Ms Susan M Pojer Mrs Lisbeth Rath Horace
Ms. Susan M. Pojer & Mrs. Lisbeth Rath Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Geography: • Archipelago- chain of Island 4, 000, 4 main islands • Mountains – Steppe Farming due to limited land 12% arable • Lack of Navigable Rivers • -Located on Rim of Fire (Volcano activity common)
How does geography influence Japan? • lack of resources ** • Disasters -> typhoons, volcanoes • dense population • Isolation from foreign world *** – Mongols tried to invade but never could---> “Magical Winds”
Isolation • Throughout Japanese history, Japan had stayed isolated from foreigners
Japan vs. China • Japan is similar to what culture? • Why? • - cultural diffusion from China – examples: Character writing (Kana), Confucianism, Zen Buddhism – cooking, gardening,
Early History • Small clans • Early Rulers: Yamato never very strong but never overthrown • During middle ages, landowners became very powerful and Japan settled into its own feudal type system – Rice Tax • Nobles (Daimyos) rise in power
Tokugawa Shogun Military leader of Japan during the Middle Ages -Used to be a temporary title but now became a permanent title Emperor power declines (figure head)
Tokugawa= Isolate! • Shogun makes decision to keep Japan isolated from invaders!
Bushido • Japanese Samurai code of warrior • **Similar to European Knights » code of Chivalry
Harakiri (seppuku) • A vulgar term meaning ‘to slice the abdomen’, which refers to a ritualized form of suicide carried out by Japanese samurai beginning in the Tokugawa period. More properly called seppuku, it involved making two small cross-wise slices across the gut while in a kneeling position, after which a second would behead the samurai with a sword. In practice, the first step was rarely carried out.
Japan Changes Direction During the Meiji Era: 1868 - 1912 Commodore Matthew Perry
1853 – Commodore Matthew “Opens Up” Japan to Western Perry Trade!
What Did the U. S. Want? ? v Coaling stations. v More trading partners. v A haven for ship-wrecked sailors.
The Treaty of Kanagawa - 1854
Japan Learns a Lesson! In 1862, just before the start of the Meiji period, Tokugawa sent officials and scholars to China to study the situation there. A Japanese recorded in his diary from Shanghai… The Chinese have become servants to the foreigners. Sovereignty may belong to China but in fact it's no more than a colony of Great Britain and France.
China’s “Unequal Treaties” v After the Opium War of 1839 -1842, Japan was convinced that it had to. Open Up to the West.
The Shi-shi (“Men of High Purpose”) v Highly idealistic samurai who felt that the arrival of Westerners was an attack on the traditional values of Japan. v They believed that: § Japan was sacred ground. § The emperor, now a figurehead in Kyoto, was a God. v Were furious at the Shogun for signing treaties with the West without the Emperor’s consent. v Their slogan Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians!
The Meiji Revolt - 1868 v A powerful group ofsamurai overthrow the Shogun. v Helped Japan emerge from feudalism into a unified modern state.
The Emperor Is “Restored” to Power MEIJI “Enlightened Rule”
Newspaper Cartoon, 1870 s? Enlightened Half-Enlightened Un-Enlightened
Modernization by “Selective Borrowing” v Popular board game. v Start by leaving Japan & studying in various Western capitals. v End by returning to Japan and becoming a prominent government official.
European Goods v Europe began to “loom large” in the thinking of many Japanese. v New slogan: Japanese Spirit; Western Technology!
The Japanese Became Obsessed with Western Styles Civilization and Enlightenment!
Abolition of the feudal system Modern Banking System Written Constitution (Germans) Land Redistribution Meiji Reforms Westernize the School System (Fr. & Ger. ) Modernize the Army (Prussian) Build a Modern Navy (British) Human Rights & Religious Freedom Emperor Worship Intensified
Sino-Japanese War: 1894 -1895 The Meiji Emperor was in Hiroshima during the Sino-Japanese War
Today—Tensions Between China & Japan v Offshore gas field in the East China Sea reveals recently strained relations between China & Japan. v Tension over disputed gas field on the rise, exacerbating mutual mistrust dating back to the Sino-Japanese War. EEZ -Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Russo-Japanese War: 1904 -1905 The Battle of Tsushima: The results startled the world!
President Teddy Mediates the Roosevelt Peace The Treaty of Portsmouth, NH ended the Russo-Japanese War.
Japan Annexes Korea
Japan Is a Player in China
Competition from Another “Pacific” Power Is on the Horizon
The U. S. “Great White Fleet” Japan
But, Japanese Power Would Grow. . .
- Slides: 34