Chapter 4: What Were the Effects of Japan’s Policies of Isolation During the Edo Period?

1. Chapter 4: What Were the Effects of Japan’s Policies of Isolation During the Edo Period? • How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview? • How Did the Edo Era of Great Peace Begin? • Why Did Japan Isolate Itself From Much of the World? • How Did the Political System During the Edo Period Reflect Worldview? • How Did Societal Systems Change During Isolation? • How Did Communities Change During Isolation? • How Did the Popular Culture of Japan Change During Isolation? • How Did Foreign Influence Change Japan Despite Policies of Isolation?

2. Imagine Living on an Island You live on a island full of people just like you. You have never met other people from different societies. • What are the good things about living on your island? The bad? How do those affect your worldview? • Ships have arrived in your harbour and they brought goods to trade for resources. They also brought people to teach you about “their beliefs” • What are your responses? • Which one would you select to deal with the visitors. Why did you select this?

3. Good Bad

4. How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview? • Japan is composed of a long, narrow series of islands along the Eastern Pacific coast of Asia • Four main islands (From north to south) • Hokkaido • Honshu (the main island) • Shikoku • Kyushu • Also about 3000 smaller islands

5. How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview?

6. How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview? • 73% of Japan is mountainous • means there is little flat land for farming/cultivation • valleys • along the coastline • terraces on the hills and mountains • Also on a volcanic zone that rings the Pacific Ocean • Ring of Fire • Frequent earthquakes/tremors • Some volcanic activity • Many deep and quick rivers

7. How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview? • Japan is a very humid and wet country • Four seasons • Cool in the north and sub-tropical in the south • The moisture allows rice and fruit to grow

8. How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview? • Societies that develop on islands are quite isolated • Mountains and the ocean provide natural barriers • Close to dominating cultures • Aspects of those cultures filter in

9. How Did the Geography of Japan Affect its Worldview? • Using the map on page 128 answer the following: • In 16th century Japan there were many different areas ruled by different rulers and they were constantly at war with each other. How might have the geography help the people defend themselves? • Do you think that it would be easy or difficult to prevent foreigners from visiting Japan? Explain.

10. Creating Your Island… • Assignment: Creating Your Island

11. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin? • Imagine Living On Your Island • What if on your island there were 5 different groups of people. Each one of them are fighting with the other. What would you do to bring peace to your island? What steps would you take?

12. Ways to Solve the Issue: Fighting Groups

13. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin? With a partner read page 132-133 and fill in the missing information on your handouts.

14. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin? • In 1500 Japan was not a unified country • 250 smaller groups each with their own emperor and a commander called a daimyo • The daimyos were constantly at war with each other trying to increase their land, wealth, and power

15. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin? • Although the emperor was considered the supreme ruler the real power of authority was with the shogun • They were the leader of the military government • There are three shoguns given credit for unifying Japan in the late 1500’s • Oda Nobunaga • Toyotomi Hideyoshi • Tokugawa Ieyasu

16. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin? • Oda Nobunaga • In 1568 he gained control of 1/3 of the provinces of Japan • Kyoto was included which was the seat of the emperor and court • Toyotomi Hideyoshi • In 1582 he succeeded Nobunaga and continued reforms to the government and social systems • Tokugawa Ieyasu • United Japan around 1600 • His successors ruled Japan until 1868 from a city called Edo (present day Tokyo)

17. Changes Under the Three Shoguns • Oda Nobunaga • Reduced the influence of Buddhists control over Japanese politics • Built a series of castles to defend lands • Introduced new administrative practices to pave the way to a unified Japan

18. Changes Under the Three Shoguns • Toyotomi Hideyoshi • Continued to centralize government power • Surveyed the country and changed the tax on the land from money to quantities of rice • Created a society based on a formal class structure that included samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants • Created a standing army • Made a rule that you could no longer be part farmer, part warrior. You had to pick one or the other • Tried to expand territory by attacking China and Korea but was defeated by both • Supported painters and new types of drama

19. Changes Under the Three Shoguns • Tokugawa Ieyasu • Established his government base in Edo • Finalized the unification of Japan

20. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin?

21. How Did the Great Edo Era of “Great Peace” Begin?-Questions • How did legalizing the formal social system created by Toyomi Hideyoshi reflect the values and beliefs of Japan at the time? • The three shoguns had different leadership styles. What can you learn from this quote? If confronted by a caged nightingale that would not sing, Nobunaga would kill the bird, Hideyoshi would force it to sing, and Ieyasu would wait for it to sing.

22. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? Imagine Your Island After many years your island has began to attract more visitors than before. Remember these visitors are bringing addictive substances (tobacco, liquor) and are trying to push their religious values on you. A). What are some possible reasons/influences you would want to start to isolate yourself from these visitors? B). How would you start to begin to isolate your island?

23. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? Imagine Your Island After many years your island has began to attract more visitors than before. Remember these visitors are bringing addictive substances (tobacco, liquor) and are trying to push their religious values on you. A). What are some possible reasons/influences you would want to start to isolate yourself from these visitors? B). How would you start to begin to isolate your island?

24. Isolating Your Island Reasons/Influences

25. Isolating Your Island • How would you do it?

26. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • With a partner read pages 134-136 filling in the notes sheet.

27. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • There are two main reasons why the shoguns of Japan wanted to isolate from the rest of the world • Foreign Influences • The Spread of Christianity

28. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • Foreign Influences • At the beginning of the Edo period Japan was actively trading with many different countries • Trade routes with Korea in the 15th century to control piracy • China in the 16th century with a network of trading stations that the Europeans also used • Japanese trading ships sailed to the Philippines and as far as Siam (Thailand) • European ships were also docking in Japanese harbours to trade their goods

29. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World?

30. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • The Spread of Christianity • Many European ships were carrying Roman Catholic missionaries who wanted to convert the citizens of Japan • Between 1549-1587 missionaries converted 150 000 Japanese to Christianity in the Nagasaki area • In 1587 Shogun Hideyoshi ordered all missionaries to leave and executed 26 missionaries

31. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • Shogun Tokugawa did not want the Japanese people exposed to the European culture and Western ideas • He was also concerned because the Europeans were establishing colonies around the world • This would have undone of the unification work • To ensure Japans safety he decided to only allow foreign ships to land at one port: the island of Deshima in the Nagasaki Bay

32. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • After Shogun Ieyasu died, the Bakufu became more concerned of the movement of Christianity • Concerned Christians would follow their spiritual leader rather than the shogun as their ultimate authority • Afraid of losing absolute control they introduced a series of edicts

33. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • The National Seclusion Policy • The Bakufu passed a series of strict edicts to control the influence of foreigners and to tighten control over the daimyo • The National Seclusion Policy was created over six years from 1633 to 1639. • It set out controls on the interaction between Japanese and foreigners.

34. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • Key terms of the policy • Japanese ships are strictly forbidden to travel to foreign countries • No Japanese are permitted to travel abroad. Those who attempt are executed • If any Japanese return from foreign lands after residing there, they are to be executed • If any Westerners (southern barbarians) attempt to teach Christianity they are to be put into prison • No single trading city shall be permitted to purchase all the merchandise brought by foreign ships • Portuguese ships are banned from Japanese ports. Any who disobey will be destroyed and its crew executed

35. Why Did Japan Isolate Itself from Much of the World? • What aspects of its worldview led Japan to make the decision to close its borders to the Western World? Describe the historical context that led to this key event happening.

36. Confucian Beliefs and Values • Thinking About Your Island • What kind of beliefs and values would you like to see on your island? How would you promote these?

37. Beliefs and Values of Your Islands

38. Confucian Beliefs and Values With a partner read page 137 • Make a list of the important values in Confucianism • How did they effect the worldview? • Each group will select a value and explain it to the class (their own definition) • Each group will select a effect on the worldview and debate if it was positive or negative. • Are there any codes of behavior in Canadian society? How do they parallel Confucian values?

39. Confucian Beliefs and Values • What are the beliefs and values?

40. Confucian Beliefs and Values • What are the beliefs and values? • Emphasize the relationship between human beings, rather than the idea of a god. Each person has a role in society. • The past is important • Stresses objective reasoning as the basis of learning

41. Confucian Beliefs and Values • How did they affect the worldview?

42. Confucian Beliefs and Values • How did they affect the worldview? • Shoguns ruled in a caring manner and in return the people were expected to be loyal and carry out the functions of their social group • Importance of the past and traditions were recorded in history • Confucian meshed with Buddhism • The Shinto religion emphasized the importance of ancestors • Schools set up to follow a form of study based on observation and questioning

43. How Did the Political System During the Edo Period Reflect Worldview? • Thinking about your Island • What kind of political system would you have to rule your island? What reasons would you have for picking your government? • How would you keep control of your government?

44. Your Island • The Political Systems

45. Your Island • How you kept control

46. How Did the Political System During the Edo Period Reflect Worldview? • During the Edo period the political system in Japan was very hierarchal • Domains (provinces) were governed by a daimyo • Each of them was a feudal lord with lands to rule • Daimyo had to pledge allegiance to the shogun and worked under his rule • They had complete administrative control over the lands and expected those who lived on them to follow his rule

47. How Did the Political System During the Edo Period Reflect Worldview? • There were two levels of government • Han-the local government in each domain/province was ruled by the daimyo • Bakufu-highest level of government lead by the shogun • The shogun also was a feudal lord and also had to rule a Han • Additional responsibilities • Ruling social classes, maintaining order, national policies

48. The Political System The Shogun-Ruler Bakufu-Government Daimyo-Local Ruler Han-Local Government Daimyo-Local Ruler Han-Local Government Daimyo-Local Ruler Han-Local Government All inhabitants of the domain All inhabitants of the domain All inhabitants of the domain

49. How Did the Bakufu Control the Daimyo? • Personal relationships were very important between the shogun and the daimyo • Daimyo divided into 3 classes • They can never move out of these classes • Those most trusted and loyal • Nobel of the Tokugawa family • Those with little standing because they may have opposed the shogun

50. How Did the Bakufu Control the Daimyo? • To keep the daimyos from becoming too wealthy and powerful a few laws were in place • There is no unnecessary contact between the neighboring daimyo • There are to be only one castle in each domain. Detailed maps must also be supplied to the Bakufu • Daimyos must support public building projects • Daimyos must spend every second year in Edo • Marriages of daimyo must have permission of the Bakufu • Travel and ship building is restricted