Medieval Europe and feudal Japan were two parallel societies in various political, social and cultural aspects. Feudalism was used by both and played a major role in determining the relationships between social classes. Japan and Europe had warriors who shared a similar code of ethics and valued loyalty, even if they had different views on death. Their cultures and religious views also varied. Although feudalism was a common aspect of both societies, their cultural origins greatly distinguished them. Feudalism constituted a large part of Japanese and European society. Land was the basis of the feudal system. The concept of feudalism in Europe and Japan began around the same time and the relationships between lords and their vassals were much the same in both societies. However, in Europe the relationship between lord and vassal was more of a legal contract, whereas in Japan it was morally binding. The fragmented and decentralized nature of government made the European feudal system less organized than its Japanese counterpart. Increased trade led to the development of m...