Samurai

The samurai held the greatest position in the society next to the shogun. Most Samurai lived in castle towns, but some domains had so many samurai that their castle towns could not accommodate them. These samurai were not allowed to live in the surrounding countryside.
Originally the samurai were esteemed warriors. With peace during this period, the samurai was no longer engaged in wars and there was no need for large armies. Increasingly, they were called upon to do administrative functions for the domains. Samurai helped govern the domain, manage the affairs the daimyo household, and maintain and support daimyo residences in Edo.
The Edo Bakufu changed how the samurai could gain court title and rank by ordering that it alone would decide on behalf of warriors. In this way, the Bakufu could give the highest rank to their supporters.
The 200 years of isolation changed the role of the samurai from that of a fighting warrior to a civil administrator.