1. Bakumatsu

2. Outer Daimyo and Tokugawa
Note Nagasaki is with the Tozama daimyo

3. Reasons
Ancien Regime

4. Economic weakness (domestic)
Rice crop failures in 1822, 1836= hunger
Value of silver coins (therefore prices) in Japan set by Shogun, not by weight
Exchange in Japan to silver : gold 5:1, in world 15:1, massive silver influx = inflation.
Samurai paid by daimyo in rice, standard of living falls as price stays low
Trade with West after 1854, heavy demand for:
Exports: silk, tea
Imports: cheap cotton goods and firearms

5. Economic weakness (foreign relations)
Treaty of Kanagawa 1854 set tariffs low, cannot protect Japanese manufacturers from cheaper imports, Japanese start to go out of business
Shi-shi (“men of determination”) assassinate foreigners
Shi-shi burn British consulate in 1863
Western governments want heavy indemnities/reparations, shogun must pay but running out of money

6. Political weakness (military)
Samurai abandoned cannon and firearms which won sengoku after 1609
no significant wars in Japan
Samurai took up philosophy and ink brush
Samurai moved from warriors to admin.
Still carried swords, but worked on theory of war and not practice

7. Political weakness (foreign affairs)
“Unequal Treaties” cannot be resisted
Treaty of Kanagawa 1854
Treaty of Edo or Harris Treaty 1858

8. Political weakness (domestic)
Shi-shi cannot be controlled
Shi-shi go to Edo to speak out on politics
Tozama of Choshu and Satsuma plot against shogun
Japanese intellectuals studied “Dutch learning” (Western knowledge ) rangaku
Official schools study Western knowledge and language opened in Mito, Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, Hizen

9. Tokugawa government

10. Pressure group: Tozama
The tozama, anti-shogun from 1600
Choshu economically healthy, other daimyos deep in debt
Satsuma grew sugar for great wealth, monopoly based on climate
Could purchase Western arms; school in Nagasaki

11. Pressure group: Emperor
Radical government established in Kyoto under Emperor and Choshu
Radical shi-shi assassinate moderate samurai (terror)
1863 Emperor-Choshu alliance called shogun to Kyoto, shogun promised to expel barbarians (which he could not)

12. Choshu-Satsuma alliance
1857 Choshu begins to build an army using peasants and samurai with rifles
1863 Satsuma begins building navy by purchasing Western ships
1866 Satsuma and Choshu choose to cooperate against the shogun

13. Leaders do not support government
Yoshida Shoin
Very influential teacher
Studied Western military books in Nagasaki
He opened school in Choshu
Pro-emperor, anti-shogun
Influenced young nobles like Kido Takayoshi (Koin)

14. Leading personalities of the Meiji Restoration
Choshu
Kido Takayoshi (Koin) ( )
Ito Hirobumi ( )
Yamagata Aritomo ( )
Inoue Kaoru ( )
Satsuma
Saigo Takamori ( )
Okubo Toshimichi ( )
Matsukata Masayoshi ( )
Tosa
Itagaki Taisuke ( )
Hizen
Okuma Shigenobu ( )

15. Okubo Toshimichi
Satsuma daimyo leader

16. Saigo Takamori
Satsuma daimyo leader
Military leader of Restoration

17. Kido Takayoshi
or Kido Koin
Choshu daimyo leader

18. Class antagonism Shogun vs. outer daimyo
Merchants vs. samurai and daimyo--have a lot of money but little say in government
Peasants suffering under high prices
Wealthier peasants vs. poorer peasants

19. Reform
Rule of Moderates

20. Moderate government in power
new shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Created council of leading daimyo to share power
Failed: only 5 of 24 daimyo attended meeting
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (or Keiki)
(in retirement)

21. Moderates politically weak
Tokugawa cannot resist foreign armies and
Cannot cancel unequal treaties

22. Dual sovereignty
January 1868 Choshu-Satsuma-Kyoto/Emperor alliance in Kyoto vs.
The shogun in Edo maintained support from loyal daimyo in central Japan

23. Foreign war or civil war
Choshu, Satsuma, and other tozama march to Kyoto, seize power, and proclaim restoration of emperor
Shogun retreats to Edo
July 1868: Saigo Takamori leads Choshu and Satsuma march to Edo, battle between tozama modern forces (imperial army) and samurai at today’s Ueno Park. Shogun army defeated.

