Tokugawa Shogunate Research Paper

Japan first started out as an isolated nation, but soon it would become one of the most powerful countries during WWII. But before Japan was a powerful Nation, it needed to modernize. According to document 1, Japan was isolated from 1635-1853.1853 to 1854.This was when US Commodore Perry visited Japan and forced them to open their ports(document 1, N.d, timeline. As a result of this, the Japanese create the Meiji Restoration. According to document 5, the emperor is given the power to command the Army and the Navy end to rule over Japan, but the citizens too have a house of representatives( Alfred Stead,1904, Doc 5).

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

During the post classical period, 650 C.E to 1450 C.E, Japanese leaders were confronted with several issues that threatened political order in Japan. The problems that arose during that time included a lack of respect for Buddhism, for example, monks were not taking their vows seriously. Another problem included the division between classes in the social structure, one instance was when the lady-in-waiting in the temple showed disdain for the peasants in a lower class than her. Ultimately, one last problem was the lack of overall respect for the government. Samurais were not being properly trained and the Daimyo were fighting among themselves simply for power. The issues that presented themselves during this time period can be solved in many ways. Buddhism, a unified religion, reestablishing Confucian values and relationships, and properly training the Samurai are just

This is another example of how Japan was so afraid to trade with other countries even though Russia’s, “interests lie on the Asiatic coast….and [want] to exploit the production of a vast and wealthy region” (Doc. 8). All Russia intended to do was trade with the Japanese people and obtain their goods. Without trade and influence from other countries, Japan was not able to expand, and when they finally attempted to do so in the mid to late 1800s, the people were so against it that they forced the shogun to step down, furthermore ending the Tokugawa

The occupations were ranked by how essential they were to Tokugawa Japan. Ieyasu created hereditary classes based on occupation. The samurai were the most essential to the shogun because the warriors protected the land of the daimyos, who were hand picked by the shogun and made sure taxes were paid for the land they owned. The peasants, making up most of the population, were farmers and fishermen. They were necessary to work the daimyos land and yield food for the nation. Artisans were less essential because they were more mobile, not owning land. Merchants, similar to artisans, did not own land and were even less valuable because Ieyasu did not view the salespeople as directly benefiting

The working poor which made up the majority of the Japanese citizens were not allowed to become involved in any non-agricultural economic pursuits. Therefore, maintaining constant and traditional Japanese values, yet the Dutch whom were the only foreign power allowed to trade with the Japanese at the port of Nagasaki warned the shogunate that they would have to “accede to foreign demands.” Many young scholars and the samurai class agreed with the Dutch logic in that it is not smart for the Japanese to become stagnant while the rest of the world is booming a merchant dominated economic system. Many scholars such as Fukuzawa Yukichi were worried about the state of the government and stated “I was mortified when I thought over the possible outcome of national exclusiveness.” This hindrance by the government in order to preserve the traditions of Japan irked the citizens in that the “stability” of the shogunate was regression as a culture rather than progress which is what most felt that the government should be striving

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.

The primary beneficiaries of the emerging money economy were the merchants. Daimyo and samurai traded their rice for money with the merchants who soon became very rich. Merchants, cashing in on daimyo debt attained positions of authority within the daimyo households. Many were living lavish lifestyles only dreamt of by samurai. This caused resentment in Japanese society because, although they were socially inferior, merchants enjoyed an elevated status economically (Kunihiko 1997). Perhaps the social class that suffered the most indignities was the samurai who, lacking the means to earn a living on their regular income, indulged in the lifestyle of Edo. Many had to resort to engaging in handicraft for income vice training at the martial arts thus leading to inherent corruption (Nobumitsu 1997).

Important aspects of the Tokugawa period led to the development of Early Modern Japan. The Tokugawa Shogunate’s evolving economic and political structure became the foundation for the political economy of the rapid modernisation of Japan, which was to follow after.

Japan emerged from the Tokugawa-Meiji transition as the first Asian industrialized nation. Domestic commercial activities and limited foreign trade had met the demands for material culture in the Tokugawa period, but the modernized Meiji era had radically different requirements. From the beginning, the Meiji rulers embraced the concept of a market economy and adopted British and North American forms of free enterprise capitalism. The private sector — in a nation blessed with an abundance of aggressive entrepreneurs — welcomed such change.

During the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, there was a policy in place that cut ties with any other countries. This policy was known as the Seclusion Policy. This policy limited the amount of trade with other countries. This policy was still in place during the arrival of the Black Ships. The Black Ships were a series of American gunships with the intent on establishing diplomatic and trade ties between Japan and the United States of America. This was an invitation delivered from the president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, through Commodore Matthew Perry. After Perry had delivered the message from the president, the ships left and promised to return in one year’s time. This ultimatum intimidated Japan. This started a negotiation that ended the Seclusion policy. The document known as the Harry Treaty, negotiated by the first U.S. consul, Townsend Harris, gave special provisions over the other nations and started to end the Seclusion Policy. This treaty leads to further oppression of the Japanese but not by their own government but the Western world. This will be discussed later.

The Meiji Era in Japan is known as a time of rapid industrialization and Westernization where many institutions of society were realigned in one form or another to be consistent with their Western counterparts. Ironically, at the same time, it was a period of growing nationalistic feelings that began to develop in Japanese society. However, besides being a reactionary or nostalgic feeling experienced by the population, this nationalist ideology was also actively promoted by the Meiji leadership. Central to this ideology was the emperor who was effectively and successfully used as a tool for legitimizing the Meiji government.

For seven centuries, the samurai ruled Japan as the powerful warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they led society in feudal Japan. The loyalty to his lord was much more important than his allegiance to his friends, family and even the emperor. Their philosophy was one liberated him from fear, and for these reasons, the samurai came to be the dominate force throughout medieval Japan.

Meiji Restoration was a significant historical event not only in Japanese history but also in world history. A study (Hunt, Lynn, Thomas, & Barbara, 2009) concluded that the word “Meiji” means “enlightened rule” and the goal was to combine “modern advances” with “eastern” values. This event restored practical imperial rule to Japan under Emperor Meiji in 1868 (“Meiji Restoration”, 2017). As a result, it led to the tremendous changes in political and social structure of Japan, and spanned both the Late Tokugawa period and the beginning of the Meiji period (“Meiji Restoration”, 2017). The main causes of Meiji Restoration can be analyzed from the following different aspects.

The Tokugawa period also called the Edo Period is derived from the name of the ruling family in the period the Tokugawa family. Under this regime Japan saw a long period of peace and order that went on for almost two hundred and fifty years. This was a very incredible achievement taking into account this was an era that was full of upsetting ordeals. The Sengoku Jidai or what is known as the age of a nation at war was the Belligerent states era of Japan where there were many rival daimyos that had their armies who fought one another to enable them have a massive jurisdiction of control over the whole of Japan that was split into two hundred and sixty countries at the time. The Belligerent States Period was adopted including many other things from the Chinese. Even this word was