What was one main difference between Japanese and European feudalism
A. Japanese feudalism emerged out of a period of violence; European feudalism did not
B. Japanese feudalism. Was influenced by religions of other Christianity
C. European feudalism involves the exchange of land for services; Japanese feudalism did not
D. Japanese samurai in European did not follow similar codes of conduct
C. European feudalism involves the exchange of land for services; Japanese feudalism did not
Explanation:
Both Japanese and European feudalism involved a hierarchical system where loyalty and services were exchanged for protection and use of land. However, the specifics of the land exchange and the relationships between lords and vassals differed somewhat.
In European feudalism, the system was very much centered on the fief, the grant of land which a lord would provide to a vassal in exchange for military service and other duties. Upon receiving the fief, the vassal became a tenant of the lord, and this relationship was formalized through rituals such as homage and fealty.
Japanese feudalism, while it certainly did involve the granting of lands, the relationship between a lord (daimyo) and a vassal (samurai) was also closely linked to personal loyalty and mutual obligation more than the land itself. Samurai were less like tenants in the European sense and more like members of a private army or retainers directly serving their daimyo. Over time, samurai stipends could be tied to yields from land, but the samurai were not landholders in the same sense as European knights initially were.
Both versions of feudalism did emerge from periods of violence and instability. Both were certainly influenced by the prevailing religions—Buddhism, Shinto, and Confucianism in Japan; Christianity in Europe—so option B doesn't make a clear distinction between them. And although the warrior codes (Bushido for samurai and chivalry for knights) weren't identical, option D would not represent a "main difference" as both codes prescribed certain similar standards of honor, loyalty, and conduct.
Thus, the clearest answer that sets the two feudal systems apart is C, the nature of the relationship regarding land and the specifics of the land-service exchange.