24. Saigo Takamori at Ueno

25. Moderate government loses support
Conservatives: Shogun did not want to share power but could not meet emergency
Liberals and radicals: Choshu, Satsuma, and shi-shi felt shogun was weak in front of foreign powers

26. Radicals or Reactionaries?
Five Articles Oath and
Constitution of 1868

27. Five Articles Oath or Charter Oath
Emperor Matsuhito (Meiji) is 14 when selected emperor January 1868
Charter Oath of 1868 plan for how Japan would move ahead after shogun
Rejects “expel the barbarians” for learn from the West

28. Dajokan (Council of State) Key leaders:
Okubo Toshimichi
Saigo Takamori
Kido Takayoshi
Dajokan (Council of State) Key leaders:

29. Reign of Terror: Korean crisis 1871-1873
Kido Takayoshi
Okubo Toshimichi
Go abroad to study Western science, law, government, education, military, banking,…
Two year tour
Saigo Takamori stays in Tokyo
Looks for ways to help samurai
Proposes invasion of Korea and
A large, powerful army and navy

30. Reign of Terror: Korean crisis 1871-1873 (2)
Kido and Okubo return quickly from tour and debate the Korean invasion.
Korean invasion is cancelled
Modernize Japan before expanding
Saigo is angry
Saigo quits the government and returns to Satsuma with supporters

31. Samurai destroyed as a group
Reign of terror
1874 Saga Revolt 2,000 samurai defeated
1877 Satsuma Rebellion
Saigo led 30,000 against modern government army. Defeated in six months. This was the final samurai revolt.
The Last Samurai
Samurai destroyed as a group

32. Saigo Takamori at Kagoshima

34. Early death
Kido Takayoshi died of tuberculosis in 1877.

35. Reign of virtue: social change
1869 New social classes proclaimed to replace feudal structure
1871 Eta or outcasts given full legal equality
1870 commoners allowed to have family names
Commoners can marry with samurai class

36. Reign of virtue: social change
Western dress expected for all official ceremonies
Western haircuts replace topknots
Meat encouraged over Buddhist vegetarianism
Beer and dairy products available
Western ballrooom dancing popular
All daimyo lands returned to emperor

37. Reign of virtue: political change
1871 men may cut off their topknot
1876 Hatori Edict prohibited the wearing of swords in public except for special ceremonies
1876 samurai must give up swords
Samurai given one last final payment
Daimyo given gov’t bonds, become wealthy

38. Reign of virtue: economic change
1871 Yen established as currency
1882 Bank of Japan to control economy
Modern railroad
Modern communications
Zaibatsu to speed industrialization

39. Zaibatsu Zaibatsu name and region of origin
Mitsui (Kyoto) merchant house
Yasuda (Edo) peasant who became banker
Kawasaki
Mitsubishi (Tosa)
Sumitomo (Osaka/Kyoto) from 17c mining

40. Few in numbers
Meiji government mostly men from Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, and Hozai. All former tozama
Only 4 daimyo out of 260 led revolution
They were a minority of nobility, and nobility a minority of population

41. Control of key organizations
Imperial army created from conscripts
Dajokan rules in emperor’s name
Emperor is the symbol of new government
1868 Edo renamed Tokyo
1869 Emperor moved into shogun’s Edo castle
1871 Education reform
1890 Rescript on Education (universal ed.)

42. Authoritarian government
Oligarchs (Kido, Saigo, Okubo…) rule in Emperor’s name
1880: Newspaper criticisms of government restricted
Public meetings required police approval
Soldiers, policemen, teachers, and students could not be politically active

43. National emergency Western powers militarily stronger
Several peasant uprisings against new taxes
Samurai revolts in /1877

44. Restoration
Meiji Constitution of 1889

45. Meiji government

46. Conservatives come to power
The generation of leaders after the radicals focused on strengthening their power and creating a representational government with a Diet.
Prince Saionji Kinmochi, of old noble family, entered politics
Genro later in life

47. Prime Ministers 1889-1900 Matsukata Masayoshi Satsuma Yamagata Aritomo
Choshu
Army
Ito Hirofumi
Choshu

48. Ito Hirofumi Choshu leader who studied in the West
Wrote the 2nd constitution:
The Constitution of the Empire of Japan

49. Law and order restored Constitution of 1889 or Meiji Constitution
There was a long struggle between the new Diet and the Prime Minister or cabinet.
But the differences were settled using legal means and the Diet became equal of the prime ministers

50. New ruling group
The Prime Ministers and genro competed with Diet for power
Diet won the power struggle.
Prime Ministers become: Genro, elder statesmen. The unofficial, decision-makers.

51. Illustrations http://www.smith.edu/fcceas/curriculum/dunnagan.htm

52. Bibliography
Miocevich, Grant. Investigating Japan.