JAPANESE HISTORY
Lesson #8
World History – Unit #2 EAST ASIA
THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN
Amaterasu
Shinto
THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN
* The ONLY dynasty
* established way after the
Chinese (~500AD)
*Emperor was considered a
God
___________ supreme military
leader
_________ powerful, land-owning
landlord
____________ professional warriors
____________low, non-ruling class
Tokugawa Shogunate
► Powerful Daimyo family that
seized control of Japan and
became the new Shoguns
● Closed all trade & travel with
the Western World
________________
JAPAN MODERNIZED
in mid-1800s
to become a
WORLD POWER
Japan Changed Direction During the
Meiji Era: 1868 - 1912
Commodore
Matthew Perry
1853
USA convinced Japan to open up for trade.
What Did the U. S. Want??
 Fueling stations.

More trading
partners.

A haven for
ship-wrecked
sailors.
The Treaty of Kanagawa - 1854
Japan Learns a Lesson!
In 1862, just before the start of the
Meiji period, Tokugawa sent officials and
scholars to China to study the situation
there. A Japanese recorded in his diary
from Shanghai…
The Chinese have become servants to the
foreigners. Sovereignty may belong to
China but in fact it's no more than a
colony of Great Britain and France.
China’s “Unequal Treaties”

After the Opium War of 1839-1842,
Japan was convinced that it had to Open Up
to the West.
The Shi-shi (“Men of High Purpose”)
 Highly idealistic samurai who felt that the
arrival of Westerners was an attack on the
traditional values of Japan.
 They believed that:
 Japan was sacred ground.
 The emperor, now a figurehead in
Kyoto, was a God.
 Were furious at the Shogun for signing treaties
with the West without the Emperor’s consent.
 Their slogan  Revere the Emperor, Expel
the Barbarians!
The Meiji Revolt - 1868
 A powerful group
of samurai
overthrow the
Shogun.
 Sakamoto Ryoma,
the hero.
 He helped Japan
emerge from
feudalism into a
unified modern
state.
The Shogunate Is Overthrown!
 The last Shogun.
 Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
The Emperor was “Restored” to Power
MEIJI  “Enlightened Rule”
Newspaper Cartoon, 1870s?
Enlightened
Half-Enlightened
Un-Enlightened
Modernization by
“Selective
Borrowing”
 Popular board game.
 Start by leaving
Japan & studying in
various Western
capitals.
 End by returning to
Japan and becoming a
prominent government
official.
European
Goods
 Europe began to
“loom large” in
the thinking of
many Japanese.
 New slogan:
Japanese Spirit;
Western
Technology!
The Japanese Became Obsessed
with Western Styles
Civilization and Enlightenment!
Everything Western Was
Fashionable!
Everything Western Was
Fashionable!
Japanese soldiers with their wives.
The Rulers Set the Tone
with Western Dress
Emperor Meiji
Empress Haruko
(1868- 1912)
Changing Women’s
Fashions
1900 Styles
The First
“Miss Japan”
(1908)
By the end of the 1800s
JAPAN HAD MODERNIZED
and had become a
WORLD POWER
Sino-Japanese War: 1894-1895
Japan went to war against Chinese
– the regional Asian power
- Japan won!
- This proved that Japan had surpassed all Asian nations
Soldiers on the Battlefield
During the Sino-Japanese War
The Treaty of Shimonoseki ended the war.
Still today—Tensions Between China & Japan
 Offshore gas field in
the East China Sea
reveals recently
strained relations
between China & Japan.
 Tension over disputed
gas field on the rise,
exacerbating mutual
mistrust dating back to
the Sino-Japanese War.
EEZ-Exclusive Economic
Zone.
The Russo-Japanese War:
1904-1905
Japan went to war against Russia
– the regional European power
- Japan won!
- This proved that Japan had become one of the most
powerful nations in the world!
President Teddy Roosevelt
Mediates the Peace
The Treaty of Portsmouth, NH ended the
Russo-Japanese War.
What happened in Japan after mid1800s?
By the early 1900s
JAPAN STARTED TAKING
OVER OTHER NATIONS
in the Pacific ring
And, Japanese Power Would Grow . .
.
Japan Annexed Korea
Japan Is a Player in China
Competition from Another “Pacific”
Power Is on the Horizon
Where will USA and
Japan be in conflict?
The U. S. “Great White Fleet”
Japan invaded China 1937
• USA demanded Japan
stop expanding influence
• Japan hungry for more
control in region
• USA refused to allow
Japan to expand
• Japan demanded USA
back off
• Japan needed more
cheap resources
• Japan invaded China
• USA cut off trade
 Japan feared USA would
get serious
 USA had huge fleet at
Pearl Harbor
 Japan needed to
neutralize USA
 Goal: eliminate American
fleet, while continuing to
expand
 Plan: attack and destroy
American fleet at Pearl
Harbor
Why did Japan want to eliminate the
US fleet in 1941?
 They attacked
 We responded
 Four years later: we
dropped two atomic
bombs on Japan
Post-war Japan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Japan utterly destroyed
All cities flattened
Millions homeless
Japan had to rebuild
Best hope: Japanese
would survive, but
Japan would remain
mediocre
Recovery from destruction
1. Japan worked hard to
rebuild
2. USA occupied Japan
(military control)
3. Japan forced to restructure
government
4. Emperor replaced by
democratic government
5. Had to surrender all
colonies
Economic Recovery
1. Japan retooled factories
2. Built cars, instead of tanks
and planes
3. American money poured into
Japan
4. Reason: an economically
strong Japan won’t need to
attack neighbors
5. Recovery was amazing:
called THE ECONOMIC
MIRACLE
New (Post-war) Japan
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A DEMOCRATIC nation
PACIFIST people
Devoted to BUSINESS SUCCESS
1950s
Shinzo Abe
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Today
Modern Japan
Toyota Hybrid
Bullet Train
Modern Cities
Book work:
TEN QUESTIONS:
p. 401: 2, 3a, 5
p. 408: 2a, 2b, 4a, 5, 6
p. 418: 1, 3
Describe the Japanese…
(student responses 2010)