that promised, among other things, a unity of all classes to promote the "economy and welfare of the nation." By 1871 the four-class social system was abolished and so were the samurai. (Perez, pg.213)