Shift of Power: Power moves from the emperor to local clans and land-owning elites, establishing a feudal system.
Attempted Mongol Invasion: Repelled by a typhoon.
Government Structure:
Emperor: A symbolic figurehead.
Shogun: Holds real power, government known as the bakufu.
Feudal System:
Daimyo: Feudal lords overseeing plots of land.
Samurai: Warriors protecting the land, adhering to the Bushido code.
Peasants: Farmed the land.
Bushido Code: The samurai code of conduct, influenced by:
Neo-Confucianism: A blend of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Shintoism: Japan's indigenous religion.
Decentralized Feudal System: Characterized by warring clans with no central rule by the emperor.
1450-1750: Large Land-Based and New Maritime Empires
Major Shift in Japan: Occurs around 1600 with the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Tokugawa Shogunate (Tokugawa Ieyasu):
Aims to control local lords (daimyo).
Claims ownership of all lands in Japan.
Institutes a strict social order based on social roles:
Samurai.
Farmer.
Artisan.
Merchant.
Movement between classes is forbidden.
The capital moved to Edo (modern-day Tokyo), marking the beginning of the Edo period.
Alternate Attendance:
Daimyo required to live in Edo every other year.
Daimyo's family remained in Edo as a form of security to ensure loyalty and prevent feuding.
Isolationist Policy: Similar to China, Japan becomes more isolated during the era of European exploration.
European Desire for Asian Goods: European nations seek shortcuts to Asian markets.
National Seclusion Policy of 1635:
Prohibited Europeans from traveling to Japan.
Outlawed Christianity.
Prohibited Japanese from traveling abroad.
Exceptions: Limited trade with China and the Dutch.
1750-1900: Industrial Revolution and Western Imperialism
United States Involvement: The U.S. emerges on the scene.
Western Imperialism: Impacts Japan, gaining more attention in the AP world course.
Commodore Matthew Perry (1853):
Arrives with U.S. Navy steamships equipped with advanced weapons.
Aims to establish friendly diplomatic relations and access to Japanese markets.
The U.S, recently acquiring lands in California, sought a steady stream of maritime traffic between the West Coast and Asia, as well as a location to resupply their ships.
Presents gifts to the Emperor, including:
A model steamship locomotive.
A telescope.
A telegraph.
Western wines and liquors.
A letter demanding the opening of ports to the U.S.
Treaty of Kanagawa (1854): Japan agrees to Perry's demands under duress.
Decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate: Partly due to these events.
Meiji Restoration: Power shifts back to the Emperor.
Meiji Restoration Reforms
Shift from agricultural, decentralized state to a powerful, centralized one.
Abolition of Feudal Domains:
Feudal lords give up their domains.
Lands transferred to the Meiji unified central state.
Religion:
The Meiji tied the idea of the Emperor to Shinto beliefs.
Legitimizing rule through religious ideas.
Replacing Buddhism as the national religion.
National Education System:
Free public school system for at least six years, controlled by the government.
Curriculum: Mathematics, reading, moral training (duty to the emperor, country, and families).
Social Classes: Declared equal, but samurai lost status and prestige.
Banning of Samurai Swords: Similar to Peter the Great's efforts to westernize Russia, the Meiji wanted to reform the samurai and adopt western styles, including haircuts, as they shifted to new jobs within the government.
Military Reform: Shifted military power from the samurai class to a modernized, unified military force equipped with western weapons.
State-Driven Industrialization and Modernization: Built railroads, steamships, and factories.
Rise of Private Corporations: Industrial families like the Mitsubishi family became wealthy.
Japan's Strength: Grew while many across Asia struggled to industrialize.
End of Feudalism: People allowed to choose their own careers.
Migration: Japanese sought better lives outside of Japan due to farmers being forced off their lands.
Significant migration to Hawaii as contract laborers on sugar plantations.
1900 to Present: World Wars and Globalization
Japan as a Key Player: In world wars and globalization.
Russo-Japanese War: Japan declares war on Russia in 1904, becoming the dominant force in East Asia by 1905.
World War I (1914-1918): Japan proposes to Britain to enter WWI in exchange for Germany's Pacific territories, which it obtained after the Treaty of Versailles.
Post-WWI Economic Depression: Led to the idea of expanding into Asia using military might.
Resource Needs: As an island nation, Japan needed natural resources.
Expansion into Asia: Japan set its sights on Manchuria, conquering it and turning it into a Japanese puppet state by 1932.
Invasion of China (1937): Marks an example of ethnic violence.
Nanking Massacre (Rape of Nanking):
Japanese forces destroyed much of the city, then capital of China.
Japanese troops launched a campaign of atrocities against civilians.
Japanese soldiers raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages.
Butchered an estimated 150,000 male war prisoners and massacred another 50,000 male civilians. It is estimated that 300,000 Chinese were killed.
Tripartite Pact (1940): Japan signed with Germany and Italy, forming the Axis powers.
Advancement in Indochina: Colonized by the French, leading the U.S. to freeze Japanese assets and embargo their oil.
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere: A Japanese semi-empire focused on pan-Asian ideals of freedom and independence from western colonial powers.
Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941): Japan bombs Pearl Harbor.
Motivation: Driven by political goals of expansion, scarcity of economic resources, and response to America's embargo policy.
Japan believed it would devastate the Pacific fleet and disrupt shipping lanes.
Colonial Holdings: Japan set up colonial holdings from western Alaska to the Solomon Islands.
Turning the Tide: The U.S. re-established its navy and turned the tide after the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, then went on to this island hopping strategy.
Atomic Bombings: The U.S. used atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan's Surrender: Announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 15th and formally signed on September 2nd, 1945, marking the end of World War II.
Allied Occupation: Led by the U.S., Japan was disarmed, its empire dismantled, and shifted to a democracy.
Women's Suffrage: Women gained the right to vote in 1945.
Post-War Reconstruction: Years of reconstruction to recover from air raids and nuclear aftermath.
Economic Footing: Japan began to find its footing as a manufacturer of consumer devices, electronics, and automobiles.
Knowledge Economy: Japan is known as a leading knowledge economy where industries are based on the intellect, creativity, and innovation.
Mathematical/Statistical References
National Seclusion Policy of 1635
Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in 1853
Treaty of Kanagawa signed in 1854
Bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
War Ends September 2nd, 1945
Women Gained the Right to Vote in 1945
Started Invasion of China in 1937
Signed Tripartite Pact in 1940
World War 1 Began in 1914
Russo-Japanese War in 1904
Nanking Massacre (Rape of Nanking):
Japanese soldiers raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages.
Butchered an estimated 150,000 male war prisoners and massacred another 50,000 male civilians. It is estimated that 300,000 Chinese were killed.
One Minute Recap
Japan blended neighboring cultures (Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism) with their own Shinto beliefs.
Feudalism with daimyo, samurai, and peasants.
Tokugawa Shogunate limited feudal fighting.
Isolation due to European influence, only traded with the Dutch and Chinese.
The United States came with Matthew Perry and tried to make friends by opening their ports.
Japan successfully industrialized and became imperialists.
They fought against the Germans in World War One.
Economic struggles during the Great Depression led to imperialism.
Attack on Manchuria and China including the terrible violence in Nanking.
Attack on Pearl Harbor to draw the United States into World War Two.
Atomic bombings, surrender, becoming allies with the West, and building a knowledge economy.