Feudal Japan Research Paper

Japan Essay

By:Hashim

Japan’s Edo period, lasted from 1603 to 1867, it was the final era of traditional Japanese government, culture, and society before the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the Tokugawa shogun ( political leader) and citizens brought the country into the modern era. For example, Japan during the Edo period feared that Christian missionaries would spread out Christianity in Japan, therefore they decided to isolate themselves to defend their culture, society and religion. The Edo period then began to be challenged as Japan freed itself to the world. How did Edo Japan adapt from its isolation to open itself socially, economically and politically?

The benefits of social isolation let Japan establish and secure their own culture. The hierarchical structure gave the Shogun an ultimate power and left the Emperor as a mere

During the edo period , Japan had strict policies against foreign trade as they believed it would destroy their culture. However japan had given exclusive trade rights to dutch traders, who traded exotic asian goods such as silk and spices with the japanese. Because of limited trade, japan's economy was weak because of the lack of knowledge and technology that the outside world had access to. Finally, the arrival of Commodore Perry triggered the beginning of meiji period by forcing japanese to sign the treaty of amity and commerce, which opened ports of kanagawa and four other japanese cities to trade from the outside world. Japan had no choice they could either agree with the demands or could have been attacked due to the weakness of shogun and his military. After the treaty was signed, the country’s economy improved and the people also gained knowledge by having foreign contact. The currency of rice changed into the modern yen, and the country quickly industrialized signing the treaty made japan more powerful