Japan

How did the Edo Era of Great Peace Begin?

• In the 16th century, Japan was

divided into about 250 smaller

regions

• The Emperor was the ruler of Japan.

• The capital (Government) located in

Kyoto

• During the Edo period, government

moved to Edo

• Edo (not the restaurant) = Tokyo

• The Daimyo was the commander of

each region

Constantly at war with

each other for more land

and power

• The Shogun held the real power and

authority, he was the leader of the military

government

• Three Shogun are given credit for unifying

Japan.

– Oda Nobunaga

– Toyotomi Hideyoshi

– Tokugawa Ieyasu

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1585)

• Reduced the influence of

Buddhist control over

Japanese politics

• Built a series of castles to

defend his lands

• Introduced new

administrative practices to

pave the way towards a

unified Japan

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598)

• Continued centralizing

government

• Charged landowner koku

instead of money for tax. The

wealthier paid more.

• Created a formal class

structure that included samurai,

farmers, artisans, merchants

• People had to chose between

farming or warrior, not both

• Tried expanding his land by

attacking both Korea and

China. He lost.

• Supported painters and new

types of drama

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616)

• Established his government

base in Edo

• Finalized the unification of

Japan

• Isolationist – believed that

Japan could advance on its own

Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World

Foreign Influences

• Japan was trading with European

merchants. (Portugal, Spain, England,

Netherlands)

• Ieyasu did not want the Japanese to be

exposed by western ideas.

• Saw the Europeans setting up

colonies

• Wanted ensure the safety and

sovereignty of the Japanese

The Spread of Christianity

• Most European ships had Catholic

missionaries on them

• St. Francis Xavier converted 150,000

• Hideyoshi ordered the missionaries to

leave, and later 26 Franciscans were

executed

• After Isyasu’s death the Bakufu

worried about the people following

otherspiritual views.

Introduced a bunch of Edicts

The National Seclusion Policy:

The National Seclusion Policy

developed over six years from 1633

to 1639. It set out controls on the

interaction between Japanese and

foreigners.

Closed Country Edict of 1635 Japanese ships are strictly

forbidden to travel to foreign

countries

No Japanese is permitted to go

abroad. Anyone who attempts to

do so must be executed.

If any Japanese returns from

overseas after residing there,

he must be put to death.

If any southern barbarians

(Westerners) teach Christianity

or commit crimes, they may be

put into prison.

No single trading city shall

be permitted to purchase all

the merchandise brought by

foreign ships.

Portuguese ships are banned

from Japanese ports. Any ship

disobeying this order will be

destroyed and its crew and

passengers executed.

Basic Political Terms:

Edo: The old name for Tokyo. Edo

literally means the mouth of bay.

Daimyo: The lord of a local region or the

head samurai of a local

government

Shogun: The head of a central military

government.

Bakufu: The centralized military

government

Han: A local government in each domain

(province)

How Did the Political System During the Edo Period Reflect

their Worldview?

• Hierarchical Political System

• Every domain (province) was

controlled by a Daimyo

• He controlled his lands how he

wanted, but had to swear allegiance to

the Shogun

• Each of the Daimyo ruled over the

local government, or Han

• Even the shogun was in control of

one

Political Structure Samurai Order

Ruler of Japan

How did the Bakufu Control the Daimyo?

The daimyo were divided into three

classes:

those most trusted and loyal

nobles of the Tokugawa family

those who had little standing

because they may have opposed

the shogun before he gained

power.

The

daimyo

could

never

move

out of

their

class.

The Bakufu wanted to ensure that no daimyo

could gain enough power and wealth to

overtake the shogun or gain power over the

members of the Bakufu.

Every Diamyo must adhere to these rules:

• No unnecessary contact between

Daimyos

Report any suspicious activities,

don’t let traitors to the Shogun into

their domain

• There can only be one castle per

domain

Supply detailed maps of landholding

to Bakufu

• Daimyo must support public building

project

• Daimyo spent every second year in

Edo

• All commoners must register at

Buddhist temples

• Marriages of daimyo must get

permission from Bakufu

• Travel and shipbuilding are restricted

The Bakufu controlled the Diamyo:

• Had the power to relocate them

• Had the power to abolish them

• Created laws that did not allow for

the daimyo to create alliances with

each other

• Created laws that made it

impossible to gain enough money

to become a threat

Hierarchical Social Class System

• Edo Japan’s social structure during

isolation was a hierarchical system. (like

the feudal system – could not move out of

the class they were born into)

6 Levels of the class system:

Shogun

Samurai

Farmers

Artisans

Merchants

Outcasts (Eta)

Non-Humans (Hinin)

Jigsaw Activity: Social Structure • Each group will be assigned a social

class /level

• Group must make notes and present

notes to class.

