How did the Tokugawa shogunate use Neo-Confucianism to support social order?

During the Tokugawa period, the shogunate adopted Neo-Confucianism—specifically the Shushigaku school based on the teachings of Zhu Xi—as its official guiding philosophy to provide a moral and intellectual foundation for its rule.123

The regime utilized this ideology to support social order in several key ways:

• Heavenly Sanction: Neo-Confucianism provided a "heavenly sanction" for the existing social hierarchy, arguing that the rigid stratification of society into warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants was in accordance with the natural order of the universe.123
• Paternalistic Ethics: The philosophy promoted a reciprocal relationship where superiors were urged to be benevolent and just, while subordinates were expected to be obedient and observe propriety.12
• Cardinal Virtues: The shogunate systematized education around cardinal virtues, including filial piety, obedience, and, most importantly, loyalty (chū) to one's superiors, which served to reinforce feudal lord-vassal relations.123
• Legitimization: Scholars like Hayashi Razan used these concepts to justify the Tokugawa regime’s authority and repudiate revolutionary ideas, such as the overthrow of superiors by inferiors (gekokujō).3