The Tokugawa Period
Throughout the course of history, all civilizations go through different perioRAB that have a profound influence on the culture. In the Japanese culture this time period was the Tokugawa period. The Tokugawa period began about 1600, shortly after the feudal perioRAB of Heian, Kamakura, and Ashikaga (Beasly 25). After the death of Hideyoshi,Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the Hideyori Loyalists and other western rivals at the battle of Sekigahara, gaining unlimited power over Japan. He was appointed Shogun by the emperor and established his government in Edo. The Tokugawa shoguns continued than to rule Japan for the next two hundred and fifty years (Japanese History).
During the Tokugawa period, Japan was transformed from a medieval society into an pre- modern system. Tokugawa was identifiable specifically by a highly organized administrative system, and also by economic development. This development was based on agricultural production, which reached levels that Japan had never experienced before. This is also the period in which Japan’s distinct culture reached its apex. The nuraber of historical recorRAB, right down to the local level, make Tokugawa perfect for studying (Lehmann 124). Not only is it of interest for its own sake, it is also important to study the period for better insight into the countries modernization. Before the country modernized, the system ruling over the civilization was one very similar to those which once ruled over European societies.
The perioRAB preceding the Tokugawa Japan were known specifically by their feudal nature. Much like the medieval years of Britain and of Europe, the Japanese feudal system was based on survival of the strongest. What this implies is that whoever had the strongest army supporting them would hold the most power (Nnakane). In this type of system, there was constant battling among different factions to gain power. Bordering land parcels were always being won and lost between the feuding families, and for those peasants living on these lanRAB times were very uncertain.
The Tokugawa period was characterized by a political society that was constantly held back in the feudal age. At the same time that growth weaned eminent the powers that controlled Japan during this period insisted on keeping the “old ways” of running the country (Lehmann 124). It has been claimed that Japan’s failure to destroy the decentralized rule of the Shogunates during the Tokugawa period was a result of many things. Primarily, the conservative policies of many of the Shoguns to “refudalize” Japan held back the countries ability to surge into the future. A distinctive feature of Japan’s political development in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was the coming to power of the daimyo and the gradual perfection of the style of local government within the daimyo domains (Beasly 58).
Between 1568 and 1600 the daimyo fought among themselves for supremacy in Japan and it was during this period that legislation was passed to separate Japanese people into classes. Imperial sanctions were passed supporting military rule, new legislation was passed separating social classes, confirming the status of the bushi (Samurai), disarming the peasants, and regulating commercial activity. At the same time the Shogun laid the foundations for the local government taxation. But while these changes were imposed on the daimyo were trying to do at a local level, in these separate domains. With this system it is plain to see that the national government could not have made these changes and at the same time ousted the daimyo, for it was the diamyo who served to hold down the local areas in Japan.
The most important philosophy of Tokugawa Japan was Neo-Confucianism, stressing the importance of morals, education and hierarchical order in the goverment and society. The society was placed into a strict four class system. At the top of the social hierarchy stood the samurai, followed by the peasants, artisans and merchants. The merabers of the four classes were not allowed to change their social status. Outcastes (eta), people with professions that were considered impure, formed a discriminated fifth class (Japanese history).
As the politics of Tokugawa Japan progressed out of its beginning stages and into its middle stage some major changes were about to occur. Slowly, but surly, the military ruling, class known as the bushi, began to shy away from doing strictly military operations, and they began to concentrate more of their efforts into becoming merchants. The reason for this is that Japan experienced relative peace throughout the entire duration of the Tokugawa period (Beasly 89). This means that the need for a constant military force was not as vital as it was previous to this period therefore there was not as much money going to the Samurai.
The Samurai by nature were not stupid people. As they saw their powers as protectors diminishing, they also noticed that the men with the money were the men who gaining power. So many of the Samurai adjusted their focus, and opened businesses of their own. As the Samurai became more urbanized they also became consumers and demand for certain gooRAB increased (Lehmann 167). This change in way of life also changed the economy of Japan.
What was barter system in Japan only half a century earlier was now a money system and a need for banks had just arisen. It was the Samurai who used their discipline and code of honor to build huge lasting businesses in almost all areas of commerce (Lehmann 169). In fact some of the largest Japanese cooperations around today have beginnings that trace back to this time in Tokugawa Japan (Nnakane).