• Info to cover:

What was their job

What was there place in the social

system

How did things change during

isolation?

In what ways were their lives better,

worse, the same.

Refer to p. 141 - 145

Social Structure: Samurai What was their job

What was there place in the social system

How did things change during isolation?

In what ways were their lives better, worse, the

same.

Social Structure: Farmers What was their job

What was there place in the social system

How did things change during isolation?

In what ways were their lives better, worse, the

same.

Social Structure: Artisans What was their job

What was there place in the social system

How did things change during isolation?

In what ways were their lives better, worse, the

same.

Social Structure: Merchants What was their job

What was there place in the social system

How did things change during isolation?

In what ways were their lives better, worse, the

same.

Social Structure: Outcasts What was their job

What was there place in the social system

How did things change during isolation?

In what ways were their lives better, worse, the

same.

Social Structure: Non-humans What was their job

What was there place in the social system

How did things change during isolation?

In what ways were their lives better, worse, the

same.

How did Communities Change During Isolation?

• The shogun created, and maintained five major

roadways for the diamyo’s annual pilgrimages

to Edo

• The regular movement of people had an effect

on the economies of the domains of the nation

• Economies of the rural and urban areas

became intertwined.

• As the diamyo and their

entourages traveled, the need for

services on the route grew

• Accommodations

• Food

• Etc.

• With all the visitors going to Edo, artisans and

merchants started to settle in areas on the

main roadways.

• This provided the travelers with goods and

services

• Cities could not be self-sufficient, so rural and

urban areas became intertwined.

• Eventually, castle towns grew because of the

influx of artisans and merchants

• Edo, Kyoto, Osaka grew to over 1,000,000

• The change to an urban society helped the

later transitions Japanese society would

undergo in the Meiji period.

Japan’s Three Metropolises Edo

• Present day Tokyo and was the largest city

and the center of government

• Ieyasu chose this site for the easy to defend

port and waterways.

• Sometimes they had 250 daimyo and their

families in the city

• To sustain the the city’s growth and economy

merchant were encouraged to develop large

businesses.

• By the 18th century, the city grew to over

1 000 000 people, making it one

of the largest cities in the world

Kyoto

• Was the capital before Edo

• The city was chosen because it had easy

river access to the sea.

• City was also surrounded by mountains

which provided good defense

• Known for beautiful luxuries like silk

brocades, fine lacquer, and metal work

• Center of publishing and known

for its woodblock printing

Osaka

• Around a protected harbour

• It had hundreds of warehouses along

the waterfront and good were moved

by river access to the inland cities

(Kyoto)

• Famous castle (Buddhist temple) and

the 150 bridges

• Known as the “Kitchen of Japan”

• Good farmland

• Surplus rice was sent to sell

How Did The Popular Culture Of Japan Change During Isolation?

• Just as the arts flourished in the city-states

of the Renaissance, the popular culture of

Japan began to change

• Cities grew and the merchant class

became more wealthy

• The daimyo became patrons of the arts

and supported artists, sculptors,

painters etc.

Kabuki Theatre

• Featured lively action and was a mirror of Japanese life

• Depicted moral dilemmas

• Great kabuki actors were so popular, they were treated

like the movie stars of today

Banraku Theater

• Banraku was a name for a puppet theater which was for

adults

Geishas

• Women trained in dancing, singing and they were

expected to demonstrate all the correct forms of

etiquette

Woodlock Images

• Were prints of original paintings which often depicted

scenes of nature and the lives of commoners in thier

daily activities

Books and Literature

• By the mid-17th century, printing houses apeared in

Osaka

• Basho Matsuo developed a new poetic form called

Haiku

How Did Foreign Influence Change Japan Despote Policies Of

Isolation? • Depsite it’s policies, Japan was not totally

isolated

• The Chinese and the Koreans were permitted

limited access to the country to meet with

Japanese traders ad officials

• Chinese influence on Japanese learning

increased during isolation as their goods and

ideas were actually allowed into Japan

• The Dutch eventually had an impact on Japan

in the area of medicine

• In the 1720’s the shogun himself

became interested in Western

books and ideas and as a result

relaxed restrictions on importing

books

Chapter 5

What Factors Influenced Change in Meiji Japan?

Russian Influence

• They started trading along the Pacific Coast and

established the Russian-American Company.

• The czar gave the company permission to trade

with the Ainu.

• Russia stopped trading when they became

involved with wars in Europe.

• Japanese realized that the Bakufu were too

concerned with internal affairs and should

prepare for trouble that might come from the

outside world.

