The samurai:
The Japanese feudal system was dominated by the samurai class. They only took up around 10% of the population, but the had a hug power over everyone else. When a samurai passed you where ever you are and what veer you were doing, you had to bow to show a sign of respect. If a person of lower class refused to bow, the amsurai had permission to chop off their head. The samurai didnt answer to anyone but their daimyo, and the daimyo didnt answer to anyone but the shogun. There were about 260 faimyo by the end of the medieval era, each daimyo had there own area odf land and an army of samurai.
The farmers:
The farmers were just below the samurai on the feudal systems social ladder. Farmers were looked at the same as the artisans and merchants (see below to read about these classes) but they had the food supply that all the other classes depended on, so they got a higher position, but still meant the same as the artisans and merchants to the samurai and their leaders. Technically, they were considered as an honoured class, but they had to still pay taxes thoughout the era and there houses weren't very stable.they didnt get luxuries but people had to honour them because without them the other classes would have no supply of food. During the time of the third shogun Tokugawa, the farmers wewre not permitted to eat any of the rice they grew, instead they had to hand it all over to their daimyo and then wait forhim to give it back to them for charity.
The artisans:
The artisans produced many of the needs of the other classes, such as clothes, coooking instruments and wood block. Though they made all of this they were considered less important than the farmers. Skilled samurai sword makers and boatwrights belonged to this social class as well, even though some may consider them to be more important than famers, they were not.They artisans had there own section in major cities, seperated fromthe samurai, who usually lived in their daimyo's castles, farmers, and from lower class peasants.
The merchants:
At the very bottom of feudal japan was the merchants. They were mostly shop keepers and travelling traders. Merchants were known as "parasitses" who lived of the labor of higher up peasants and the artisan classes. The merchants also lived in a seperate section of town from the high class people, they were not allowed to mix with anyone in a higher class, unless on business. Many merchant families were able to collect large fortunes and later in the feudal era the resttictions weakened against them.