| The samurai class as a whole emerged from a combination of these disinherited lineages turning to military activities, and warriors from the provinces being hired by the Court to provide military service. The Imperial Court had exercised a conscript system during the Nara period, but abandoned this in [[792]] in favor of simply hiring warriors from the provinces. These warriors were freed from tax obligations in exchange for their service, and quickly came to embrace the warrior identity, focusing on warrior training and passing down that identity to their children, forming a new social class of warrior lineages and households; because they served the Court, they came to be known by a noun form of the verb ''saburau'', "to serve": ''samurai''.<ref>Craig, 20.</ref> | | The samurai class as a whole emerged from a combination of these disinherited lineages turning to military activities, and warriors from the provinces being hired by the Court to provide military service. The Imperial Court had exercised a conscript system during the Nara period, but abandoned this in [[792]] in favor of simply hiring warriors from the provinces. These warriors were freed from tax obligations in exchange for their service, and quickly came to embrace the warrior identity, focusing on warrior training and passing down that identity to their children, forming a new social class of warrior lineages and households; because they served the Court, they came to be known by a noun form of the verb ''saburau'', "to serve": ''samurai''.<ref>Craig, 20.</ref> |
− | The [[Minamoto clan]], and in particular a lineage known as the Seiwa Genji, emerged as the dominant clan providing warriors to the Imperial court for combatting rebels and as guardsmen in other capacities, while the [[Taira clan]], in particular a lineage known as the Kammu Heishi, appeared as a particularly prominent family dominating port towns and maritime trade. The rise of the Taira and other ''[[kenmon]]'' (powerholders) in dominating maritime trade in the 12th century coincided with shifts within China at that same time, including a shift from [[Quanzhou]] as the chief dominant port to [[Ningbo]], a port much closer to [[Hakata]].<ref>Richard von Glahn, "The Ningbo-Hakata Merchant Network and the Reorientation of East Asian Maritime Trade, 1150-1350," Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 74:2 (2014), 268-269.</ref> | + | The [[Minamoto clan]], and in particular a lineage known as the Seiwa Genji, emerged as the dominant clan providing warriors to the Imperial court for combatting rebels and as guardsmen in other capacities, while the [[Taira clan]], in particular a lineage known as the Kammu Heishi, appeared as a particularly prominent family dominating port towns and maritime trade. The rise of the Taira and other ''[[kenmon]]'' (powerholders) in dominating maritime trade in the 12th century coincided with shifts within China at that same time, including a shift from [[Quanzhou]] as the chief dominant port to [[Ningbo]], a port much closer to [[Hakata]]. While Japanese craft items such as [[lacquerwares]], swords, fans, and armor were highly prized in China, Japan's chief exports at this time in terms of volume were materials such as lumber, mercury, and [[sulfur]].<ref>Richard von Glahn, "The Ningbo-Hakata Merchant Network and the Reorientation of East Asian Maritime Trade, 1150-1350," Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 74:2 (2014), 268-269.</ref> |