In Japan, shi '士' (government official) was replaced with '侍' (samurai or warriors), ko (artisans) and sho (merchants) were collectively recognized as townsman without being differentiated, and no order existed between peasants (no) and the 'townsmen.'
ただし、日本では「士」は「侍」に置き換えられ、工と商に区別はなく一括して町人と認識されており、百姓（農）と「町人」との間に序列はなかった。