Japan’s Response

• Captured a commander and pushed Russians

off the northern Islands

European Influence • Dutch East India Company had all their ships

fly Dutch flags and hide any bibles and

weapons.

• Japanese high level official believed they

should start learning about the west and had

books brought in.

• They learned about history, the sciences

and institutions.

• Thought Europe was a superpower because

they all dressed the same unlike Asian

countries.

Japan’s Response

• Closed the doors tighter, and asked for

documentation from ships that would dock.

Chinese Influence

• China was forced to sign a treaty

that gave control of their ports to

Britain.

Japan’s Response

• Since they saw China as a powerful

nation, they realized the strength of

the British Navy.

• Abandoned some edicts that might

cause Western countries, like

Britain, want to invade Japan if they

don’t start negotiating.

United States Influence

• Commodore Matthew Perry negotiated;

• Get supplies and coal from Japan

• To protect sailors and American ships that

might need help

• To enter into an official trade agreement

• Townsend Harris negotiated

• Opened five ports for the Americans

• Allowed Americans to live in Edo and

Osaka

• Supplied Japan with ships, arms, and

technicians

United States Influence Con’t

Japan’s Response

• Intellectuals in the larger domains found

the treaties favorable

• Others felt that they were unequal treaties

• Japan was pressured to sign treaties with

Russia, Britain, France and the

Netherlands. (also considered unequal)

• Japan leaders felt they must compete

with the West to meet foreign challenges

and protect Japan’s Sovereignty

Who/What was…

The Ainu:

Dutch East India Company

Commodore Perry

How did Japan respond to the crisis?

• Only a matter of time before Japan was forced to trade with Western nations

• Japan would not be able to remain isolated

• Japan did not want to be colonized or over thrown by another country

• Japan needed Western technologies to remain powerful and independent

Different Points of View: caused a lot of internal conflict

One group believed:

Another group believed:

• Japan should remain isolated and declare war on Western countries

• All foreigners should be killed

• “barbarians” would expose the common Japanese (peasants, merchants, artisans) to a different way of life, thus, undermining their social structure/class system

Civil Unrest Cause

• Bad weather caused poor

crops

• Japanese began questioning

taxes they were forced to pay

• Japanese blamed the

government for the unrest

because they could not

overcome their difficulties

• Citizens were asking

questions about all the

changes government was

making

• Samurai began to support the

emperor/stronger loyalty to

him

• Samurai were upset with the

Harris Treaty

Effect

• Farmers and peasants

were starving

• Support for the Bakafu

weakened

• Support for the Bakafu

weakened

• Support for the Bakafu

weakened

• Support for the Bakafu

weakened

• Support for the Bakafu

weakened

Leaders of the above domains:

• secretly traveled to England

• did not actually fear the presence of the foreigners

• used the issue of foreign influence to create dislike for the Bakufu

•Samurai were especially strong in Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, and Saga – these domains never really supported the shogun.

Critiques of the shogun:

• wanted to create a new government

headed by the emperor

• increased military armaments

purchased weapons

and ships from the

West

women broke tradition

and began fighting

against shogun troops

In 1867…

• Samurai from Tosa convinced the shogun to resign and take a leading role in the new government

• military forces from Satsuma and Choshu intervened

• Meiji was the new emperor

• Tokugawa shogun surrendered their ancestral lands to the Meiji

• Shogun responded with military attack

• Military forces were defeated in 1869

• Emperor moved to Edo and renamed the capital Tokyo

The Modernization of Japan

• Meiji period:

1868 to 1912

• Led the

restoration of

imperial rule

Origin of the Emperors of Japan

How did the political system change?

• Political leaders used the creation

story to their advantage (pg 180)

• They declared the emperor sacred

and inviolable

• Tried to appeal to the Japanese

traditionalists

• Tried to build loyalty to government

• Used the young emperor as a symbol

of unity

The Charter Oath • Wanted the samurai to know that they

are this new government was not the same as the old Bakufu

• Future policies would be based on a consensus

• Made many drafts

• Final form satisfied all the points of views expressed by all who worked on it

• Showed change in all three elements of worldview: political and economic systems, social systems and culture

• Unity of Rites and Rules Pg 182

How did Japan reshape its worldview and begin to modernize? • New Leadership

• Emperor – official head of the government, but did not directly rule

• An oligarchy was formed

• Promoted economic growth and industrialization

• Samurai were the leaders – average age of 30 – military skills, studied in the west

• Two goals:

(1) to modernize Japan and make the

economy grow

(2) to renegotiate the unequal treaties

• Wanted to be competitive in the

modern world, yet continue to be

Japanese

• The samurai looked to Europe and

North America for models or a modern

system

• Japan’s worldview changed

drastically! Foreigner use to be

despised, but now they were

welcomed.

