== Origins == By the late 17th century the prosperity and growth of Edo had begun to produce unforeseen changes in the Tokugawa social order. The chōnin, who were theoretically at the bottom of the Edo hierarchy (shinōkōshō, samurai-farmers-craftsmen-merchants, with chōnin encompassing the two latter groups), flourished socially and economica...
Found on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chōnin
A class term for merchants and artisans, who figured in below the peasants and above outcasts on the social scale.
Found on
http://www.samurai-archives.com/vocab.html
The merchant class
Found on
http://www.wafuku.co.uk/glossary.htm
No exact match found.
