1. Japan Under the Shogun

2. The 47 Ronin Shogun: a Japanese military ruler in Edo Japan
Ronin: Samurai warriors without masters
Samurai: professional, paid members of the Japanese military
Seppuku: Ritual suicide performed in Japan as an honourable alternative to humiliation and public shame
Shogunate: A strong council of advisors, officials and administrators

3. STORY A Japanese story about 47 ronin who obtained revenge for their masters death

4. Graves of the 47 ronin. On December 14, the anniversary of the attack on Lord Kira, Japanese people honour the memory of the 47 ronin.

5. The Edo (Tokugawa)Period - The period in Japanese history between 1600-1853
This story took place during the Edo or Tokugawa Period (Edo Restaurant)
Edo: The name for the old capital city of Japan. It is now called Tokyo.

6. In the hundred years before the Edo period, Japan was locked in almost constant warfare
Daimyo: A powerful Japanese landowner or noble, competed with one another for territory and power

7. Technology
Edo Period
Now

8. Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toe-koo-guh-wuh Ee-ay-yuh-soo)
Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Shogun in the Edo period
Became the most powerful man in Japan
Although the emperor technically ruled the land, the shogun really held all the power
Emperor: Ruler of Japan

9. Ieyasu
He won power through military strength but now he needed to hold onto it
He was determined to create a strong shogunate that no one would challenge

10. The Plan His plan was to create a long-lasting stable government
The first step was to control the Daimyo, some of whom had fought against him before he became the shogun
He gave land to loyal lords and put them next to those he questioned
Three main parts of the plan were:
a) Alternate attendance
b) Sharing Power
c) Strict Laws
The Plan

11. Brining Stability to Japan Alternate attendance
Alternate Attendance: The practice of forcing the daimyo to move from their home provinces to live in Edo every other year.
The cost of keeping two homes and moving every other year meant that the daimyo would not have the time or money to challenge the shogunate

12. The daimyo were forced to leave family members in Edo while they were gone
They were called “guests of the shogun” but really they were hostages
If there were any uprisings or rumours of a plot that involved an absent daimyo, his family members were killed

13. Sharing Power
Bakuhan: A two-level system of government where the Shogunate, (like our federal government) controlled important matters such as foreign trade and relations and the daimyo controlled local affairs.

14. Strict Laws
Laws established by the shogunate controlled many aspects of the daimyo’s lives, such as dress and marriage
They also required the daimyo to pay for projects such as road building in their territories, this restricted their wealth

15. Increasing the shoguns power
Law that banned peasants from owning weapons
Secret police to punish those accused of threatening shoguns power
¼ all farm land, mines, ports & cities owned by shogun
Decreasing the daimyo’s power
Without weapons, peasants were useless
Needing permission to marry - destroyed alliances
Daimyo were kept busy collecting taxes and keeping order of local villages

16. A Feudal Society Japan had a feudal system which was based on land
Feudalism: The system of political organization in which the lord controlled the land and supported themselves by collecting taxes from peasant farmers.
The rigid social structure was to help the shogun maintain control
Membership into each class was hereditary: (determined by birth)
A Feudal Society
Although people could not move up, people could improve their situation through hard work, talent or gaining wealth

17. Roles in Society Strict rules governed the behaviour of each class
There were 216 rules regulating dress for everyone from the emperor to the lowest member
Peasants were not allowed to wear silk, even if they were silk farmers

18. Bowing Rules
There were rules about to whom each person had to bow and how low
Punishments were harsh for anyone who disobeyed
Japanese Bow 3:38

19. The Samurai
The samurai lived in castle towns controlled by the shogun or daimyo they served
Only the Samurai were allowed to have swords
They carried a large curved sword, sharp enough to slice an enemy in two, and a smaller sword used to cut off the head of the defeated enemy

20. Samurai Hierarchy There were many sub-divisions in the Samurai ranks
The lowest and least honourable were the ronin, the samurai without masters

21. Although they had privilege and status, they were forbidden to become involved in business or trade
In peaceful times they worked as officers in towns
The Samurai code of honour dictated that they live simple and thrifty lives

22. The Way of the Warrior
The Samurai stood for many virtues, honour, bravery, unquestionable loyalty, self-discipline and self-denial
A Samurai was expected to be brave when faced with pain or death

23. Honour The idea of honour is key to understanding the samurai
Honour: To have high respect for someone or something
Ready to die for his honour or the honour of their daimyo
The samurai had the privilege of committing suppuko
When committing suppuko the samurai would plunge a small sword into his abdomen and slice it open
Then, an aide would end the Samurais pain by beheading him

24. About the forest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara
Seppuko was considered even more honourable if the samurai composed a poem at the time of his death
Suicide Forest in Japan 21:08min
About the forest:

25. Japanese Sword - Soul Of The Samurai28:01

26. The Social Hierarchy of the Edo Period

27. A peasants Life Peasants labour was continuous and backbreaking
The more you squeeze them, the more oil you get out of them
What does this mean?

