Japan had not always been a unified country, it had consisted of two-hundred and fifty regions, which were all under the rule of a Daimyo. These Daimyo were constantly at war with each other, all trying to increase their holdings and power. Though the Emperor was the Supreme ruler, the real power and authority was given to the Shogun. The unification of Japan began during the Onin War (1467-77) through the Seven Year War (1592-1598). The importance of unifying Japan was to defeat the warring Daimyo, who were all competing to gain more territory for themselves. The unification of Japan fell under three shoguns, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Oda Nobunaga had begun the unification of Japan which began the Momoyama
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Yoshimoto raised a massive army of 25,000 men and marched toward Owari in 1560. The force was made even larger with reinforcements from the Matsudaira Clan. The armies amassed at the border realms of the Oda Clan holdings in Owari. Nobunaga had only 3,000 men at his command, though this did not stop him from deciding to attack, despite the difference in numbers. His advisors had urged Nobunaga to remain in a defensive position or to surrender without a fight. Paying no heed to his advisor’s wishes, he launched a surprise attack against the Imagawa soldiers. The soldier’s under Nobunaga’s command assembled a number of stuffed dummies and placed them in a position where the Imagawa forces could see them, giving them the impression that Nobunaga had significant manpower. Nobunaga maneuvered his men around to attack the Imagawa encampment; launching the surprise attack, the Oda forces launched their surprise attacks and defeating them. This victory increased Nobunaga’s powers. The Siege of Inabayama Castle was the final battle in Oda Nobunaga’s campaign to defeat the Saito Clan and conquer the Mino Province. This fight went from 13-27 September 1567. It ended in a decisive battle, and victory for Nobunaga’s combined forces and the subjugation of the Saito Clan and their
By the nineteenth century Western nations had developed superior military technology than other countries. Western countries were able to control other nations by coercing them into unfair trading treaties which would leave the country economically dependent on them. The countries rarely resisted successfully due to their insufficient military power. This occured often Asia with only Japan and Thailand remaining independent. Only Japan thrived however and became an imperial power. Japan was an isolated country until the United States forcibly opened it to trade. Japan experienced a regime change following a tumultuous time in which western nations coerced Japan into trade treaties. The new government favored capitalism and industry which lead to Japan industrializing impressively fast through “top down” government mandated modernization. Western imperialism forced Japan to modernize in order to remain a sovereign and successful state. Modernization in this case was synonymous with becoming more like the West. Imperialism drastically changed Japanese economic interaction as well as Japanese culture and class system because modernization included becoming more like the West in most aspects but their treatment of women remained the same because the West did not treat women very differently.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the third of Japan’s unifiers, was able to create a stable regime that brought peace to Japan for 250 years. Under his system, “the centralization of feudal state and society went much further than it had in the earlier periods.” (Sources, 121). During this time, Shogun and roughly 260 feudal lords, called daimyos, ruled Japan. According to law, the positions of daimyos were inherited, which meant that a daimyo would be succeeded by one of his sons and this succession would be approved by the Shogun. The Shogun was theoretically selected by the emperor, who fulfilled his role as the “final legitimizing authority in Japan” (sources 121).
How did the rulers of shogunate Japan gain and maintain their political power? The Shogun were very advanced for their time. They had some great leaders throughout their period, who started and fought some important wars/battles. Minamoto no Yoritomo was a very important figure as he was the very first shogun, started the feudal system which gave all the people of Japan their place in society.
By the 900’s, the Japanese government began losing control over rural areas due to its weak ruler and the samurai warrior class stepped in to take control. This was due to a civil war called the “Hogen Rebellion” in 1156. This rebellion was due to conflicts regarding Imperial Japanese succession and unexpectedly laid the groundwork for the samurai clans to gain dominance. With both “would-be emperors” losing the Hogen Rebellion, the imperial government of Japan lost all of its remaining power. This led to the Heiji Rebellion in 1160 which was fought between two samurai clans, the Minamoto and Taira. With the victory of the Taira clan, the first samurai-led government (Shogunate) was formed. This type of government was controlled by the samurai clans, and the Emperor of Japan was only used as a figurehead to the government.
