Modern History of Culture, Art, and Media in Japan Midterm

Why did the black ships come to Japan?

• trade

• Assistance from Japan if the ship got wrecked (USA often needed this)

• Globalization

• capitalism (industrial and democratic revolution)

• competition (USA and UK)

• to get rich (tea, silk, spice)

arbitrage

getting items in one country, bringing them home, and making lots of money

Treaty of Kanagawa (1854)

• happened bc of Matthew Perry

• ended Japan’s two centuries of seclusion

• permitted U.S. ships to stop for supplies, coal, and water at Shimoda and Hakodate and guaranteed safety for shipwrecked American sailors

• weakened the Tokugawa government, fueling unrest

Why did Japan open up the country to the west?

• didn’t want to open but had no other realistic alternative

• decision was driven by military weakness, fear of colonization and internal political pressure

• pressure from U.S. as well, chose to ally with the U.S. due to fear of Britain

• chose a peaceful opening rather than being forced to open

How was the first opium war related to the opening of Japan?

was not the direct cause for the opening of the country (1854). Dutch king sent a letter to the bakufu in 1844 in advising that the country open its borders, bakufu, lacking a comprehensive understanding of the world situation, refused and continued the seclusion policy

Why was Japan under isolation to begin with?

• limiting foreign contact helped tokugawa control the daimyo and prevent outside alliances

• fear of christianity and foreign influence

• to preserve a stable hierarchy (foreign ideas were seen as being disruptive)

• geographic advantage

• to give the bakufu a monopoly on trade to secure exclusive benefits to prevent daimyos and foreign merchants from becoming too rich

(Feudal System)

Who was the lord and the vessels?

Shogun/bakufu: the lords

Daimyos: the vassals

(Feudal System)

What do the bakufu control?

its own territory and people and provide/protect the land of vassals

(Feudal System)

What is the “han”?

it acts as its own territory (mini country basically)

has its own currency, military, taxation, and legal orders

What are the two main types of Daimyo?

• Fudai (loyal): supported tokugawa before battle of 1600

• Tozama (Outer): supported tokugawa right before the battle of 1600

What is the probelm with the bakufu-han regime?

very vulnerable to changes (globalization, arrival of western powers, etc.)

What was the sonno joi movement?

• honor the emperor & anti foreign

• shifted loyalty toward the imperial court in Kyoto, rather than the Tokugawa shogunate

• influenced by the arrival of the black ships and much western influence

how did Sonno joi change?

• After battling foreign states such as Britain, realized they couldn’t expel the foreigners

• Could benefit from Western modern technology; dropped the anti-foreign side of Sonno Joi, emphasized honoring the emperor

• Japan needed reform and stronger national unity

satsuma war

• nine month revolt of samurai against the new imperial government of Japan

• marked the transition from feudalism to modern statehood

• meiji won in the rebellion and solidified its power

Namamugi incident

• happened during the daimyo procession

• westerners crossed the line and were stabbed

• led to the start of war between one domain and Britain (satsuma-anglo war)

What was the daimyo procession?

• daimyo going across provinces to Edo

• used lots of money which kept the daimyo poor and showed their loyalty

• if you were a commoner, you had to bow with your head to the ground until they were out of sight