Medieval Japan and Medieval Europe
Medieval Europe depended on their king or lord, and were also very devoted and dependent on God. Anyone who disagreed with Catholic beliefs was considered stupid and shunned from the community. Just like Medieval Japan, if you were to speak up in disbelief of what the emperor or higher class had said or stated, you were considered and outcast, as this was not permitted.
Meditation was a form of relaxation in medieval Japan. It kept the Japanese community calm and also played a major role in the Japanese social life. In medieval Europe, believing in God and his rules kept the community sane. As it taught them that those who sinned, would pay for it in their afterlife. Many did not sin believing that their afterlife would be horrible. There wasn't many who rebelled against the rules of the catholic church, or even rules in general. But those who did were persecuted or severely punished for their actions.
A main factor between Medieval Japan and Medieval Europe is land ownership. European were given land as a reward for their military skills and service, they had control over the peasants that worked the land. In comparison, Japanese samurai did not own any land. Instead, the daimyo used the money they had received from taxing the peasants to pay the samurai a salary, usually paid in rice.
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/japan/a/Feudalism-In-Japan-And-Europe.htm
http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-177_t-515_c-1916/feudalism-in-japan/nsw/feudalism-in-japan/medieval-and-early-modern-societies-japan/medieval-japanese-societal-structure
Meditation was a form of relaxation in medieval Japan. It kept the Japanese community calm and also played a major role in the Japanese social life. In medieval Europe, believing in God and his rules kept the community sane. As it taught them that those who sinned, would pay for it in their afterlife. Many did not sin believing that their afterlife would be horrible. There wasn't many who rebelled against the rules of the catholic church, or even rules in general. But those who did were persecuted or severely punished for their actions.
A main factor between Medieval Japan and Medieval Europe is land ownership. European were given land as a reward for their military skills and service, they had control over the peasants that worked the land. In comparison, Japanese samurai did not own any land. Instead, the daimyo used the money they had received from taxing the peasants to pay the samurai a salary, usually paid in rice.
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/japan/a/Feudalism-In-Japan-And-Europe.htm
http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-177_t-515_c-1916/feudalism-in-japan/nsw/feudalism-in-japan/medieval-and-early-modern-societies-japan/medieval-japanese-societal-structure