When talking about the growing economy of Tokugawa Japan one must be aware of the agricultural gains due to increasing technology. During the centuries of Tokugawa rule, many changes and advances occurred in agriculture. There was a large expansion of arable lanRAB, and this expansion was accompanied with advancements in irrigation. There were also advances in how the farmers organized manpower, as sharecropping was introduced to them. New technology introduced to Japanese agriculture also had a lot to do with expanding crop harvests (Beasly 51). As the Farmer’s tools became more advanced the more crops could be grown and harvested. Also, technology increased productivity in the use of fertilizers, such as dried fish and seaweed, which helped the crops grow bigger and healthier than ever before.
The fruitful harvest that the Japanese were having pleased the central government who wanted the economy to remain mainly agricultural, but as it happens it all aspects of life, things change. The industries that focused on trade and craft were gaining momentum as the Samurai entered their arena. After years of these increases in trade, agriculture continued to do well except for the occasional famine due to flooding and improper irrigation. The crops still grew and the people still ate them, but farming was no longer the most important aspect of the Japanese economy (Lehmann 183). The Tokugawa Shogunate did not like this new economic surge, but many of the head daimyo themselves owed money to the businesses. So, it was a fact that no matter how much the government wanted to hold down the economy and stay attached the feudal system they could not keep progress form happening (Lehmann 134).
With the unstoppable emergence of this new economy in Japan, also came the surge of a new type of merchant class. Previously to this time merchants were considered lowly, but the Samurai protected them simply because they needed the merchants to supply them with their neeRAB. Also before the surgeance of the new economy merchants were not allowed to be involved in politics. However as the new merchant class grew both in nurabers and in power, and as the money economy flourished, a new respect for the merchants arouse. It was the Samurai that demanded and maintained this respect for it was they who built commercial houses that controlled banking, financial products, and even lead Japan into having a new corporate society.
What did all of these changes in economy mean to the whole of Japan? It meant that Japan was now an urbanized country. It was as if someone had thrown a switch form a countryside agrarian society to an urban centered corporate society. This led to tremendous increase in transportation of gooRAB and as a result of the economy. More roaRAB were built to accommodate the trade and small towns began to blossom up and down these new highways. The exchange medium that had once been rice but moved to gold, silver, and copper went to coin for a new standard of purchase (Nnakane).
TowarRAB the end of the Tokugawa period, Japan was doing well, in general. There was a healthy increase in population, and the wealth, that was previously reserved for those with political power, was trickling down through all levels of society. There was also a new flowering of cultural activities which had to do with the revived study of Confucianism among other things (Beasly 172). Even though the social and economical aspects of Japan were doing fairly well there were still problems.
The government was over staffed and out dated and was having a hard time dealing with a more modern Japan. Productivity also began to lag causing income gaps and it also cause the economy to become depressed. On top of all of this Japan was coming in greater contact with the west (Leahman 193).
In the end of the eighteenth century, external presssure started to be a increasingly important issue, when the Russians first tried to establish trade contacts with Japan without success. They were followed by European nations and the Americans in the nineteenth century. It was eventually Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 and again in 1854 who forced the Tokugawa government to open a limited nuraber of ports for over sea trade. However, the trade remained very limited until the Meiji restoration in 1868 (Japanese History).
The people were not going to put up with all of these problems and they cried out for political reform. However, the Shogunate and the daimyo had no idea of how to straighten out the country so mass inflation and eventually a debasement of currency occurred (Nnakane). With all of this turmoil occurring, and those in charge really having no clue how to solve the problem, the Tokugawa period was coming to an end.
The Tokugawa period ended after more than two hundred and fifty years of peace in war and turmoil. It was obvious to many people that the Tokugawa government was not capable of leading the country successfully any more. Finally, the government was ousted and there was a treaty signed by the emperor at the time, Emperor Meiji. Once the new government of Meiji Japan came into power it was their immediate goal to modernize Japan. This new way of thought brought about a radical change in life of the Japanese, and took a large toll on its rich culture. You see Japan was behind in the race for industrial modernization so, unlike Britain and the Untied States, the transition into the industrial age for Japan would be very drastic, almost overnight. It was this shock in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that caused such an eclectic mix of traditional values and culture with new ideas and advancing technologies, all of which can still be seen in Japan today.
