1. Japan Under the Shogun

2. The Shogun
•The shogun, or military ruler of Japan, sent for Lord Asano and other nobles to meet with a representative of the emperor. A court official, Lord Kira was assigned to teach Asano the correct way to behave. When Asano didn’t give Kira a large enough payment for his help, Kira insulted him in front of the other nobles. Asano became angry, pulled his sword and cut Kira’s arm.

3. Asano knew he had committed a forbidden act - he had drawn his sword in the Edo castle and wounded an important official. As a result on order of the shogun Asano took his own life.
Now that Lord Asano was dead, his 47 samurai became ronin, that is warriors without a master. They had lost their honour and their position in society. Out of loyalty to their master, they swore to avenge his death.

4. They launched a surprise attack and killed Lord Kira in his home
They launched a surprise attack and killed Lord Kira in his home. They had fulfilled their duty in avenging their master, but duty now demanded they kill themselves.
The 47 ronin are buried side by side in Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo. Today, they are remembered as great heroes in Japan.

5. Power and Control
They say that “to understand the story of the 47 ronin is to understand Japan.”
The story of ronin took place during the Edo or Tokugawa period of Japanese history, which lasted from 1600 to Edo the present day city of Tokyo was the capital and the Tokugawa shogun were the rulers

6. In the hundred years war before the Edo period, Japan was locked in constant warfare. Powerful landowners, nobles known as daimyo competed with one another for territory and power.

7. Unifying the Land
Tokugawa Ieyasu became the most powerful man in Japan after he defeated a rival daimyo and generals in a great battle.
Three years later in 1603, the emperor made him the shogun. This means he technically ruled the land, the shogun really held all the power.

8. In order to hold onto power he needed to create a strong shogunate where no one would challenge him or his descendants.
He wanted to create a long lasting government
How? By controlling the daimyo.

9. How to Control the Daimyo
Alternate attendance:
Every second year the daimyo had to live in Edo. The cost was high to go back and forth. They were essentially hostages to the shogun. If there was any rumours of a plot of uprising family members would be killed.

10. Sharing Power:
The bakuhan of two levels of government was established. The shogunate was similar to our federal government that controlled foreign matters. The daimyo controlled local affairs.

11. Strict Laws:
Laws established by the shogunate controlled many aspects of the daimyo’s lives such as dress and marriage. The daimyo had to pay for projects in their territory such as roads and buildings.

12. Power Struggle Increasing Shogun P Decreasing Daimyo’s P
Banned peasants from having weapons
Network of secret police to watch population
¼ of land owned by shogun
Decreasing Daimyo’s P
Without weapons peasants were useless to fight daimyo
Needing permission to marry or to change castles the daimyo couldn’t build up defences
Local daimyo were given villages to govern, collect taxes, keep order and build and protect from floods, natural disasters

13. A Feudal Society Hierarchy similar to Renaissance Europe Emperor
The Nobility
The Samurai
Peasants
Rigid social structure to help the shogun rule. Membership was hereditary (by birth). People couldn’t change situation but some did by hard work, talent or gaining wealth.

15. Strict Rules 216 strict rules of regulating dress
Example: Upper class women had to wear 12 silk kimono
with all the right colors showing. Peasants were
not allowed to wear silks.

16. Honour and Duty Extremely important in Japanese society.
Example the story of the ronin. Obedience to authority was important, but avenging their masters death was more important than the law.

17. Towards a Harmonious Society
The Tokugawa shogun did not create the Japanese social structure. However they used its values and social controls to support their rule.
Social controls are the rules and customs in a society that regulate people’s behaviour. The purpose of social controls is to maintain order in a society.

18. Confucianism Important role in Japanese society (class distinctions)
Confucius was a chinese scholar brought over by Buddhist monks
Taught everyone that they had a place in society
If everyone took that place there would be peace and order
Famous saying “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.”

19. Confucius taught five basic relationships
Ruler
Father
Husband
Older Brother
Friend
Duties and Obligation:
to be a wise and just leader
to support and provide for the other
to protect the other
Subject
Children
Wife
Younger Brother
Friend
Duties and Obligations:
to obey
to respect
to honour

20. In Edo Japan, samurai schools and commoners stressed Confucian ideals of duty, especially what is called filial piety, or faithfulness and devotion to parents.

21. Group Responsibility and Shame
As masters of the farmers, artisans, merchants…the samurai used their power to keep order.
They organized lower classes into groups of five families called goningumi. Members of these groups were supposed to help each other. Each person was considered responsible for the behavior in their group. Everyone in the group could be punished if one was disobedient, did not show respect or work hard enough.

22. First Contact with the West
Known as Southern Barbarians. Portuguese explorers who set up trading posts.
1543 a shipwrecked ship off the shore of Japan.
Known as the Southern Barbarians because they came from the south.
Followed by Spanish and Dutch, then Christian Missionaries.
At first favourable impressions but many differences (cultural and religious)
Portuguese society (Renaissance) had humanist values and ideals, favoured competition, the individual and a more flexible social structure

23. A New Kind of Belief
1549 Missions were sent to convert Samurai, upper classes and the daimyo
Franciscan priests worked with the poor and lower classes
Japanese believed in Shinto and Kami and Confucianism
Some basic similarities to Christianity
Both had ethical codes rules about right and wrong
Example both believed murder and stealing were wrong
Idea of one god was new to the Japanese
Christians taught loyalty should be to God not a hiearchy
The Shogunate knew right away that Christianity stood for very different beliefs to the ones that were considered essential for Japanese identity.