Japan

The Rise of an Empire Japan, Now and Then Japan is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean; an archipelago is a group of many large and small islands. There are 4 major islands: Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. Japan is a country that currently produces and ships many goods all over the world, but between the 1600s and mid-1800s, they shut their doors almost completely to Europeans and Americans.

The Rise of an Empire History and Legends In their early history, the Japanese lived in social groups of families and friends called clans. Each clan had its own chief and worshipped one god or goddess. About A.D. 400, the Yamato clan became the strongest of the clans. They identified themselves as descendants of the goddess Amaterasu and declared their right to rule Japan.

The Rise of an Empire Borrowing from Neighbors The Japanese borrowed heavily from Korea and China. The Japanese used features of Korean and Chinese writing to create a writing system of their own. The Koreans also introduced a new religion: a Chinese form of Buddhism. In the 600s, the emperor sent young Japanese nobles to China to study its culture.

The Rise of an Empire Borrowing from Neighbors (Continued) After the expedition, the Japanese built their first capital city laid out like the capital of China and Japanese nobles began dressing in Chinese fashions. They imitated Chinese patterns of government and adopted the Chinese calendar. They imported the custom of tea drinking and established elaborate tea ceremonies.

The Rise of an Empire Japanese Culture All of these imported ideas helped Japan grow stronger. Eventually the country no longer needed to rely so heavily on others, and they changed some Chinese ways to suite Japanese needs and styles. One example was the Japanese decided to fill government positions with the sons of Japanese nobles instead of doing it based on tests of ability. Cultural changes included adding color to paintings, writing their own poems, and sculpting in bronze.

Japanese Feudalism Rise of Feudal Japan Feudalism is the system of government where land is exchanged for loyalty and services. Under feudalism, people were born with a permanent position in society. During this time, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. The poor eventually grew tired of their lifestyle and some began to place themselves under the protection of wealthy landowners. The emperor’s tax income decreased and the power of landowners increased.

Japanese Feudalism Rise of Feudal Japan (Continued) The landowners began to exert more and more influence over political affairs. They also began to build up private armies of warriors known as samurai. Soon, the landlords became warlords and eventually warlords began to struggle with each other.

Japanese Feudalism Yoritomo and the Rise of Shoguns After many years of conflict, a warlord named Yoritomo came out on top. Yoritomo and his brother established an army with more than 20,000 samurai. Yoritomo eventually gained military control of the country and became the supreme military commander, or shogun. The real power shifted from the emperor to the shogun; the shogun had all the military power and began making all political decisions as well.

Japanese Feudalism After power shifted from the emperor to the shogun, the feudal period began in Japanese history. It was organized with the emperor at the top, the shogun beneath him, then the high ranking nobles known as daimyo, then the samurai, and lastly peasants, merchants, and artisans.

Japanese Feudalism The Story of the Samurai The long period of shogun rule (late 1100s to the late 1800s), was also the great age of the samurai. Becoming a samurai began at birth, and then as soon as a boy could talk, he was taught about Bushido, the way of the warrior; this code of values guided every samurai’s life. The boy received his first sword on his 5 th birthday. Learning was a large part of a young samurai’s life; learning to read, write, fence, wrestle, and ride horses were all part of their education.

Japanese Feudalism The Story of the Samurai (Continued) Between the ages of 13 and 15, a samurai officially became an adult and took part in a coming-of-age ceremony. After this point, the boy would wear a suit of armor and carry 2 swords. The first sword was his battle weapon and the second sword was to end his own life if he ever faced disgrace or dishonor. A samurai was a protector of all that was right and honorable.

Opener Why would Japan want to close its doors to other countries and not let their own people travel?

Changes Come to Japan The Europeans Arrive In 1543, the Portuguese arrived in Japan bringing the musket – a weapon that would change Japanese warfare forever. After the Portuguese, the Spanish, Dutch, and English also arrived to trade. Along with the Western traders, came missionaries. For 25 years, the westerners – both traders and missionaries – were welcomed to Japan. The technology and ideas they introduced greatly influenced Japanese history.

Changes Come to Japan A Closed World In 1603, the Tokugawa family of shoguns gained control of Japan and they did not like the idea of westerners coming to Japan; they banned all foreign missionaries from Japan. The Japanese worried visitors would be followed by armies determined to turn Japan into a colony. From , shoguns barred all western ships, except the Dutch, from visiting Japan. The shoguns also prevented their own people from traveling abroad; the penalty for breaking the rules was death.

Changes Come to Japan Opening Doors Japan became known as a hermit country, but eventually, 3 countries began to knock loudly on Japan’s doors: Russia, Britain, and the USA. Russia’s Peter the Great and Catherine the Great both tried to force the shogun to open its ports, but Japan wouldn’t budge. Japan’s worries grew when they found out Britain had forced China to trade with them; they worried that Japan would soon be forced to trade with foreign countries.

Changes Come to Japan Opening Doors In 1853, 4 American ships steamed into Tokyo Bay, Japan commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry. Perry presented a letter from the President demanding that Japan open its ports to trade. Perry had to come back a second time with 4 more warships before Japan agreed to sign a trade treaty with the USA. This treaty with the USA led to trade rights being granted to Britain, France, and Russia.

Changes Come to Japan The End of Shogun Rule After several years of foreign trade, some Japanese grew unhappy with the situation. They felt foreigners had been given special privileges, and they blamed the shogun for this. Japanese from all the social classes complained about their lives under the shogun. Eventually a rebellion against the shogun broke out and the rebels looked to the emperor for the solution.

Changes Come to Japan The End of Shogun Rule In 1867, the shogun stepped down and in 1868, a new government was formed. The emperor was restored to the official head of the country. Japan’s feudal age also came to an end, and Japanese of all social classes were equal under the law. The old system of inherited social class was abolished. The Japanese began to visit the USA and Europe to study, they traveled and traded, and they built a mighty naval fleet.

Closer *After Commodore Perry’s visit to Japan, Japanese leaders wrote letters to the shogun. They expressed their opinions on opening Japan to trade with the USA. *Take the role of a Japanese leader in the mid-1800s and write a letter to the shogun suggesting why he should or should not make a trade agreement with the USA. *You letter should have a greeting, body, and a closing. *Your letter should explain WHY you think what you do. *Use 2 sections: “The Europeans Arrive” and “A Closed World” on pg in your social studies book to help you.