Japan & Geography
Archipelago (a chain of islands)
Japan has been protected from invasion by the Sea of Japan (ex. Mongols tried to attach in the 13th century, however they were unsuccessful)
Limited Arable land (land that can be farmed) - Japan is 85% mountainous
The Japanese rely on terrace farming and the sea for food
Japan lacks many natural resources. This is why they fought for Korea in the 1905 Russo –Japanese War & invaded Manchuria in 1931)
Monsoons
“Ring of fire” (volcanoes & earthquakes in the Pacific). Tsunami 2011
Korea was a bridge for Chinese ideas in Japan
· Many fundamental aspects of Japanese life were borrowed from the Chinese via Korea (ex. Character Writing, architecture {Pagoda}, Buddhism, Confucianism)
· During the 300s-400s AD, Korea acted as a conduit for the transfer of culture from China to Japan. Archaeological discoveries indicate that new technologies, and materials, were arriving in Japan from the Korea Peninsula.
· The Chinese writing system was introduced to Japan. Writing opened Japan to the influence of Chinese literary, religious, and philosophical culture. Korean scholars introduced Confucianism and Buddhism to Japan.
Social Setting of Japan
Belief Systems
· Confucianism
o Filial Piety (respect for elders)
· Buddhism
· Shintoism
o Japanese pray in Shinto Shrines
o Shintoism (ancestor worship, Kami {spirit} & respect for nature)
o Shintoism has been a unifying force in Japan
o Selective Borrowing - The notion that the Japaneseborrowed foreign ideas that met their needsandblended these ideas with their own original traditions to create their unique culture (examples. Confucianism, language, tea ceremony) .
Early Traditions in Japan
· Patriarchal (male dominated)
· Heavily influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism
· Early Japanese History & Feudalism - There has been only one imperial bloodline in Japan tracing its roots back to the Yamato clan prior to 500AD.
Political Setting of Japan
· Japan had one ruling dynasty in its history
Heian Period - A “Golden Age” for Japan 700 – 1100 AD
· A celebrated period in Japanese history where the imperial court lived in elegance.
· The emperor ruled with real power.
· Cultural advances during this time include haiku (Japanese poetry)
Shoguns (1192 – 1868)
· Overtime the emperor lost real power to the military commanders
· 1185 – 1868 – Shogun held real power (Emperor was a figurehead)
· A shogun was a top military commander who assumed actual power in Japan. The emperor was a figurehead.
Social hierarchy in Japan (Rigid Social Class System)
Samurai – followed the code of the bushido (code of conduct for warriors)
Farmers
Artisans
Merchants (the lowest class according to Confucian values)
Comparison to European Feudalism
· Both societies had a rigid class structure with the warriors as the upper class and an emphasis on social order.
· Both societies had a code of conduct for warriors (Japanese Samurai – Bushido, European knights – Chivalry)
· The nobility controlled the daily lives of those living on their property in exchange for providing protection for them.
Tokagawa Shogunate (1600’s – 1868)
· This family line ruled Japan in relative peace for 300 years.
· Japan had a isolationist policy towards the west. (Japan was not opened to trade with the outside world again until the 1853 visit of American Commodore Matthew Perry).
· All foreigners were expelled
· 1853 – Commodore Perry opens up trade with Japan
Asia in Transition
Section 3: The Tokugawa Shoguns in Japan
In this section you will discover how the Tokugawa shogunate came to power in Japan.
You will find out why Japan’s rulers sought to isolate their nation from foreign influence.
You will learn about society and culture under the Tokugawa shogunate. Finally, you will
discover how Japanese isolation was brought to an end.
Section 3 Summary
In the 1400s a dispute over selection of the next Ashikaga shogun began 100 years of
bitter warfare in Japan. Three daimyo emerged victorious and became overlords. The
first, Oda Nobunaga (ohd·ah noh·boo·NAH·gah), started as a minor daimyo but gained
power through conquests and treaties. He captured Kyoto and ended the Ashikaga
shogunate. Attacked and wounded by his own vassal, Nobunaga committed suicide.
The second overlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, had led Nobunaga’s army. Hideyoshi
defeated many other daimyos. Although born a peasant, Hideyoshi disarmed all peasants,
preventing them from ever becoming warriors. Hideyoshi twice invaded Korea. Aided by
the Chinese, the Koreans drove the Japanese back, and Hideyoshi died.