28. Peasants
Farmers were considered important because they provided food that sustained society
Laws controlled every aspect of their life
They were forbidden to smoke tobacco or drink rice wine, and they needed special permission to travel outside of their district

29. Artisans Usually lived in towns and cities
An artisans son was restricted to his fathers class as well as the particular craft
Useful and beautiful objects were produced – lacquered or enamel containers, high quality paper and porcelain, clocks & pans
Although artisans were extremely skilled, their status was lower than peasants because they were not primary producers

30. Merchants They bought items from artisans to trade or sell to others
They arranged for shipping and distribution of food & stored rice in their warehouses
Merchants were similar to bankers, why?

31. Merchants continued
Since they didn’t officially produce anything, they too were at the bottom
They had to live cautiously as government spies reported merchants who showed off their wealth or dared to criticize the government
The government could punish by confiscating, or taking over their business

32. Women in Edo Society
The class that women were born into determined their responsibilities
Women born into Samurai class were expected to raise boys as samurai
Woman in rural areas had more freedom that upper class women

33. Women’s Jobs
As well as working the home, they worked in the fields with their husbands harvesting crops, gathering wood, and rising silk worms
Women were always considered lower than men
Women did not have legal existence, they could not own their own property

34. Thoughts on Women
A woman must think of her husband as her lord, and she must serve him reverently… In her dealings with her husband, her facial expressions and her language should be courteous, humble and yielding. She should never be peevish or obstinate, never rude or arrogant. When her husband issues instructions, she must never disobey them…A woman should look on her husband as if he were heaven itself.

35. Geisha
a Japanese woman trained to entertain men with conversation and singing and dancing
In the Edo period prostitution was legal
Strict distinction between prostitutes and geisha
Memoirs of Geisha ~Snow Dance (HD)
3:03minutes
Geisha Power Point

36. Outside Edo Society
Outcasts: Japanese people who were shunned or ignored by other classes because of the type of work they did
Usually they had occupations that in some way involved death
What kinds of jobs would you guess?

37. Outcast Professions
Leather tanners, butchers and those who disposed of animal carcasses were all outcasts
People with leprosy and some entertainers were also considered outcasts

38. Outcasts
Under the Tokugawa shogun, outcasts had to live apart from the rest of society, and they were not allowed to change their jobs, enter a peasants home, or be in a city after 8pm
Ainu were considered outcasts

39. Confucianism
The teachings of Confucianism played and important role in the Japanese acceptance of class distinctions
Confucius was a Chinese scholar whose teachings for moral (right) living were brought over to Japan by Buddhist monks

40. Confucius taught that everyone has a proper place in society
If everyone accepted their duties and obligations there would be peace and order, if not, chaos and suffering

41. Many of Confucius' sayings encouraged people to be modest and work/ study hard
He stressed the need for rituals of proper behaviour and compassion
One of his famous sayings was “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others”

42. First Contact with the West
In 1534, 50 years before Tokugawa Iyeasu united Japan, the Europeans were starting to explore the world

43. Southern Barbarians:(a member of an uncivilized people)
In 1543 a Portuguese ship was wrecked off the shore of a small Japanese island
They came to trade
Because they came from the south they became known as the “southern barbarians”
They were soon followed by Spanish, Dutch and British traders as well as Christian missionaries

44. At first the Portuguese and Japanese liked each other, however, they did have many differences (cultural and religious)
Portuguese – favoured competition, individuality (humanism) and a more flexible social structure

45. New Kind of Belief
Francis Xavier, a Jesuit, arrived in 1549 to start missions to convert the upper class (daimyo & samurai) to Christianity
We saw this happen with the Aztecs, how did they respond?

46. The Japanese already had Shinto, Confucianism, and Buddhism
The Christian idea of one god was new for the Japanese

47. A Challenge to the Shogunate
It became clear that Christians loyalty was to god in heaven, whereas the Japanese were expected to be loyal to their daimyo, emperor and the shogun
Flag of the Japanese emperor