Thus, the Tokugawa order spawned the creation of enterprise. The male class monopolized the newfound forms of power. As Japan's economic structure developed, the female class regressed. Several possible factors contributed to this decline. Pre 8th century records depict a dominant female class.
Many scholars agree that early Japan is identified as an age of feminine hegemony.
During the age of feminine dominance the structural flow of power was completely antithetical to that of the Tokugawa period. Power was diffused from the lower classes, securing a strong foundation. At no other period in Japanese history was Confucianism studied so emphatically. Confucian scholarship was so extensive that the Tokugawa period later became known as the Golden Age of Confucianism, after its introduction to Japan over 1,000 years earlier. This investigation intends to pinpoint exactly why women's status declined as commerce developed.