O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 4
Why Did Japan Isolate Itself
from Much of the World?
Foreign Influences
At the beginning of the Edo Period, Japan was actively trading with
many countries. Trade routes had been formally established with
Korea in the 15th century to control piracy going on between the two
countries. Trade with China had opened in the 16th century through
a network of trading stations established by Chinese merchants and
also used by Europeans. Japanese trading ships were now travelling
to the Philippines and as far as Siam (present-day Thailand). Japan
had built its first ocean-going Western-style ship. Soon, ships from
many European nations began arriving on Japan’s shores.
Tokugawa Ieyasu did not want the Japanese people exposed to
Western ideas. He was also concerned because he saw the Europeans
establishing colonies in many of the areas they explored. He wanted
to ensure Japan’s safety and sovereignty. Therefore, he decided to
only allow foreign ships to land at one port: the island of Deshima
(deh-shee-mah) in the Nagasaki (nah-gah-sock-ee) Bay.
By the early 1600s,
tobacco was popular
in Japan. It came from
the New World by way
of India.
I wonder … what other
products and ideas
came to Japan from the
New World?
Western European nations began reaching Japan by sea in the late 16th century.
Portugal was the first, in 1543. Within a few years, there were many more European
nations competing for trade in the region.
European Traders Reach Japan
N
W
E
S
ENGLAND
NETHERLANDS
1609
SPAIN
PORTUGAL
1613
Atlantic
Ocean
1600
JAPAN
Pacific
Ocean
1543
Indian
Ocean
0
2000 km
SCALE AT EQUATOR
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W h a t We r e t h e E f f e c t s o f J a p a n ’s P o l i c i e s o f I s o l a t i o n D u r i n g t h e E d o P e r i o d ?
The Spread of Christianity
Many of the European ships carried Roman Catholic missionaries
who wanted to convert the citizens of Japan to Christianity.
Between 1549 and 1587, Jesuit missionaries under Francis Xavier
converted 150 000 Japanese to Christianity in the Nagasaki area.
In 1587, Shogun Hideyoshi ordered all missionaries to leave and
later had 26 Franciscan missionaries executed.
After the death of Shogun Ieyasu, the Bakufu (bah-koo-foo) became
more and more concerned about the increased spread of Christianity
in the country. They were concerned that Christians, especially
Christian daimyo, would follow their spiritual leaders rather than
viewing the shogun as their ultimate authority. Fearing a loss of
absolute control, the shoguns decided to isolate Japan, primarily
from the Western world. They introduced a series of edicts.
Bakufu: the centralized
military government,
headed by the shogun
edict: legal order;
a command to the
public by an authority
Japanese map of the pacific
basin. Woodblock print,
between 1750 and 1900.
135
O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 4
The era after the final
edicts of national
isolation is often
referred to as sakoku
(sah-koe-koo), meaning
“closed country,” even
though Japan was
never entirely closed.
The National Seclusion Policy
The Bakufu passed a series of edicts to control the influence of
foreigners and to tighten control over the daimyo. The National
Seclusion Policy, as it was called, was an effort by the Bakufu to
strengthen its authority and maintain a strong centralized
government.
The National Seclusion Policy developed over six years from 1633
to 1639. It set out controls on the interaction between Japanese and
foreigners. The following list presents key items of the edict:
Clos
ed C
ount
ry Ed
• Jap
ict o
anes
f 163
trave e ships
5
ar
lt
e stri
o for
• No
Japan eign cou ctly forbi
dden
ntrie
es
Anyo
s.
to
ne w e is perm
ho a
i
exec
t
t
e
d
ttem
uted
pts t to go ab
.
• If
o do
r
any J
so m oad.
resid apanese
u
st be
ing t
here returns fr
• If
, he
any
must om over
teach southern
se
be p
b
ut to as after
may Christian arbarian
deat
s
i
be p
h.
• No
ut in ty or com (Western
t
o
m
e
sin
rs
priso
it cri
mes, )
n.
to pu gle tradi
ng c
t
hey
rchas
ity sh
by fo
e all
a
t
l
• Po reign ship he merc l be perm
hand
rtug
s.
ise b itted
Japan uese ship
roug
e
s
ht
orde se ports. are ban
ned
r will
Any
fro
s
b
and
passe e destro hip disob m
y
nger
e
s exe ed and it ying this
s cre
cuted
w
.
I wonder … how would
I feel if I was once
allowed to visit other
countries but now would
be threatened with
execution if I did?
REFLECT
AND
RESPOND
1. What aspects of its worldview led Japan to make the decision to close
its borders to the Western World? Describe the historical context that
led to this key event in Japanese history.
2. Imagine the discussions that must have occurred in the Bakufu before a
new closed-country edict was announced. Select one of the statements
from the Closed Country Edict of 1635 and act out an informal debate
among members of the Bakufu as they decide what to do.
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