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 The National Seclusion Policy
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.
 No single trading city shall
be permitted to purchase all
the merchandise brought by
foreign ships.
 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.
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.
The lord of a local region or the
Daimyo: head samurai of a local
government
The head of a central military
Shogun:
government.
The centralized military
Bakufu:
government
A local government in each domain
Han:
(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
could
never
move
out of
their
class.
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 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
 In
did things change during isolation?
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
 In
did things change during isolation?
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
 In
did things change during isolation?
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
 In
did things change during isolation?
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
 In
did things change during isolation?
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
 In
did things change during isolation?
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
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?
Different Points of View: caused a lot of
internal conflict
One group believed:
• 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
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
•Samurai were
especially strong in
Choshu, Satsuma,
Tosa, and Saga –
these domains never
really supported the
shogun.
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
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 22month 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
Liberal
Conservative
Supported French and American
ideas of Human Rights
Supported the German
model of centralized control
• 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.
• 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.