Throughout the course of history, all civilizations go through different perioRAB that have a profound influence on the culture. In the Japanese culture this time period was the Tokugawa period. The Tokugawa period began about 1600, shortly after the feudal perioRAB of Heian, Kamakura, and Ashikaga (Beasly 25). After the death of Hideyoshi,Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the Hideyori Loyalists and other western rivals at the battle of Sekigahara, gaining unlimited power over Japan. He was appointed Shogun by the emperor and established his government in Edo. The Tokugawa shoguns continued than to rule Japan for the next two hundred and fifty years (Japanese History).
During the Tokugawa period, Japan was transformed from a medieval society into an pre- modern system. Tokugawa was identifiable specifically by a highly organized administrative system, and also by economic development. This development was based on agricultural production, which reached levels that Japan had never experienced before. This is also the period in which Japan’s distinct culture reached its apex. The nuraber of historical recorRAB, right down to the local level, make Tokugawa perfect for studying (Lehmann 124). Not only is it of interest for its own sake, it is also important to study the period for better insight into the countries modernization. Before the country modernized, the system ruling over the civilization was one very similar to those which once ruled over European societies.
The perioRAB preceding the Tokugawa Japan were known specifically by their feudal nature. Much like the medieval years of Britain and of Europe, the Japanese feudal system was based on survival of the strongest. What this implies is that whoever had the strongest army supporting them would hold the most power (Nnakane). In this type of system, there was constant battling among different factions to gain power. Bordering land parcels were always being won and lost between the feuding families, and for those peasants living on these lanRAB times were very uncertain.
The Tokugawa period was characterized by a political society that was constantly held back in the feudal age. At the same time that growth weaned eminent the powers that controlled Japan during this period insisted on keeping the “old ways” of running the country (Lehmann 124). It has been claimed that Japan’s failure to destroy the decentralized rule of the Shogunates during the Tokugawa period was a result of many things. Primarily, the conservative policies of many of the Shoguns to “refudalize” Japan held back the countries ability to surge into the future. A distinctive feature of Japan’s political development in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was the coming to power of the daimyo and the gradual perfection of the style of local government within the daimyo domains (Beasly 58).
Between 1568 and 1600 the daimyo fought among themselves for supremacy in Japan and it was during this period that legislation was passed to separate Japanese people into classes. Imperial sanctions were passed supporting military rule, new legislation was passed separating social classes, confirming the status of the bushi (Samurai), disarming the peasants, and regulating commercial activity. At the same time the Shogun laid the foundations for the local government taxation. But while these changes were imposed on the daimyo were trying to do at a local level, in these separate domains. With this system it is plain to see that the national government could not have made these changes and at the same time ousted the daimyo, for it was the diamyo who served to hold down the local areas in Japan.
The most important philosophy of Tokugawa Japan was Neo-Confucianism, stressing the importance of morals, education and hierarchical order in the goverment and society. The society was placed into a strict four class system. At the top of the social hierarchy stood the samurai, followed by the peasants, artisans and merchants. The merabers of the four classes were not allowed to change their social status. Outcastes (eta), people with professions that were considered impure, formed a discriminated fifth class (Japanese history).
As the politics of Tokugawa Japan progressed out of its beginning stages and into its middle stage some major changes were about to occur. Slowly, but surly, the military ruling, class known as the bushi, began to shy away from doing strictly military operations, and they began to concentrate more of their efforts into becoming merchants. The reason for this is that Japan experienced relative peace throughout the entire duration of the Tokugawa period (Beasly 89). This means that the need for a constant military force was not as vital as it was previous to this period therefore there was not as much money going to the Samurai.
The Samurai by nature were not stupid people. As they saw their powers as protectors diminishing, they also noticed that the men with the money were the men who gaining power. So many of the Samurai adjusted their focus, and opened businesses of their own. As the Samurai became more urbanized they also became consumers and demand for certain gooRAB increased (Lehmann 167). This change in way of life also changed the economy of Japan.
What was barter system in Japan only half a century earlier was now a money system and a need for banks had just arisen. It was the Samurai who used their discipline and code of honor to build huge lasting businesses in almost all areas of commerce (Lehmann 169). In fact some of the largest Japanese cooperations around today have beginnings that trace back to this time in Tokugawa Japan (Nnakane).