Japan had to deal with many issues during its period of reunification. The major issue for Japan was the constant fighting between daimyo. From 1500-1603, Japan went through a devastating civil war, in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi eventually won. After Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu created a Shogunate that had imperial rule, so the daimyo could no longer fight for control. Japan also struggled with its changing economy in that merchants had low status but higher wealth than the daimyo and samurai. The lords did not seem as powerful when they needed to borrow money from low class merchants. In concern to external pressures, Japan had tried to take Korea under the reign of Hideyoshi but they were quickly overpowered. When the Tokugawa took control,
It is clear that Japan’s ‘three unifiers’ were beneficial to the development of Japan in three fundamental areas: social, economic and political. Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu are known for unifying Japan after the sengoku period (c. 1467 – c. 1603), a time of internal conflict. While each unifier had a different approach to developing Japan, the corroboration of each new policy resulted in an improved Japan which set foundations for lasting central rule.
The resulting Tokugawa period “saw Japan move from a country divided by civil war to a unified, stable, and mature state” (Earns, Lane). This was accomplished through Ieyasu’s establishment of a central authority through a new shogunate in Edo, or present-day Tokyo. A more organized government, the Tokugawa shogunate introduced regional authority by daimyo, brought social classes to working order, and resulted in a more flourishing economy through urbanization (Earns, Lane). This was the first step towards a more modernized Japan as it decreased conflict and created an increased orderly
Because of the war between the shoguns and the retainers, Japan was not politically united, and was mostly ruled by the daimyo, who were powerful territorial lords. The last chieftain, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who sought
To back up my first statement, the Shogunate’s had many large armies around Japan, this did help the Shogunate’s protect their land from the Mongol Empire, who at the time were one of the biggest empires in the world. This compared to the puny Polynesian armies which mostly consisted of twenty to thirty warriors from different tribes on the islands. These small armies could never put up such a fight like the Shogunate’s did and also win. The Polynesian would of been finished as quick as a fire spreading through a dried out forest. The Shogunate armies consisted of about 5,000 to 10,000 footman and cavalry, this let the Shogunate’s attack from different angles and fight in different terrains which helped let them win their wars. The Polynesian’s
Between 1968 and 1912, Japan was going through a reformation called Meiji Restoration in order make the country strong as western countries. It had caused changes in many parts of Japan such as society, government, military, etc. Some of these changes still can be seen in the Japanese society today such as emperors are honored by Japanese citizens and seen as a special figure. Since this reformation had a great impact on development of Japan, it can be consider as a very important part of Japanese history.This study will seek to answer the question: To what extent did the Meiji Restoration succeeded to reform and strengthen Japan? In order to answer the question, the investigation will analyze military reform and economic reform caused by
Every leadership position was hereditary, passing the same titles down the lines of esteemed Japanese families. Only the Shogun could give favor and titles to families, completely cutting off any chance at social mobility. This strategic move kept daimyo competing with each other to please the Shogun, losing the chance to band together and overthrow the government instead (Lecture, 2013 Feb 12). This decentralized government was inefficient for any kind of domestic and foreign affairs to be handles quickly. There was no sense of nationalism and profits circulated only among the elite, who controlled trade. The large degree of separation between the domains ultimately resulted in civil war, permanently bringing down Tokugawa
The Minamotos won, and the emperor made Minamoto Yoritomo shogun, the head of the military. Yoritomo however wanted more and took all power away from the emperor and made himself dictator. At this time the samurai gained power, through land given to them by the new shogun. Their rise in status was beginning.
Japan is a small island nation off the coast of Eastern Asia. Despite its size, Japan has proved to be formidable both economically and militarily. Since the expedition of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 opened up the past feudalistic and reclusive Japan, this nation has expanded and adopted many imperialistic policies as well as taken a more aggressive military stance. Japan has changed in many ways, but has also continued upholding traditional practices throughout 1853 and 1941.
Then, the line of shoguns weakened which proved to be fatal as they lost power to the daimyo after the rule of Yoshimitsu. As a result, the shogun's
Japan has an extensive history, beginning with the first humans arriving around 35,000 B.C.E. The location of Japan has played an important role in the country’s development. Although the archipelago is situated near the mainland, there is still a significant amount of open sea, which divides the two landmasses. Throughout most of Japan's history, it has been shut off from the outside world, neglecting to open its borders to foreigners. The sakoku policy, Sakoku meaning "locked country", was established in 1633 by the Tokugawa Shogunate, it prevented outsiders from entering Japan on a punishment of death. The policy also prevented Japanese from leaving Japan.