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Edo Japan: A Society

Edo Japan: A Society. Chapter 14. Locking Out the World. In the Early 1500’s, Japan had welcomed Portuguese traders with their fashions and firearms; however, by the late 1500’s and early 1600’s their attitude had changed drastically.

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Edo Japan: A Society

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  1. Edo Japan: A Society Chapter 14

  2. Locking Out the World • In the Early 1500’s, Japan had welcomed Portuguese traders with their fashions and firearms; however, by the late 1500’s and early 1600’s their attitude had changed drastically. • The shogun considered foreigners a threat to his military control. If the Daimyo got a hold of their weapons, they might challenge the shogun. • The Shogun thought that the Christian God and church were a threat to his authority. In 1614, he ordered all Christian missionaries to leave the country. Churches were destroyed and all Japanese Christian’s who wouldn’t give up their faith were executed.

  3. Cutting off Contact • Since missionaries tried to come into the country disguised as traders, Shogun Iemitsu passed isolation or exclusion laws: • All Christian missionaries and foreign traders were forced to leave Japan. No one was allowed to enter the country. • Japanese were not allowed to leave the country • Ships big enough to make long voyages could not be built and others were destroyed • Japanese who left the country were not allowed to return • Foreign objects were forbidden. Christian and scientific books were also forbidden • People needed to get special documents for any kind of travel and a curfew was put in place

  4. Shogun’s contact control • In 1639, the shogun banned Portuguese ships in Japan and expelled all foreigners except for the Dutch, Korean, and Chinese traders. • The Dutch were only allowed on the small island in the harbour city of Nagasaki. • The shogun thought that the isolation policy was essential for national security.

  5. Will Adams and Nakahama Manjiro • What were some similarities? • What did these 2 men accomplish? • What did these 2 men do?

  6. Exceptions to exclusion laws • A small number of Dutch were allowed to remain (they were not considered a threat as they were only traders). • Families were not allowed to join the Dutch traders and once a year they had to go to Edo and live there for 3 months to pay respect to the shogun. • The Dutch traded information about the West, current events, and developments in medicine. • A small number of Japanese scholars learned the medicine and language (they were called Dutch Scholars and had to educate themselves about the Western ways). • In about 1720, foreign books were allowed in Japan, but they could not have a Christian message. They made an observatory in 1744. Most Japanese were NOT exposed to the ideas of the West, as the shogun thought it might “confuse” them and make them disobey him.

  7. Change within Isolation • Japan was a stable country that had changed very little over 250 years. • The Japanese wanted to live in a society that had the things that were important to them: • Peace, Security and Safety. • Harmony, respect, and a sense that everyone had his or her place • Leisure time and opportunity for personal expression and enjoyment of the arts, sports, entertainment and crafts. Peace and security came at a cost; life was controlled by rigid rules. People could not change social class of their birth and were not encouraged to think for themselves. There was little personal freedom.

  8. Influence of the Shogun • The Shogun increased his political power and control over the people. • Bandits, robbers and pirates were common in most countries; however, social controls and harsh punishment under the shogunate effectively discouraged this behaviour in Japan.

  9. A Booming Economy • Long periods of stability and peace usually result in more wealth for a country, and this also occurred in Edo Japan. • Farmers increased production by irrigating crops. • Road improvements by daimyo increased trade. • Population increased in urban centers. • Silver and gold was introduced as currency. Although, little foreign trade, overtaxing peasants, and rice for transactions, held the economy back.

  10. A Golden Age of Culture • The Arts culture flourished at this time. • Kabuki – a form of theatre where men played both male and female roles (these were lavish and sometimes violent). • Sumo Wrestling – a religious performance that became great entertainment. • Haiku – a new form of poetry that offers insight into life. • Bunraku – A puppet Theatre, where the puppets were almost life sized enacting life ordeals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV938f46Wpg • Kendo – Martial arts focused more on developing the person, not so focused on killing the enemy. • Noh – Musical dance drama

  11. Floating Worlds • Cultural activities, like kabuki and noh, took place in areas called the floating world. Rules and controls of the shogun society were more relaxed. • Here merchants money counted for more than a samurai’s rank or status. Men could unwind here. • Shogun had authorities keep an eye on the area and discouraged samurai from going to the floating world.

  12. Cracks in the Foundation • The Ainu greeted Ranald MacDonald warmly. Officials asked questions about the outside world and found that his ability to speak English could help them out. He was given a job of teaching 14 students English. • This changed how people would begin to view the outside world.

  13. Changes within Japan • The feudal society established by the shogun was becoming outdated. No matter how hard the shogun discouraged change, it was happening. • Merchants gained more wealth and power because people needed their services. (loans, cash, credit). • There was little work left for the samurai, and peasants couldn’t afford their taxes (samurai were losing money and going bankrupt). Samurai started to marry into the merchant class to gain more money (went against the social rules). • The shogun was blamed for all the upheaval and was losing power because of this. Some realized that the Emperor was the true ruler, even though he had not ruled for centuries. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X20p77sBks&feature=related

  14. Japan was struck by so many natural disasters in the 1700 and 1800’s that they brought famine and took lives. A third of the population died because of starvation. Land was deserted and peasants went to the cities, the price of rice increased and the homes of the wealthy were attacked. Everyone blamed the shogun for the lack of response and his authority lessoned.

  15. Expansionist Threat from the Outside • By the early 1800’s, several nations were trying to get into Japan. Russia, England, and the United Stated in particular, requested trade. They also wanted coal for their passing ships. • In 1825, the shogun responded by passing the “No Second Thought Expulsion Order”: “…Whenever a foreign ship is sighted approaching any point along our coast, all persons on hand should fire on it and drive it off…If the foreigners force their way ashore, you may capture and incarcerate (imprison) them and if their mother ship approached, you may destroy it…” • Perry forced his way ashore, but why would the United States in particular force a country to open it’s doors the other countries?

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