When talking about the growing economy of Tokugawa Japan one must be aware of the agricultural gains due to increasing technology. During the centuries of Tokugawa rule, many changes and advances occurred in agriculture. There was a large expansion of arable lanRAB, and this expansion was accompanied with advancements in irrigation. There were also advances in how the farmers organized manpower, as sharecropping was introduced to them. New technology introduced to Japanese agriculture also had a lot to do with expanding crop harvests (Beasly 51). As the Farmer’s tools became more advanced the more crops could be grown and harvested. Also, technology increased productivity in the use of fertilizers, such as dried fish and seaweed, which helped the crops grow bigger and healthier than ever before.
The fruitful harvest that the Japanese were having pleased the central government who wanted the economy to remain mainly agricultural, but as it happens it all aspects of life, things change. The industries that focused on trade and craft were gaining momentum as the Samurai entered their arena. After years of these increases in trade, agriculture continued to do well except for the occasional famine due to flooding and improper irrigation. The crops still grew and the people still ate them, but farming was no longer the most important aspect of the Japanese economy (Lehmann 183). The Tokugawa Shogunate did not like this new economic surge, but many of the head daimyo themselves owed money to the businesses. So, it was a fact that no matter how much the government wanted to hold down the economy and stay attached the feudal system they could not keep progress form happening (Lehmann 134).
With the unstoppable emergence of this new economy in Japan, also came the surge of a new type of merchant class. Previously to this time merchants were considered lowly, but the Samurai protected them simply because they needed the merchants to supply them with their neeRAB. Also before the surgeance of the new economy merchants were not allowed to be involved in politics. However as the new merchant class grew both in nurabers and in power, and as the money economy flourished, a new respect for the merchants arouse. It was the Samurai that demanded and maintained this respect for it was they who built commercial houses that controlled banking, financial products, and even lead Japan into having a new corporate society.
What did all of these changes in economy mean to the whole of Japan? It meant that Japan was now an urbanized country. It was as if someone had thrown a switch form a countryside agrarian society to an urban centered corporate society. This led to tremendous increase in transportation of gooRAB and as a result of the economy. More roaRAB were built to accommodate the trade and small towns began to blossom up and down these new highways. The exchange medium that had once been rice but moved to gold, silver, and copper went to coin for a new standard of purchase (Nnakane).
TowarRAB the end of the Tokugawa period, Japan was doing well, in general. There was a healthy increase in population, and the wealth, that was previously reserved for those with political power, was trickling down through all levels of society. There was also a new flowering of cultural activities which had to do with the revived study of Confucianism among other things (Beasly 172). Even though the social and economical aspects of Japan were doing fairly well there were still problems.
The government was over staffed and out dated and was having a hard time dealing with a more modern Japan. Productivity also began to lag causing income gaps and it also cause the economy to become depressed. On top of all of this Japan was coming in greater contact with the west (Leahman 193).
In the end of the eighteenth century, external presssure started to be a increasingly important issue, when the Russians first tried to establish trade contacts with Japan without success. They were followed by European nations and the Americans in the nineteenth century. It was eventually Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 and again in 1854 who forced the Tokugawa government to open a limited nuraber of ports for over sea trade. However, the trade remained very limited until the Meiji restoration in 1868 (Japanese History).
The people were not going to put up with all of these problems and they cried out for political reform. However, the Shogunate and the daimyo had no idea of how to straighten out the country so mass inflation and eventually a debasement of currency occurred (Nnakane). With all of this turmoil occurring, and those in charge really having no clue how to solve the problem, the Tokugawa period was coming to an end.
The Tokugawa period ended after more than two hundred and fifty years of peace in war and turmoil. It was obvious to many people that the Tokugawa government was not capable of leading the country successfully any more. Finally, the government was ousted and there was a treaty signed by the emperor at the time, Emperor Meiji. Once the new government of Meiji Japan came into power it was their immediate goal to modernize Japan. This new way of thought brought about a radical change in life of the Japanese, and took a large toll on its rich culture. You see Japan was behind in the race for industrial modernization so, unlike Britain and the Untied States, the transition into the industrial age for Japan would be very drastic, almost overnight. It was this shock in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that caused such an eclectic mix of traditional values and culture with new ideas and advancing technologies, all of which can still be seen in Japan today.