The Tokugawa System
Japanese pronunciation a, i, u, e, o
Japanese pronunciation a = ă (ah) i = ē, u = oo e = ĕ (eh) o = ō ka, ki, ku, ke, ko ra, ri, ru, re, ro
Long sounds Ō Ū
Let’s practice! Tokugawa Ieyasu Fukuzawa Yūkichi Yamakawa Kikue Meiji Geisha
Japanese Names Family name comes first, given name second: Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Hidetada Tokugawa Iemitsu
OUTLINE From Imperial State to Feudalism Process of Reunification Systems of Control Rearrangement of domains Alternate Attendance System (sankin kōtai) Sakoku (“Closed Country”) Freezing of the Social Order
The Imperial State Centralized form of government Headed by an emperor Imperial capital in Kyoto
Three Feudal Regimes Kamakura Ashikaga Tokugawa
Shogun: “barbarian quelling generalissimo” Bakufu = “tent government”
What is Feudalism? A political system An economic system
Warring States Period A century of warfare and disunity (late 15th to late 16th century) Daimyo: feudal lord Samurai: retainer Bushi: warrior
Oda Nobunaga Began the unification process at the end of the warring states period
Oda Nobunaga
Toyotomi Hideyoshi “Sword hunts” to disarm the peasantry Land surveys determine income from land Defines a daimyo as a lord with 10,000 koku of rice income First to use the “hostage system” (wife and heir) to control loyalty among followers
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) Battle of Sekigahara (1600) Named shogun (1603) Establishes his capital in Edo Bakufu: tent government Shogunate: government of the shogun
Tokugawa Systems of Control Rearrangement of domains Alternate Attendance System (sankin kōtai) Sakoku (“Closed Country”) Freezing of the Social Order
Rearrangement of Domains Shinpan (Collateral) Fudai (Inner) Tozama (Outer)
Alternate Attendance Sankin kotai Daimyo must reside in Edo every other year Wives and children remain in Edo as “hostages” Half of all daimyo are in residence in Edo at any given time
Daimyo Procession
Main roads are Nakasendo (naka = middle) Tōkaido (tōkai = eastern ocean) These roads become national highways that promote travel and trade
Sakoku (Closed Country) Ban on Christianity Western powers excluded except for the Dutch on Dejima Nagasaki becomes Japan’s “window to the world”
Freezing the Social Order: the Confucian Status System Shi (samurai) Nō (peasants) Kō (artisans) Shō (merchants) [Eta]
Main Philosophical and Religious Traditions Confucianism (originated in China) Buddhism (originated in India, brought to Japan via China) Shinto (Japan’s indigenous religious tradition)
Confucianism Supported officially by the bakufu Emphasized strict hierarchy and maintenance of social order
Confucian Five Relationships Ruler/subject Parent/child Older sibling/younger sibling Husband/wife Friend/friend
Summary: Four Tokugawa Methods of Control Rearrangement of domains Alternate Attendance System (sankin kōtai) Sakoku (“Closed Country”) Freezing of the Social Order
Periodization Early Modern Japan Tokugawa Period (feudal) 1600-1868 Meiji Period 1868-1912 Taishō Period 1912-1926 Shōwa Period 1926-1989 Heisei Period 1989-