The Cause Of Japan's Fatal Plague

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The mid 1800’s was a dreadful time to reside in Japan due to a fatal famine that transpired at that time. Innocent lives were being derived due to the scarcity of food. The inauspicious weather was to blame, as it hadn’t sustained the crops. The lack of nourishment for the crops affected them remarkably; it had halted the harvestation of the Japanese crops, disrupting the harmony of their accustomed routine. The lethal famine had primarily affected the farmers and peasants, causing emaciation to spread throughout the country. The citizens of Japan started to question the competency of the Japanese government, since they couldn’t find any strategies to overcome this difficult period in Japan. The shogun and Bakufu became distressed as they …show more content…

This caused a great animosity among the Bakufu. The military government was under a disagreement; half of their party had different views for what would be an appropriate decision for Japan. One group believed that there was no way that Japan would be able to survive without contact with the outside world. They also believed that coming in contact and trading with the Western nations was bound to happen. This group felt that if Japan wanted to remain independent they would need to gain power and it was necessary to use the modern technologies that the West had created. If they used the Western’s new technologies, they believed, that they would be gain more respect and power from the other foreign countries. The other group had completely opposite views than the other group, they held a strong opinion that Japan should continue to be isolated. This group had a bad impression from the Westerners, they called them “barbarians” that should be deported or executed. This part of the Bakufu felt that these uncivilized people would reveal a new quality and way of life to the citizens of Japan, that would disrupt the harmony and unison of the Japanese society. They specifically felt that the new technologies would introduce a new way of life that would weaken that popularity and power of the Japanese social structure and class system. Two powerful men in Japan had completely different point of views on which course of action Japan should take to overcome the difficult period in Japan. These men are Tokugawa Nariaki and Ii Naosuke. However, these two men shared the same opinion on Japan; they felt that Japan is in great trouble and they need to overcome

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