In a seeming paradox, Japan witnessed one of the longest periods of peace and stability
under the rule of the of the Tokugawa family. From warriors to rulers, these shogun led Japan
with a controlling hand during the Edo period from 1600 to 1868. Seeking to preserve Japanese
ideals and limit outside influence, the shogun government restricted movement in and out of
Japan. Despite this isolation, agricultural innovations and the development of merchant products
brought about the growth of new cities, the constructions of roads, and an increase in population.
Sequestered from the West, Japan flourished under the Tokugawa reign. Yet their rallying call to
“Revere the Emperor” became a harbinger of doom as the lure of the outside world could not be
denied.
The Edo period was established after a power struggle which resulted in the Battle of
Sekigahara. Tokugawa emerged as the acknowledged victor, ushering in the reign of the
shogunate. The period was marked by strong rulers whose unique contributions carried Japan
forward. Oda Nobunaga laid the groundwork for the country’s unification by establishing strict
rules with an adherence to a caste system with a hierarchy led by the samurai, followed by
peasants, artisans, and merchants. In an attempt to limit western ideals and preserve Japanese
traditions, Christianity was banned. Under the new bakufu, Nobunaga sought peace and treated
former rivals with respect as long as they were loyal to his regime; those who disobeyed felt his
hand of justice. In a letter to an insurgent, Nobunaga admonishes him for “issuing instructions in
secret”, being “steeped in avarice” and showing “no concern either for ethics or for your own
reputation.” (de Bary, 443-44...
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isolation. The group I feel most aligned with are the samurai, specifically those such as Sakuma
Shōzan. These men sought not to undo the shogunate but were looking to expand their
knowledge through exposure to the West. “Eastern ethics and Western science” would have
allowed the perfect blend of old and new, yet adherence to the past was their undoing. No culture
can stand alone and the lure of the outside world could not be denied.
Works Cited
“The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture.” Cambridge University Press. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
De, Bary William Theodore, Carol Gluck, and Arthur E. Tiedemann. Sources of Japanese Tradition. New York: Columbia UP, 2006. Print.
Huffman, James L. Modern Japan: a History in Documents. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
To many Japanese and in particular the samurai and daimyo, the Tokugawa appeared weak in how it had responded to the Western pressure to sign the ‘required’ treaties. “In 1867, Tosa, Mito, Choshu and satsuma daimyo allied with each other against the Tokugawa house.” (Woods, SW. (2004). Japan an Illustrated History (1st Edition). Hippocrene books pg. 111). The citizens of Japan wanted the Emperor to restore power over the Shogun, resulting in the sonno joi (revere the sovereign (Emperor), expel the barbarian.) The influence of Western ideas on some samurai caused some to question Tokugawa’s ideas of how to rule Japan, which is how the sonno joi movement began in 1858. Sonno joi was the movement that satsuma and choshu went through to aim to restore the power of the Emperor and bring down the
Musui’s Story is the exciting tale of a low class samurai’s life towards the end of the Tokugawa era. Although one would normally imagine a samurai to be a noble illustrious figure, Musui’s Story portrays the rather ignominious life of an unemployed samurai. Nonetheless, this primary account demonstrates the tenacity of samurai values and privileges present at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. The social status of samurai had been elevated to such a state that even someone like Musui was easily able to gain influence in everyday affairs with his privileges. Not only that, but he had retained his values as a warrior and still kept great pride for his arts in weaponry.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese and Japanese faced much internal conflict, but while China faced a combination of economic setbacks and political weakness, the Japanese were riddled with wars along their countryside. First, the Chinese emperor was too weak in comparison to his bureaucracy, which ended up making most of the decisions for the last Ming dynasty emperor. This was due to the emperor’s realization that having a title as Son of Heaven did not mean he had all the power of the empire. Instead he lived a laid back life where the bureaucrats vied for power and wealth amongst themselves and he merely managed them. Like the Chinese, the Japanese also saw elites battling it out for power, but this time on the battlefield with armies of samurai. These battles put Japan in a period much like the Warring States period in early Chinese history, where families fought and fought for power almost endlessly. The political weakness in China contributed to its economic failure as well. With no force to manage to seas, pirates were free to raid trade ships and villages along the coast line, weakening the Chinese economy that relied on a transport system to supply the country. These two major forces led to China’s fragmentation and eventual takeover by the Manchu. In contrast, the battles happening in Japan were not harmful to the economy as much as they were in China. This is due to the fact that the Japanese daimyos were independent...
Beasley, W. G. The Japanese experience: a short history of Japan. Los Angeles: Berkeley, 1999.
This aristocratic warrior class arose during the 12th century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans and was consolidated in the Tokugawa period. Samurai were privileged to wear two swords, and at one time had the right to cut down any commoner who offended them. They cultivated the martial virtues, indifference to pain or death, and unfailing loyalty to their overlords. Samurai were the dominant group in Japan. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the samurai were removed from direct control of the villages, moved into the domain castle towns, and given government stipends. They were encouraged to take up bureaucratic posts.
Riichi, Yokomitsu. Shanghai. Michigan: The Center for Japanese Studies, The University of Michigan , 2001.
Ogawa, D. (1993) The Japanese of Los Angeles. Journal of Asian and African Studies, v19, pp.142-3.
“Its politics remained unstable. Internal wars and power shifts were very frequent, especially during the late 15th century to the end of the 16th century, which was called the Sengoku (warring) period.” (Ohno, 22). After all the disaster that was happening, it was finally remedied when Ieyasu Tokugawa came into play after the Battle of Sekigahara. He created a new government in Edo (modern day Tokyo) and became the first Shogun of the Edo Bakufu. His family, The Tokugawa family, ruled the country for the next 264 years. (Ohno,
Tsuzuki, Chushichi. The Pursuit of Power in Modern Japan, 1825-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questia. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese literature, from the earliest era to the mid-nineteenth century. New York: Grove P, 1955.
The Tokugawa period, also known as Edo period (1603-1867), was the final period of traditional Japan that lasted for more than 250 years (britannica.com,2013). The period was a time of internal peace, political stability, and economic growth under the Shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Tokugawa Shoguns maintained strict control over the structure of society by keeping a firm control over what they were allowed to do and what they were not allowed to do.
Since my cultural experience was on the Japanese culture, I decided I would continue on with that interest and write my paper about the Japanese culture therefor giving me a chance to do more research about the culture. The Japanese culture is really rich and diverse, there is a particular hierarchy or structure to the Japanese culture, Denison (2002) stated that “Japanese culture is structured around black and white norms for acceptable group behavior. People who do not function by there norms are viewed as outsiders who lack legitimate status. Black and white expectations of behavior produce equally clear cut conformity, resulting in high harmony and certainly of outcome, trust is early through continuous conformity”.This is a huge and really important aspect of their culture because it governs their social standing, interacting with others and the way they are seen, and when it comes to your social standing in the culture, the way you are seen and respected by those around you is very important.
Shirane Haruo. et al. Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology 1600-1900. New York: Colombia University Press, 2002. Print.
Deal, William E. 2006. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Facts on File, Inc., 2006. eBook
Japan is one of the greatest countries in the world and it has offered many things as well. The Japanese have given the world a better understanding of their culture and history along with a good look at the future from a technological standpoint. They have developed and created the future for their country that has allowed them to be prosperous and powerful. They once isolated themselves from the rest of the world, but now they share their knowledge with other countries in order to create a better understanding of the world. Through their trade and creative thinking they have become one of the world’s largest and powerful countries and have allowed their economy to flourish and prosper.