Chōnin

Chōnin (町人; "townsman") was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The word chōnin comes from the character chō (町) meaning city ward and the character nin (人) meaning person. In the social hierarchy, it was considered subordinate to the samurai warrior class.

The chōnin had a large influence on the prosperity of Edo during the Tokugawa period; playing a key role in the creation of Japanese cultural products and aesthetic ideas.

They also played a large part in the Tokugawa economy, allowing daimyo to trade their goods (mostly rice) for ryō. Chōnin also lent money to daimyo and samurai during this time period, easing the economic burden of the sankin-kōtai system present at the time.