The Unification of Italy The Risorgimento. Italian Unification.
The Unification of Japan
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Transcript of The Unification of Japan
The Unification of Japan
19.2 | From Warring States to Centralization
Japanese Social Structure
Emperors | Shoguns | Daimyo | Samurai
The Heian Period Japanese cultural awakening Social stability and the rise of the daimyo Much like European feudal lords Beginning in 1467, central authority in Japan
collapsed o 1467 – 1600 The Warring States Era (like in China)o Regional power (daimyo) fought for control
The Rise of Japanese Feudal Society
The importance of samurai (foot soldiers) grew during the WSE
By the end c. 1600, Japanese society resembled European feudal society
Japanese hegemony established by Hideyoshio Centralized Japanese state
The Coming of Europe
The Portuguese 1543 | The Spanish 1587 | The Dutch and English c. 1600
Christianity Fails in Japan
Initially, Christianity had great success – some 300,000 converts by 1600
Spanish boasting of trade and Christianity as the precursor to occupation however, frightened Japanese elite (according to the story)
Persecutions began and continued until 1614, when Christianity was banished from Japan
The Tokugawa Era (1600-1868)
Japanese Reengineering and Stabilizing
Centralization Under Hideyoshi, the Japanese government
sought to de-militarize the population from the WSE
“Sword Hunt” 1588 [meanwhile, the Spanish Armada sails to England]o Peasant arms were confiscatedo Between the government and the samurai, 95% of the
country’s weapons became monopolized Social classes were froze
o Peasants were barred from leaving lando Samurai were required to continue to service their lord
Land was surveyed, defined, and compartmentalized
Hideyoshi’s Death and Tokugawa
Hideyoshi’s death in 1598 led to two divided campso Those that supported
Hideyoshi o Those that supported rival
Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa established a
capital at Edo (Tokyo)o Took the title of Shogun in
1603o Began conquering the
daimyo and reorganizing them
o Strongest supporters near Edo
o Some 150 domains were conquered and 229 were transferred
Japanese Isolationism During the Tokugawa Era, Japan forbade foreign
travel and restricted foreign importso Nagasaki was the only port open to foreigners (Chinese
and Dutch)o Cut off political contacts o Internal focus on the state
Resources no longer needed for war were allocated to agriculture and developmento Population 1600 c. 12 million o Population 1700 c. 24 milliono National trade network establishedo Lack of foreign imports increased local production and
competitiono Tax system to benefit system as a whole
Stories of the Samurai
Bushido and what it means to be an honorable warrior
1701 A daimyo is insulted at Edo Castle, pulls his sword
and injures the insulter Unsheathing your sword in court was a capital
offenseo Harakiri – self-disembowelment o He does it
His samurai became masterless, known as ronino Free to do as they pleased, all 47 of them
1703 The ronin plotted to avenge their master Infiltrated the insulter’s estate and murdered him Their crime was punishable by harakiri, which all
47 of them promptly did – their master had been avenged
Sense of duty, loyalty, and honor – bushido o A certain code for warriors – like chivalry
Also shows us the cultural adherence to the power of state law over everything