Buke shohatto The , commonly known in English as the Laws for the Military Houses , was a collection of edicts issued by Japan ' s Tokugawa shogunate governing the responsibilities and activities of " daimyō " ( feudal lords ) and the rest of the samurai warrior aristocracy . These formed the basis of the " bakuhan taisei " ( shogunate - domains system ) which lay at the foundation of the Tokugawa regime . The contents of the edicts were seen as a code of conduct , a description of proper honorable " daimyō " behavior , and not solely laws which had to be obeyed . By appealing to notions of morality and honor , therefore , the shogunate was able to see its strictures followed despite its inability to enforce them directly . The edicts were first read to a gathering of " daimyō " by the retired shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu , at Fushimi castle in the seventh lunar month of 1615 . They had been compiled by a number of scholars in service to the shogunate including Ishin Sūden , and were aimed primarily at limiting the power of the " daimyō " and thus protecting the shogunate ' s control over the country . The reigning shogun at the time , Ieyasu ' s son Tokugawa Hidetada , formally promulgated the edicts shortly afterwards , and each successive shogun formally reissued them , reinforcing the restrictions on the " daimyō " and the control of the shogunate . Through these successive generations , however , the rules developed and changed significantly . Articles promulgated in 1615 . The 1615 edict contains the core of the shogunate ' s philosophy regarding samurai codes of conduct . Similar policies would be imposed upon commoners as well , reissued and reinforced many times over the course of the Edo period . Several items concern the need for frugality , a concept central to Confucian notions of proper governance . Others relate to sumptuary law , requiring people of certain stations to present themselves as such , in their dress , their modes of transportation , and in other ways . Some items were included to prevent the formation of alliances against the shogunate , for example , the items regarding social interactions between domains and marriages among the " daimyō " families . The " fudai daimyō " bore less power , were more trusted by the shogunate , and could be easily punished by having their domains and privileges rescinded . However , the " tozama daimyō " were far more powerful and less trusted and the shogunate lacked the strength to directly impose by force its policies within the " tozama " domains and rightfully feared the military potential of an alliance between multiple " tozama " domains . Regulations regarding the construction , expansion , and repair of fortifications also serve to prevent the build - up of military power that could be used against the shogunate , as does a reference to the policy of " sankin kōtai " , by which " daimyō " were required to make elaborate pilgrimages to Edo regularly , to present themselves for service . Promulgated in 1635 . The edicts were reissued in 1629 , and again in 1635 , by the third Tokugawa shogun , Iemitsu . Though there were many changes in this third promulgation , most of the stipulations were simply elaborations on the same themes . " Daimyō " were banned from quarreling , from forming alliances and parties , and from swearing oaths to one another . The system of " sankin kōtai " was more fully established at this time , and described more specifically in the edict . Sumptuary regulations were elaborated upon . This year is also quite significant for the implementation of a number of policies which can be grouped under the term " kaikin " ( maritime prohibitions ) , and which are sometimes referred to as the Sakoku Edicts . Though the restrictions against overseas travel are not themselves mentioned in the 1635 version of the " buke shohatto " , a number of related policies regarding domestic travel and religion are described . Some of the new stipulations were as follows : Later promulgations . The edicts were reissued upon the succession of each of the shoguns . The promulgations under Tokugawa Ietsuna , Tokugawa Tsunayoshi , and Tokugawa Ienobu in 1663 , 1683 , and 1710 respectively saw significant stylistic changes , though with relatively minor amendments of substance . Among the new stipulations were bans on " junshi " ( ritual suicide following the death of one ' s lord ) , abuses of power , the acceptance of bribes , and the suppression of popular opinion , along with stipulations regarding the proper succession of " daimyō " within a clan or domain . The following seven shoguns reissued the " buke shohatto " in its 1683 form , with only the most minor of stylistic changes . Though these were once pronounced along with the " Shoshi hatto " ( laws for samurai ) , the latter became largely obsolete after 1683 and was absorbed into the wider body of shogunal orders and prohibitions ( the " kinrei - ko " ) .