I agree with Andrew Gordon's argument that the Meiji restoration brought on significant successful societal changes that warrant calling the Meiji restoration a revolution. Andrew Gordon argues the point that the new Meiji government made drastic changes to the political system in place by dismantling the Daimyo role entirely. This huge change had large impacts on the social hierarchy of Japan as the 260-year old system had revolved around the daimyo being in control of plots of land for their shogun. Since the Daimyo class was dismantled and all land owned by them were now owned by the Meiji emperor this meant that the Samurai class could not be supported as their employers were essentially fired which lead to the destruction of the Samurai …show more content…
Andrew at the beginning of his argument quoted an English man by the name of Basil Hall Chamberlain whom talked about how this revolution occurred over a few years. Moreover, I learned that solely by taking out the Daimyo class first the rest of the system below would fall since Samurai took orders from their Daimyos and without the help of the Daimyos to regulate land over-look land shoguns could not govern alone especially with the Emperor's regime was gaining in …show more content…
Beasley argument I learned that Japan's willingness to assimilate to western culture and China's unwillingness came from both their geographical location and difference in population. W.G. Beasley argued China did not feel threatened by western culture nor did it feel the need to assimilate since it had many crops to fuel its own population and enough natural resources to even begin to close themselves off to trade which was a large reasons for the unequal treaties and had huge plots of territory and apart from that the many different dialects within the Chinese also provided another blockade to the assimilation of western culture. However, Japan did not have the extensive size of china nor did it have a military strong enough to try and contest the westerners should they rebel and try to fight for their traditional values, so they had to assimilate into western culture. I also learned about some of the properties that define a correlation political struggle and social change like how most of the leaders of the political struggle of the Meiji restoration were lower leveled Samurai and "men of Substance" which did not care for the preservation of the feudal system hence their willingness to assume roles in this new form of
In the book Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan, Karl Friday focuses on war in early medieval Japan. A central thesis could be the political primacy of the imperial court. (Lamers 2005) This is the tenth through fourteenth centuries, before the samurai became prominent in Japan and were trying to form themselves into more of what we think of them today. Friday focuses on five aspects of war in his book; they are the meaning of war, the organization of war, the tools of war, the science of war, and the culture of war.
Japanese revolts ensue with the opening of Japan to the Western World. The middle and lower classes wanted Japan to be open while the conservative daimyo did not. Both of these groups looked to the emperor for a decision. The shogunate, reliant on the isolation, collapsed under pressures caused by outsid...
The Meiji Restoration was a political revolution during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) that resulted in the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate and restored the control of Japan to the rule of Emperor Meiji, which means enlightened rule (cite). The end of the Tokugawa Shogunate terminated Japan’s isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku (cite) and resulted in a new era of reformist political, economic, ideological and technological development along with westernization
Musui’s Story is the exciting tale of a low class samurai’s life towards the end of the Tokugawa era. Although one would normally imagine a samurai to be a noble illustrious figure, Musui’s Story portrays the rather ignominious life of an unemployed samurai. Nonetheless, this primary account demonstrates the tenacity of samurai values and privileges present at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. The social status of samurai had been elevated to such a state that even someone like Musui was easily able to gain influence in everyday affairs with his privileges. Not only that, but he had retained his values as a warrior and still kept great pride for his arts in weaponry.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese and Japanese faced much internal conflict, but while China faced a combination of economic setbacks and political weakness, the Japanese were riddled with wars along their countryside. First, the Chinese emperor was too weak in comparison to his bureaucracy, which ended up making most of the decisions for the last Ming dynasty emperor. This was due to the emperor’s realization that having a title as Son of Heaven did not mean he had all the power of the empire. Instead he lived a laid back life where the bureaucrats vied for power and wealth amongst themselves and he merely managed them. Like the Chinese, the Japanese also saw elites battling it out for power, but this time on the battlefield with armies of samurai. These battles put Japan in a period much like the Warring States period in early Chinese history, where families fought and fought for power almost endlessly. The political weakness in China contributed to its economic failure as well. With no force to manage to seas, pirates were free to raid trade ships and villages along the coast line, weakening the Chinese economy that relied on a transport system to supply the country. These two major forces led to China’s fragmentation and eventual takeover by the Manchu. In contrast, the battles happening in Japan were not harmful to the economy as much as they were in China. This is due to the fact that the Japanese daimyos were independent...
The samurai were the feudal warriors of ancient Japan. For thousands of years they upheld the code of bushido, the way of the warrior. Samurai were around for thousands of years, but when did they disappear? Does the code of bushido still exist to this day? Exploring the history of the samurai will give an explanation to what has happened to these formidable warriors.
