Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The Tokugawa period
The Tokugawa period
Tensions between the USA and Japan
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The Tokugawa period
In Japan the Tokugawa government was in control. At the time Japan was isolated from other countries preventing Japan from being able to trade and explore. There was no contact between the West because of past experiences. The Shogun believed in using the feudal system to keep the people in order. In the year of 1854 Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in one of Japan’s harbor with two large naval ships. Commodore Perry came from the US with a letter from the President demanding Japan to open their ports for trade. Due to the large size and strength of the US’s ships Japan agreed to open their ports. America was mainly interested in trading and getting more supplies not conflict. The people believed that the Shogun, Japan’s leader, showed weakness
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.
...ining power over its subjects. The Tokugawa instead took the wives and children of the shoguns semihostage in Edo to deter powerful families from taking over the Tokugawa. This is the way the Tokugawa handled the problem because they were no outsiders to Japan but they had many enemies within the state. The Tokugawa and Chinese, however, both closely maintained their contact with foreigners, especially in trade. The Chinese established the Canton system which limited the Europeans to trade in only one city and need a guild approval to trade. The Japanese solved this problem of foreign relations through directing all trade traffic to Honshu, a port city under Edo’s direct rule. This was significant because this direction of trade meant the Edo government could collect taxes on the products rather than another daimyo, drawing power and wealth away from rival families.
In the early 1800’s, Japan had blocked off all trade from other countries. Foreign whaling ships could not even reload or repair their ships in Japan territory. This offended many other countries. In 1852, Matthew Perry was sent to Japan to negotiate open trade. Japan felt threatened by the United States, and gave in to their demands. Japan was frightened by their stipulations, and immediately began to reform. They developed a new education system that was similar to America and Europe’s. They also developed a Western style judiciary system.
Perry believed that "our people must naturally be drawn into the contest for empire." In 1852, he accepted command of the East India squadron in order to lead an expedition to Japan. The U.S. State Department directed him to negotiate a treaty of amity and commerce that would open Japan to relations in as full a range as possible. Perry prepared steadily for the formidable task of inducing Japan to negotiate a document favorable to the United States. In 1846, Japan had humiliated and expelled an American emissary, leading Perry to conclude that a resolute show of force would prove essential to the "opening" of Japan. He, therefore, shaped a small but powerful armada of four ships, including the steam-driven paddle wheelers Susquehanna and Mississippi.
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.
Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since Western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times. have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economic and economic challenges. and social differences as a result of the western involvement.
Japan had always been an ally of the United States. Japan tried to collect their share of treasure from Versailles. Japan ran into some troubles, Woodrow Wilson. Wilson rejected Japan’s claim to German concessions in Shantung. Duan Qirui, a Chinese warlord and politician had borrowed money from Japan to make China’s army stronger. Japan used that loan and wanted it to be repaid by getting the concessions in Shantung. In 1921, at the Naval Conference the US pressured the Britain’s to end their 20 year alliance with the Japanese. Japan was now isolated, Stalin’s unhappy empire to the north, t...
Each of the dynasties that ruled over Japan had their own social, economic and political impacts in the country. Both the Tokugawa period and the Meiji Dynasty brought about positive and negative change to Japan during their reign. Undoubtedly, the long rule through the two dynasties molded Japan to what it is today culturally, socially, economically, and politically.
In this essay I will describe the ways that Tokugawa Shogunate maintained control of medieval Japanese society. The Tokugawa Shogunates maintained the medieval Japanese society in a well organised way, and that’s what my argument is about and here a reasons why they did an excellent job at it.
When the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate began, it revolutionised the world as everybody would know it. Of course, that fact wasn’t known at the time. The period lasted for more tan 250 years. It was a time of more-or-less peace, stability and prosperity for Japan. There was no fear for warfare, townspeople could do more business, and artists can do what they do.
63). This not only increased the Japanese people’s nationalism but also their imperialistic journey because of the samurai having military leadership roles; this stressed the importance of their loyalty to society. British roles that already existed in Japan had affected their education— “For a long time, Japanese naval cadets had been sent to Great Britain for training. British experts and officers had worked in Japan in advisory and instructing roles, and most of the Japanese fleet had as built in British yards” in which Japan resulted with multiple strategies for way (Roberts, p. 62 and 212). Another thriving element was Japan’s environment; it provided support through trading with other countries by being a “…semi-developed, diversifying society, with a money economy, large commercial cities and the beginnings of a quasi-capitalist structure in agriculture.” Therefore, they were able to compete and trade not only with Britain but with
From the Meiji Restoration era, democratization efforts were undertaken to modernize Japan. A bicameral system of legislature as well as local, though unelected assemblies were created in the image of the Prussian model (Haddad, 2012, p. 50) and a Constitution placing absolute power with the monarch was formed. Although the main intention of the oligarchs behind the Constitution was to have the national Diet as an advisory body, they "created a series of 'transcendental cabinets' which answered to the Emperor" (Haddad, 2012, p. 50),
...high power status, Japan had to have a self-reliant industrial common ground and be able to move all human and material resources (S,195). Through the Shogun Revolution of 1868, the abolition of Feudalism in 1871, the activation of the national army in 1873, and the assembly of parliament in 1889, the political system of Japan became westernized (Q,3). Local Labor and commercial assistance from the United States and Europe allowed Japan’s industry to bloom into a developed, modern, industrial nation (Q,3). As a consequence production surplus, and food shortage followed (Q,3). Because of how much it relied on aid of western powers, Japan’s strategic position became especially weak. In an attempt to break off slightly from the aid of the west Japanese leaders believed that it would be essential for Japan to expand beyond its borders to obtain necessary raw materials.
The Meiji Restoration played a significant role in the modernisation of Japan. The Meiji period was a time of political and social revolution. It brought momentous social, political and economic changes to Japan, and these changes became the foundation of the Japan we know today. Prior to the 1868 Restoration, Japan was a militarily weak country with a feudal agricultural society, and was controlled by feudal lords. When the Meiji period ended with the Emperor's death in 1912, Japan was a well-developed nation with a constitutional monarchy, an elected government, a strong economy, a powerful military and a well educated population.
During 1868 Japan went through a change that led to the restoration of power in the Meiji Emperor called The Meiji Restoration. The people during the time that were affected the most were the peasants and female silk workers. The Meiji restoration benefited some but not all because peasants barely survived the war and snowstorm of 1884, Young woman were sold by their parents to the factories and modernization that helped the people of Japan mostly was the transportation, The lives of the peasants were very difficult because it seemed like the people didn’t really care for how the peasants lived or the difficulties they faced.