You will study the time period 1853 to 1894, two extremely important years in the modern history of Japan. Below are some of the significant dates in and around the timeframe.
1839-42 First Opium War fought between Britain and China. It led to the Treaty of Nanjing, giving Britain Hong Kong and increased the number of treaty ports from one (Canton) to five.
1853-4 US Navy Commodore Perry first met with the Japanese (although Washington gave permission to do so in 1852). He had a substantial force for the meeting, even publicised to the world beforehand (Perry was determined not to be turned away). The Japanese government wanted to turn him away but knew they were outgunned.
1856-1860 Second Opium War. Britain took advantage of the Qing government’s problems with the Taiping Rebellion to further their trade. A protracted war resulted in GB taking Kowloon and gaining more trade advantages.
1859 By this year, all the major powers had access to Japanese markets and to the key ports. Some also had the law of extraterritoriality agreed upon, whereby foreigners could not be tried in Japanese courts, regardless of their crime.
1860 PM Naosuke assassinated because of his policy of compromising with foreigners.
1868 Meiji Restoration. This was a political and social revolution in Japan from 1866 to 1869 that ended the power of the Tokugawa shogunate and returned the Emperor to a central position in Japanese politics and culture. It is named for Mutsuhito, the Meiji Emperor, who served as the figurehead for the movement.
1871-73 Iwakura Mission, government representatives sent to Europe to gather information.
1894-95 War with China. It was fought over the influence for the Korean peninsula, arguably started by the Japanese by fermenting dissent to Chinese influence. China responded but the ensuing Japanese victory was a surprise to all.
You will research and analyse the following three inquiry questions:
A. What caused the transition to take place?
B. How was the transition achieved?
C. What challenges did society face after the transition?
A. Inquiry Question – What caused the transition to take place?
The decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
There are arguably two perspectives to this. The first is that it was the Western influence (external) and the second was that it was the internal collapse of the country.
The Internal Collapse
The famous economist Adam Smith argued that a ‘stationary state’. In his 1776 book, the Wealth of Nations, he argued that
“In a country too, where, though the rich or the owners of large capitals (money) enjoy a good deal of security, the poor or the owners of small capitals only enjoy scarce, which can be pillaged and plundered at any time… In every different branch, the oppression of the poor must establish the monopoly of the rich, who, by engrossing the whole trade to themselves, will be able to make very large profits.”
Niall Ferguson. The Great Degeneration. Penguin, 2014, p.8
- Smith was referring to China, a country that had once been successful and opulent but because it had remained stationary had ceased to grow. However, had he been alive towards the end of the nineteenth century, he may have included Japan as an example too.
The Birth of the Tokugawa Shogunate
- Kyoto was the emperor’s capital, the Shogun (the military leader) was represented by a governor. The emperor was a virtual prisoner in his own palace.
- Edo (later Tokyo) was the Shogun’s capital city. He held feudal control of 15% of Japan’s land and with the samurai (vassals of lords) a further 10%.
- The Bakufu were the administrators of the government.
- The Daimyo were the feudal lords, largely free of Edo’s interference. These lords did not owe anything to the Shogun (such as rice or money) but had to be loyal such was his power to take things away from them. However, they did have to carry out public works when required (perhaps once in a generation).
- The samurai under the Tokugawa Shogunate were largely farmer soldiers. However, this changed and fewer became farmers. Only those samurai in public office or had status were financially secure. To achieve this, nepotism or marriage were required, not merit.
- The Tokugawa hierarchy could be as follows: samurai, farmer, artisan and merchant. However, W.G. Beasley argues in ‘The Rise of Modern Japan‘ there is just samurai and then there is the rest.
Western Influence
Stagnation and demands for rapid modernisation.
Influence of the United States and European countries
B. How was the transition achieved?
Answer the following questions from the video below:
(clipped from Emperor Meiji & the Meiji Restoration Documentary :
- When and why was japan isolated, and what benefits did it bring the country? 2.40-4.15
- Why do you think the Japanese would have been too difficult to defeat and colonise in the 17th century?4.31-4.48
- Why did this change in the 19th century? What example did the Japanese use to realise this? 4.49-5.27
- What was the impact of Commodore Perry’s visit to Japan? 5.28-6.55
- What happened in 1867 and why was Japan divided? 08:20-10:00
- What was the Meiji Restoration? 10:00-11:28
- Roles of the Meiji oligarchy and Emperor Mutsuhito.
- Land reform, industrialisation and trade.
- Constitution of 1889.
C. What challenges did society face after the transition?
- Peasant unrest.
- Satsuma Rebellion.
- Foreign Relations and imperialism.