Hideyoshi’s most powerful vassal, Tokugawa Ieyasu (toh·kuh·GAH·wah
ee·YAH·soo), succeeded him as overlord. Ieyasu established his capital at Edo (ay·doh),
which became Tokyo. Ieyasu crushed his defeated rivals. The Tokugawa kept the
shogunate for 250 years. Their political system combined feudalism and monarchy. Each
daimyo ruled his domain as absolute ruler. The Tokugawa domain included about one
fourth of the nation’s resources. The Tokugawa tightly controlled the daimyo, who spent
every other year in the capital. The Tokugawa brought Japan centuries of stability.
In the 1500s the daimyo began to trade with the Portuguese, who brought muskets
and Christianity to Japan. Samurai disliked the musket, which violated their fighting ethic.
Jesuit missionaries converted daimyo to Christianity, then the people in each daimyo’s
domain. About 300,000 Japanese converted to Christianity. Tokugawa shoguns decided
that Christianity taught loyalty to another power, threatening their rule. Fearing religious
division and the effects of technology on their traditional society, they ejected the
Portuguese. Dutch merchants, who never tried to make converts, continued limited
trading. But the shogunate banned most foreign trade and travel, isolating the island
nation.
Tokugawa shoguns, like Chinese emperors, did not promote change. They
emphasized Confucian ideas of stability and social class. Samurai were at the top of the
social order, followed by peasants, artisans, and merchants. Occupations were
determined by birth. Only samurai could become government officials. They attended
schools to prepare them for their peacetime roles. The daimyo gained greater control over
samurai by giving them salaries instead of estates. However, Japanese rulers could not
prevent economic, political, and social change. Internal trade expanded, and regions
began to specialize in certain products. Cities grew, and artisans and merchants
prospered. A popular culture arose.
Western nations resented Japan’s isolation and its refusal to shelter foreign ships
during storms. In 1853 U.S. President Millard Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew Perry
to Japan with heavily armed, steam-powered warships. Perry presented President
Fillmore’s letter urging Japan to open its ports to American ships. Perry returned for an
answer the following year. The shogun agreed to the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened
two Japanese ports to American ships. Japan signed similar treaties with Great Britain,
the Netherlands, and Russia. Foreign nations also established consulates—diplomatic
offices headed by consuls. Soon Japan opened more ports and allowed more trade
privileges. Many Japanese complained of their government’s weakness in complying with
foreign demands. In the 1860s anti-Tokugawa forces overthrew the shogunate and
restored the emperor.
1. What events led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate?
2. Why did the Tokugawa shogunate want to keep Japan isolated?
3. How would you classify the view of the Tokugawa shoguns and the Chinese emperors toward change—as supportive of or as resistant to change?
4. Could the Tokugawa have resisted Western demands and retained control of Japan?
Chapter 17: Asia in Transition
Section 3
Self-Check Answer Key
Oda Nobunaga: A minor Japanese daimyo who gained power
through conquests and treaties, ended the Ashikaga shogunate, and
became overlord of the daimyo
Toyotomi Hideyoshi: A general in Oda Nobunaga’s army who
became overlord of the daimyo after Nobunaga died
Tokugawa Ieyasu: Succeeded Hideyoshi and became the first shogun
of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan for more than 250
years
Matthew Perry: U.S. commodore who was sent to Japan in 1853 to
pressure Japan into opening its ports to U.S. ships
Treaty of Kanagawa: Agreement negotiated by Commodore Perry
that opened Japanese ports to U.S. ships
consulates: Foreign diplomatic offices headed by consuls
1. The Tokugawa shogunate came into power after a century of
warfare among competing daimyo and the overthrow of the
Ashikaga shogun by Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga was succeeded as
overlord by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was succeeded by his
most powerful vassal, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established the
Tokugawa shogunate.
2. The Tokugawa shogunate wanted to keep Japan isolated because
Christianity taught loyalty to another power, threatening their rule.
They also feared religious division and the effects of technology on
their traditional society.
3. Both the Tokugawa shoguns and the Chinese emperors were
resistant to change because it threatened their control of their
countries.
4. The Tokugawa probably could not have resisted Western demands
and retained control of Japan because Western technology and
military power would have been used to overthrow the Tokugawa.