The goals of the Meiji Restoration included dismantling of the old feudal regime and the creation of a nation-state capable of standing equal among Western powers, including the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the Unites States. The leaders of the Meiji Restoration were mostly young samurai motivated by increasing domestic problems and threats of foreign intrusion. Saigō Takamori was also an influential leader in the Meiji Restoration. He was responsible for leading several rebellions against the government in companionship with samurai warriors and peasants who distrusted the new regime. The citizens of Japan were also, arguably, influential leaders of the Meiji restoration. Under their pressure to insist on the creation of a constitutional government, the government formed a Cabinet system in 1885 and in 1886 began developing the Constitution, which would be presented as a gift from the emperor to the people in 1889 and established a bicameral parliament. Revolutionary tactics from the Meiji Restoration included the development of transportation and communication. Railroads were built, telegraphs connecting major cities, and the institution of a European-style banking system developed. We can clearly recognize differences between the revolutionary tactics of the Meiji Restoration to those in the Mexican Revolution and those in the
Japan has a very rich history on the view of suicide. It is even discussed in two main Japanese history narratives. The first major writing I will be discussing is Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (1716) by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. The second was written in 1899 by Nitobe Inazō and it was called Bushido: The soul of Japan. It is important to point out some differences about the two books. On the one hand Hagakure’s book is written to explain bushido (the way of the Samurai) to people from the age of the Samurai. On the other hand, Bushido was written and based off of Hagakure, however it is written in the context of the late nineteenth century, well after European context. Furthermore, Inazō wrote Bushido in America while Japan was in the midst
Avatar revolves around Jake Sully, an ex-Marine, who is replacing his deceased brother as a hybrid Avatar. A hybrid avatar is a human consciousness inside a Na’vi body. A machine transfers the consciousness of a human to the avatar body. Throughout the movie Jake’s allegiances to the humans fades and he unites with the natives of Pandora, the Na’vi. Jake eventually becomes the leader of a Na’vi clan as well. The natives of Pandora are blue-skinned humanoid creatures around three meters tall. Even though their appearance is frightening to humans, they are peaceful and try to live in harmony with nature and other creatures. As a result of Na’vi’s size they have a very distinct advantage in hand to hand fighting. The central idea is that at the
The principle of individualism was essential to the shaping of the samurai history and culture. The beliefs of self reliance and personal dependence were evident throughout samurai life. “The process of Japanese state formation and self identity in Japan have been intimately connected” (Ikegami 43). Not only did this sense of individualism affect samurai identity but Japan as a whole. The samurai class as a whole sought to be part of their own warrior class, or even a part of the upper class; anything but the commoner class. The samurai had individualistic attitudes in every aspect of their lives and it was an obvious characteristic of these warriors. Samurai battled an individual fight for honor, seeking power and status, affecting their culture socially and militarily, occasionally leading to corrupt methods of power gain.
Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today deriving directly and indirectly from the beliefs of the Samurai.
as well.8 The Meiji period was an important part of Japan's changing western ways. After World War II, Japan changed forever. With the Atomic bomb physically destroying their cities, and their defeat destroying their. imperialistic mentality, Japan was deeply wounded. Japan lost the respect of the world during the war and few people felt sorry for them....
In 1877, a series of rebellions occurred in Meiji Japan. These rebellions are often referred to as some of the most famous and ironically aided in the destruction of the samurai class although the reverse is what the rebels wanted to do. Satsuma's faction leader, Saigo Takamori, who was the leader of said rebellion, followed a series of rebellions in other parts of Japan such as Hagi, Akizuki and Kumamoto. He had been morally supporting these rebellions, but he never took part in them. Soon, he received news of a possible assassination against him, and this rumour prompted him to gather his allies and head toward Kumamoto, in attempt to force their surrender. The official purpose of this rebellion was to accompany Saigo to the capital so that
The Japanese warrior, known as the samurai, has played a significant role in Japan's history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced back to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their evolution to today. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most famous group of warriors of all times.
Though it seems that it was the Western influence that set off this revolutionary change, a more scrutinizing look into Japanese society at the time reveals that Japan was in fact on the brink of supplanting the fixed, hierarchical Tokugawa order for one that was better suited for its fast evolving, capitalistic society. As historian David Lu states, “Our people began to discover [modern civilization’s] utility and gradually and yet actively moved towards its acceptance. However, there was an old fashioned and bloated government that stood in the way of progress.” (Lu, 351). Therefore in a way we can view the intrusion of Western powers in Japan on that infamous July day in 1853 as an event that occurred during a time when Japan was ready for a world renewal, and not a direct and complete cause of modernization of Japan; in fact it was Japan’s revaluation of modernization and what it meant to be Japanese amidst strong western influences that eventually ...