1. Japan Returns to Isolation
By Drew, Ethan, Charlie, and Luke

2. New Feudalism Under Strong Leaders
In 1467, civil war destroyed the feudal system in Japan.
Powerful warrior-chieftains, called daimyo became the leaders of the regions. They built fortified bases and defended their land.
Oda Nobunaga, an ambitious daimyo, took over Kyoto by force in 1568 with a formidable army.
In 1582, Nobunaga committed seppuku because one of his generals turned on him. However, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, continued his mission and destroyed the last hostile daimyo, gaining control of most of the country.
Soon, a powerful man by the name of Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the Tokugawa Shogunate

3. Life in Tokugawa, Japan
Under the Tokugawa shoguns, Japan had two and a half centuries of peace and prosperity.
The structured system of society (shown below) was very successful.
Commercial centers also began to appear, creating more jobs, available for women
Culture began to grow as people read traditional tales, hung paintings, and even read haikus.
Triangle of Social Hierarchy

4. Contact Between Europe and Japan
Europeans began coming to Japan in the 16th century
At first, the Japanese welcomed Europeans because of the new ideas and technologies.
The daimyo took particular interest in the weapons of the Portuguese.
Soon Japan was producing weapons of their own including muskets and cannons.

5. Christians Arrive in Japan
In 1549, Christian missionaries began arriving in Japan.
At first, Japanese people accepted the missionaries, but Tokugawa Ieyasu was upset.
He didn’t take immediate action
However, in 1612, Tokugawa banned Christianity out of fear.
After an enormous religious uprising, shoguns all over Japan shunned Christianity.

6. Closed Country Policy
The Japanese wanted to keep out foreign ideas as much as possible
The solution for this was to close the borders of Japan
After the closed country policy was put into effect, no people were allowed in or out of China
The only open port was Nagasaki, and only Dutch and Chinese Merchants were allowed in
For more than 200 years, Japan isolated itself from Europe

7. The End