japan - 14 -16 Flashcards
what happened in the early 1500’s?
Japan welcomed Protuguese traders and their fashions and firearms
what happened in 1848?
japan’s attitude towards outsiders had changed, ships were being fired on and driven away
why did japan’s attitudes change towards the outsiders (9)?
- The ruling shogun came to consider the foreigners a threat to his military control
- If the daimyo acquired European weapons they might challenge the shogun’s authority
- Loyalty to the Christian God and Church were also a threat to the shogun’s authority
- All missionaries were ordered to leave Japan
- Churches were destroyed
- Japanese Christians who refused to give up their faith faced execution
- By 1640 thousands of Christians and 70 missionaries had been executed
- however a couple Missionaries were sneaking into Japan, disguised as traders
how did the shogun cut off contact (2)?
- Shogun Tokygawa Iemitsu passed isolation/exclusions laws
- Penalty for breaking these laws was death
explain the exclusion law (6)
- All Chrisian missionaries and foreign traders were forced to leave Japan
- Newcomers were no longer allowed to enter
- Japanese people were not allowed to go abroad
- Ships large enough to make long voyages could no longer be built and existing ones were destroyed
- Japanese who were out of the country were forbidden to return
- Most foreign objects were forbidden. All foreign books containing a Christian message were banned; scientific books were forbidden
how did shogun tighten control over japan? (3)
- People needed special documents to travel
- Curfew was instituted to prevent people from travelling at night
- Wheeled transport was banned.
what happened in 1639? (2)
=the shogun banned all Portuguese ships in Japan and expelled all the foreigners except for the Dutch, Korean, and Chinese traders
-Dutch were only allowed in the Nagasaki harbour, located on a small island
why was being in isolation so important to the shogun? (3)
- The policy of isolation was essential for national security in the shogun’s eyes
- Only way to eliminate any threats to his power and to protect the Japanese culture
- Shogun was determined to show that his rule was strong and that Japan was strong.
describe the exceptions in the exclusion laws (4)
- Small number of Dutch traders were allowed to remain
- Only interested in trade and not religion
- No Dutch family members could join them, and Japanese servants were forbidden to talk with them
- Once a year the Dutch traders were expected to make the trip to see the Shogun, and stay for three months
were ideas still spread on the nagasaki habour?
- Japanese officials asked the traders many questions about the West (ex. current events and medicines)
- Small number of Japanese scholars were allowed to learn Dutch language and medicine
- They were called the Dutch scholars even though they were Japanese
- Educated themselves on western ways
- Sons of samurai were sent to learn Dutch
name the positive influences in the 1720.
imports of European books were allowed except for Christian books
name the positive influences in the 1744.
Shogun encouraged the study of astronomy and built an observatory in Edo + scientific method was introduced
describe the ideal society in japan (4)
- Japanese wanted to live in a society that represented what was important to them
- Peace, safety, security
- Harmony, respect and a sense that everyone has his or her own place
- Leisure time and opportunities for personal expression and enjoyment of the arts, sports, entertainment and crafts
describe the consequences of the ideal society (5)
- Peace and security came at a cost
- Life was controlled by rigid rules
- People could not move from the social class of their birth to another
- Not encouraged to think for yourself, loyalty and obedience
- Little personal freedom, little freedom of expression
what did long periods of stability and peace result in?
more wealth + arts and culture for a country, specifically in edo japan which had a expanding and booming economy
what are some causes for the booming economy in edo japan? (5)
- Long periods of stability and peace
- Farmers increased production by irrigating and growing two crops on the same piece of land in one growing season
- Road improvements financed by the daimyo helped to increase trade
- The population increased in urban centres
- Silver and gold coins were introduced as currency
-Long periods of stability and peace
-Farmers increased production by irrigating and growing two crops on the same piece of land in one growing season
-Road improvements financed by the daimyo helped to increase trade
-The population increased in urban centres
-Silver and gold coins were introduced as currency
what things held the economy back? (3)
- Little foreign trade
- Overtaxing of peasants
- Continued use of rice as payments in most transactions
describe floating worlds (5)
- Cultural activities took place in areas called the floating world
- Rules and controls of the Tokugawa society were relaxed in these areas
- Because the merchants had money, they spent it in the floating world areas
- This was an area where men could unwind and enjoy themselves, once their obligations to their occupation and family had been finished
- Instead of closing these areas, authorities can watch them closely keeping them under surveillance
describe the change in merchants
- Merchants had gained wealth and power because more people needed their services
- Merchants were in charge of storing rice and converting it into cash or credits
- Also were money lenders when most people needed loans
describe struggles in japan (3)
- Peasants needed money to pay for high taxes
- Daimyo were near bankruptcy because of the cost of alternate attendance, and road construction
- Little work for the samurai because of peace time, and they were too proud to accept other jobs
who was blamed for the struggles in japan?>
- People were looking for someone to blame, often that was the shogun and his officials
- Some thought that the shogun had become too power, and had taken it illegally from the emperor
describe the hard times that japan faced (6)
- In the late 1700s and 1800s Japan had several natural disasters that brought famines, and killed many people
- ⅓ of the population died of starvation
- Land was deserted by peasants who fled to the cities, but they could not find work
- Rice was scarce and the cost rose sharply
- City dwellers rioted over price increases and attacked the homes of the wealthy
- Many believed that the shogun’s responses to these problems were ineffective
in 1800’s what happened?
