Timeline • Independent Kingdoms (300-710 AD) o During the Kofun Period (300-500 AD), over 100 small

It took the Treaty of Kanagawa and unfair treatment by the US to weaken the shogunate and make way for the nationalist movements of the Meiji Restoration. The sweeping reforms put into place by the new constitutional monarchy put Japan back into the game - with rapid industrialization. military expansion, and advanced education. The landscape itself was useful for Japan's industrial age, as it consisted of mountains, valleys, and open plains, with bays, peninsulas, and small islands off the coast. (Doc. 6) The harbors formed along this coast made fishing the most viable trade, bringing in food for the country's citizens and forming a successful Japanese industry. Fishing also provided a segue into the market for naval development, meaning that in a short period of time, Japan had created one of the most sophisticated and powerful navies in all of the world. Because of the layout

In the system that Tokugawa Ieyasu created, however, the emperor was simply a figurehead having no political authority (class notes). Japan, ruled by combatants, was under military law which was imposed by a standing army. The daimyo were given a specific area and they often hired samurai to maintain order and collect revenue needed to feed and train their troops. On condition

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.

Unlike the Europeans they did not have much political control but were very wealthy.After a while the nobles took over and there were no more emperors.The Shogun which had the most political control and became the ruler of Japan. The Shoguns also had control over the army of Japan.The Shoguns were considered the vassals to the Emperors. The different rulers for both European and Japanese Feudalism were similar and had many rules and regulations that they had to follow.

In 1159, Kiyomori of the Taira clan was victorious over the Minamoto clan. Kiyomori murdered all the adults of the Monamoto clan and forced the children into exile. The emperor rewarded Kiyomori victory by giving him an advisor position in the government. This event was significant because Kiyomori was the first warrior in Japan’s government. Like the Fujiwara family, Kiyomori desired a royal bloodline within the Taira clan. So the Taira clan consorted with the imperial family in efforts to secure an imperial bloodline. Later, Kiyomori obtain a higher government position and more importantly a grandson was born and is heir to the throne. Feeling cheated an imperial prince sought the exiled Minamoto to overthrow the Taria clan. In 1180, Yoritomo of the Minamoto clan formed an army and battled with Taira clan that is known as the Genpei War. Eventually, Kiyomori died and the Taria clan shortly declined after him. During these battles warriors ran amok pillaging the Japan’s cuntryside. To end the chaos and violence the imperial turned to Yoritomo. Yoritomo in return raise an army of samurais and took complete control of the government and transformed it into a military government. The Kamakura government consisted of the emperor, shogun, and the house men. The emperor served merely as a figurehead, he little to no control of his government. The shogun had

The samurai, or bushi (warrior), are well-trained cavalrymen that serve a particular lord. The first recorded history of the samurai was about the 9th century A.D. At that time the capitol of Japan was Kamakura, a military installation. Japan was ruled by an emperor who controlled his empire through the use of shoguns. Shoguns were generals that ruled over

The emperor is an important religious figure, he swapped lands swapped land with nobles exchange for their support for he couldn't handle all the land far far away from him. In the shogunate period the emperor didn't have much power for the shoguns had basically controlled the government.

Shogun - a Japanese military dictator, appointed by the emperor who had little other power

Although the emperor and his court were retained, real power subsided in the bakufu and with the Minamoto and their allies.

a. The Ahikaga bakufu collapsed in 1467 over a dispute about who would be the next

Japan’s decision to isolate themselves from the world created the conflict. Their decision however, was greatly influenced by the Europeans, who constantly tried to take advantage of the

situation at this point in time and was not making any new allies. The Japanese had began to get

With the new dominance of the samurai, it faced many problems relating to any government. Rebellion and civil unrest were not uncommon, and throughout the superiority of the Samurai, there were many different periods of rule, each facing their own dilemmas. Attacks from external threats such as the Mongols among other things, weakened samurai rule and at a certain point, Japanese imperial rule regained power. As samurai rule continued, internal problems such as disloyalty among officials caused instability in their government. Regional officials called Daimyo’s were ignoring orders from the Shogun (head of government) and supported

Just a little about Yoshinaka…He was the first shogun, first and for most. Minamoto was definitely a trigger happy guy during battle. After the death of his father. His father was murdered. Minamoto swore he would regain his fathers land after his death. Yoritomo Minamoto was his greatest rival. Yoshinaka could not stand the fact that Yoritomo would reform Japan and possibly be a strong leader. Yet, Yoshinaka was still determined to obtain this title using his own ability. He planned to beat Yoritomo to Kyoto and swiftly defeat the Taira by himself. The Taira was a clan of skilled

and Dankwart A. Rustow eds., Political Modernization in Japan and Turkey (Princeton, 1964), 465-466.>> Thus, “in the first years after the Restoration, from 1868 to 1881, the new government invoked the imperial institution at the symbolic center of the unified nation and displayed the young Meiji emperor as the personal manifestation of the recently wrought political unity.”<<4