1. Tokugawa Japan & Korea
Chapter 16-3

2. Political Changes in Japan
By the end of the fifteenth century Japan was in chaos as the Shognate had collapsed & the Daimyo, heads of noble families, had taken over
The Daimyo controlled their own land & warred with their neighbors
Unification of Japan would not occur until the late sixteenth century under the leadership of three powerful political leaders

3. Three Great Unifiers
The first great leader was Oda Nobunaga who would seize the imperial city of Kyoto & take control
Oda was followed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who would locate the capital at Osaka as well as persuade most of the Daimyo to accept his authority
Toyotomi was followed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was the powerful daimyo of Edo (modern day Tokyo), & took the title of shogun as well as completed the restoration of the central authority begun by his predecessors
Tokugawa shoguns remained in power until 1868 which became known as the “Period of Great Peace”
Oda Nobunaga
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyasu

4. Europeans in Japan
As Japan was being reformed by its great commanders the first Europeans would arrive, the Portuguese in 1543
It was only a few years before the Portuguese were regular traders with the Japanese, Chinese, & Southeast Asia
At first the Portuguese were welcome traders as the Japanese were fascinated by tobacco, clocks, & other European goods
Nobunaga & Hideyoshi especially found the European firearms helpful in unifying the islands under their rule
A local daimyo acquired firearms from the Portuguese almost immediately after their landing in 1543
Within a few years they were being mass produced in Japan

5. Europeans in Japan
The first Jesuit missionary arrived in 1549 & would convert a number of the local daimyo
By the end of the 16th century, thousands of Japanese had become Christians
However, after the Jesuits destroyed local shrines, Hideyoshi issued an edict prohibiting Christian activities within the islands
The edict was at first not strictly enforced, and the Jesuits were allowed to continue their activities
Under Ieyasu, however, all missionaries were expelled, the Japanese Christians were persecuted
European merchants where the next to go as only a small Dutch community was allowed to remain in Japan
Dutch ships were permitted to dock at Nagasaki Harbor only once a year and could remain for only two to three months

6. Tokugawa Rule
The Tokugawa rulers established control of the feudal system that had governed Japan for over 300 years
As before, the state was divided into about 250 separate territories called hans, or domains with these ruled by a daimyo
In theory, the daimyo were independent because they were able to support themselves from taxes on their lands
In actuality, shogun’s controlled the daimyo by a hostage system
Under the hostage system the daimyo were required to maintain two residences-one in their own lands in one in Edo, where the shoguns court was located
When the daimyo was absent from his residence in Edo his family was forced to stay home as insurance for is loyalty to the shogun
This long period of peace was known as the “Great Peace”
The samurai who had served the daimyo gradually ceased to be a warrior class as many became managers on the daimyo’s lands

7. The Tokugwa Era-Economic Changes
A major economic change took place under the Tokugwa
Prior to the Tokugwa Era trade and industry had been considered beneath the Japanese however it would now flourish like never before
By 1750, Edo had a population over a million and was one of the largest cities in the world
It was here that the Japanese merchant class would emerge and begin to play a significant role in the life of the Japanese nation
However, not all benefited from the economic change as most peasants experienced declining profits and rising costs as well as rising taxes
Many were forced to become tenants or were forced to work as hired help
Many peasants became so desperate that they revolted against the Tokugwa

8. The Tokugwa Era-Social Changes
Social changes also marked the Tokugwa Era particularly when it came to the class system and the role of women
It was during this era, the Japan's class system would become rigid with strict legal distinctions among the four main classes: warriors, peasants, artisans, and merchants
The emperor and imperial court families were at the very top of that political and social structure
Next came the warrior class-the shogun, daimyo, samurai, and ronin
The shogun was supreme ruler below the emperor and distributor of the national rice crop
The local daimyo received land and rice from the shogun in exchange for military service
The samurai received rice from the daimyo in exchange for their services has advisers, castle guards, and government officials
The ronin were warriors who had no masters and who traveled the countryside seeking jobs
Below the warriors were the farmers, artisans, and merchants
Farmers held a privileged position in society but were often poor
Merchants distributed food and essential goods and were considered to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy as they profited from the labor of others
Below these classes were Japan's outcasts, the eta
The Tokugwa enacted severe laws to regulate the places of residence, the dress, and even the hairstyles of the eta

9. Society and the Role of Women
In Tokugwan society the rights of females were restricted as the male head of household had broad authority over property, marriage, and divorce
Even among the common people women were restricted as marriages were arranged, the wife had to move in with their husband’s family, and a wife who do not meet the expectations of her husband or his family was likely to be divorced
Still, women were generally valued for their roles as child bearers and homemakers
Women also worked the fields as well

10. Literature and Arts
In the Tokugwa Era literature written by and for the people became very popular
Much of the popular literature of the Tokugwa Era was lighthearted and intended to please its audiences
Poetry remained a more serious form of literary expression
In the world of entertainment in the cities gave rise in the theater to Kabuki, which emphasized action, music, and dramatic gestures to entertain its viewers
Early Kabuki dramas dealt with the world of teahouses and dance halls in the city
Government officials feared that exposure to the subjects on stage might corrupt the moral standards of its people & thus forbade women to appear on stage
Japanese art was enriched by ideas from other cultures as pottery makers borough techniques and designs from Korea to create handsome ceramic pieces
The Japanese also studied Western medicine, astronomy, languages, and even painting styles

11. Korea: The Hermit Kingdom
The Yi dynasty in Korea would begin in 1392 and last some five centuries becoming one of the world’s longest lasting monarchies
The dynasty would be founded by Yi Songgye
From the capital, modern day Soul, Yi rulers consolidated their rule of Korea
They patterned their society after the Chinese but maintained their distinctive identity
Perhaps the single most distinctive characteristic of the Korean culture was the development of a unique alphabet, Hangul
Hangul is a phonetically based writing system
That is, it uses one letter for each sound, similar to the English alphabet
Hangul is still largely the standard writing system in present day Korea

12. Cultural Isolation
The Yi Dynasty would be severely weakened by the disruptive divisions within the elite classes as well as by invasions of the Japanese and Chinese
In the invasion Korean farmlands were devastated and villages and towns were burned
In addition skilled workers were either killed or kidnapped severely weakening the Korean economy
As a result of the invasions Korean rulers tried to keep the country isolated from the outside world
Due to its isolationists policies, Korea earned the name “the Hermit Kingdom”
The Yi Dynasty would come to an end with the invasion of the Manchus in the early 17th century