- several foreign countries were looking to trade with Japan
- Russia, England and the US in particular
what did the ships in the 1800s want?
- Ships sometimes just wanted fresh water and coal, but the shogun had ordered any foreigners arrested and their ships were to be destroyed
- The US wanted to force Japan to open their doors to trade, for both economic and geography reasons
what are the geographical reasons us wanted to force japan’s doors for trade?
- Once Oregon and California became part of the United States the country bordered the Pacific Ocean
- A proposed transcontinental railway would connect the Trans-Pacific ship route to China
what are the economic reasons us wanted to force japan’s doors for trade?
- The California gold rush gave the US more money to buy more goods, and Japan was a source of new, different products
- Rapidly growing US industries produces many products to trade with other countries
what are the economic reasons us wanted to force japan’s doors for trade?
what are the economic AND geographical reasons us wanted to force japan’s doors for trade?
The US had huge investments in the whaling industry in the Pacific
The US needed stations between San Francisco and Canton where whaling ships could refuel and get supplies
describe the pressures outside of japan
July, 1853 Commodore Perry arrived in Japan with 2 steamships, 2 sailing vessels, 977 men, 66 guns
Commodore Perry brought a letter from President Millard Fillmore asking for trade and protection for shipwrecked sailors and ability to buy coal to restock their ships
describe the treaties japan signed?
- In 1854 Perry returned for the Japanese answer, this time with 8 large steamships and more troops
- The Treaty of Kanagawa was signed with the shogunate
- Established an American embassy in Japan
- Accepted demands regarding shipwrecked sailors
- Agreed to sell the Americans coal
- In 1858, a more extensive economic treaty was signed with the US, along with other treaties with England, France, Netherlands,
describe how japanese felt about these one-sided treaties
Many Japanese were unhappy with these one sided treaties, they had lost control of their own trade
describe the japanese’s response to perry (3)
- Japanese recognized the Americans military force and superior weapons
- In 1839 there had been a war (Opium War) between China and Britain, and Japan did not want to be “another China”
- Involved in a war they could not win, signing unequal treaties
describe the pressures from WITHIN to open japenese borders? (6)
- Arrival of the Americans and their superior weapons and power caused a loss of respect for the shogunate
- Uprising against the inefficiency and corruption of its officials
- Treaties that were signed with the Americans were unequal and did not benefit the Japanese people
- When the Americans and Japanese began to interact, there was a culture shock
- Influx of western ideas challenged Japanese ones
- Brought new ways of thinking and knowledge that made Japanese people questions things
what happened in result to these treaties?
Many people saw the treaties as proof that the shogun was weak
describe japan’s civil war (8)
- The shoguns control over society was beginning to falter
- Groups disagreed with the shogun and each other no longer debated difference in council chambers, instead they rioted in the streets and committed acts of violence
- Daimyo who opposed the shogun was retired put under arrest
- Samurai were imprisoned, exiled or executed
- Attacks on foreigners increased, retaliation by the forgien powers with gunboats
- Shogun resigned in 1868, begging the emperor to take over power
- Civil war had broken out, those who supported the shogunate against those who supported the Emperor ruling
- Japan was a country divided, troops loyal to the Emperor eventually won and a new era in Japanese history began.
who is prince mutsuhito?
- became emperor when he was a teen
- With the end of the shogunate he now became the head of a country and had to rule
- In the past, the Emperor very much was in the background during the years of the Tokugawa shogunate
- Lived a secluded life, in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, hidden away from people
- In theory the Emperor was the divine ruler of Japan, but the shogun had all the power
- When Prince Mutsuhito came into power, he changed his name to Meiji, meaning enlightened rule.
- Emperor Meiji ruled until his death in 1912, and this is known as the Meiji period
what was the era in 1867-1870 in japan?
became known as the Meiji Restoration, when the government emphasized the importance of the Emperor, “restoring” to his rightful place as head of Japan
what set the scene for change in japanese society?
The spread of education, wealth of the middle class, and the increase in commerce during the end of the Edo had set the scene for change in Japanese society
describe the samurai during the meiji period (2)
- The samurai that had fought the shogunate in support of the Emperor became his advisors (oligarchy)
- This group became powerful leaders and ruled in the Emperor’s name
what was the realization that occured to the japanese government?
They realized that Japan would have to change in order to keep the Westerners or China from taking over
what two powers did japan need?
Japan needed both economic and military power
what were the two goals in the meji period?
- Create a strong central government that could unite the country and rule it effectively
- Create a form of government closer to the democracies of the West
what happened to edo japan?
Renamed Edo to Tokyo and moved the Emperor and the imperial court there instead of in Kyoto
why was the emperor a strong symbol for japan? (2)
The Emperor had always been a powerful symbol to the Japanese people, thought to have been a descendent of the sun goddess Amaterasu
what was the reason that the emperor + government were in the same city?
With the government and the Emperor in the same city [toyko] the connection between the two would be obvious to people
describe the industrial revolution in japan (4)
Dramatic change in how goods were produced
- Goods went from being produced by hand in homes and small workshops, to being produced in factories. this was More efficient and quick
- Factories were built with many workers where they were employed to produce a large amount of goods, using complicated (and sometime dangerous) machinery
- Transportation and communication were also revolutionized
what was the difference between the industrial revolution in europe compared to japan?
In Europe and North America the Industrial Revolution happened over a hundred years
In Japan the Industrial Revolution happened much quicker