The Iwakura Mission

• 50 officials and 50

students sent on a 22-

month world trip of 12

countries

• Purpose: find the best

ideas and bring them back

to Japan

Iwakura Tomomi led the mission

Ideas that were gathered from the West

• Ways to modernize Japan

• To develop a nation competitive in

the modern world

• Education

• A form of participatory government

• Capitalism

• Religious freedom

• Maintain national sovereignty

Chapter 6

How Did Rapid Change During the Meiji Period Affect Japan’s Worldview?

• At the beginning of the Meiji Period,

there were two things that Japan

wanted to become.

• A military Power

• Economically Self-sufficient

How to Implement the Change?

• Some of the Western ideologies that

the Japanese borrowed and adapted

were

• Aspects of democracy, such as

elected representatives

• Public education, to help adjust to

an industrialized nation

• Embraced new Technologies, like

steam powered machinery

• No other country has adapted so

quickly or successfully

How Did Modernizing the Japanese Political System Reflect a New Worldview?

• The Japanese believed in

implementing an Oligarchy

government, and slowly move

towards a Constitutional government.

• For this new government to work, the

emperor needed to unify the country

• Domains were replayed by

prefecture system

• Used himself as a symbol to

develop strong nationalistic

feelings

• Two main groups developed after

looking at the different governments in

the west

• the Japanese finally agreed on a

strong cabinet and limited powers of

parliament, called a Dajoken.

• This new government put an end to the

feudal class system and left the

Japanese with one obligation – be

loyal to the emperor and the state.

Liberal Conservative

Supported French and American

ideas of Human Rights

Supported the German

model of centralized control

• The new government wanted to make a

constitution because

• Most strong European countries had

constitutions

• Western countries would regard

Japan as a stronger nation if it had

western-style constitution

• A constitution would unify Japan

• After the constitution was written, (pg

197), there were political debates, some

lead to violent revolts, and a call for a

representative government.

How Did Japan Change Its Economic System?

• Industrialization

• New factories like munitions,

gunpowder, silk and textile, glass,

and chemical plants

• The government funded and

owned businesses and handed

them over to private owners within

10 years

• They also increased import tariffs

to make domestic products

cheaper

• Pg 202

• Capitalism

• To help the Japanese government,

the Minister of Finance did three

things

• Saw the need to renegotiate

unequal treaties – adapted

economic polices that would

protect Japan

• Encourage more private business

• Imposed new taxes and lowered

the value of printed money

• This caused the national income to

increase

• Five of the ways in which Japan

industrialized.

• New railroads

• Deep water harbors

• Telephone systems

• New technology and industries

• Money was lent to start new

businesses

How Did Japan Change Its Military System to Meet Political

Needs? • In Western countries, the military was part of

the political and economical systems. Japan

too wanted this because;

• They wanted obedient and disciplined

soldiers

• Japan did not want to be seen as a weak

military nation in comparison to Western

powers

• Wanted to become a colonial power

• Wanted to ensure they could meet their

military goals

Japan modeled

the German army

and the British Navy

How Did Japan’s New Worldview Change Its Social System?

• No feudal system

• Individuals could achieve better

status, change occupations, move

around the country, and obtain an

education.

The Education system changed

Edo Period Meiji Period

People learned practical

knowledge

Standardized curriculum

Schools mainly for samurai

children

Elementary schools for

everyone

The Worldview of the Japanese

changed and the national military

broke down the classes and regional

differences

• Peasants received educational

training

• Peasants returned home and shared

what they had learned with their

families and they had developed a

sense of loyalty to the emperor

(nationalism)

• Before the peasants left

home they were illiterate

when they returned they

could read

Three main goals were achieved by the

military.

• Changed the influence and power it had

with other nations

• Helped to keep the nation united

• Protected its

independence

How did Japan's Culture Change?

Religion

• Oligarchy wanted to make Shinto the

national religion.

• But the schools were still teaching

Confucianism, and the military was

still teaching bushido.

• Eventually allowed freedom of religion

Attitudes

• Pushed for individual success

• ‘Civilization and Enlightenment’

(bunmei kaika)

• In the old ways people worked in

harmony with each other.

• ‘For the sake of the country’ (kuni

no tame)

• After failing to renegotiate treaties,

writers started pushing the

importance of retaining Japanese

traditional values

Citizenship and Participation

• Peasants no longer were just

exposed to the day to day concerns

of life

• They started to write letters and

form lobby groups to let the

government know if they were

unhappy

How Did Japan’s Changes in the Edo period differ from those in

the Meiji period?

• See chart on page 218 – 219 of your text

book.