chap 3 - the japanese foreign relations - marius jansen

8/16/2019 Chap 3 - The Japanese Foreign Relations - Marius Jansen

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The Japanese Foreign Relations

The center of Tokugawa Foreign Trade was in Nagasaki. Nagasaki was where it all

took place. It is a misconception to think that Japan is isolated from the rest of the world. Many

writers have described Tokugawa Japan as a country hermetically sealed off from therest of the world, and in conseuence they have e!aggerated the need for it in the

nineteenth century to "open#up$. This is why one would think that there are no

foreigners nor foreign policies in Japan. %hen in fact there were foreign polices but itin general Japan was more concerned with &sia than with the %est. Japan needed or

wanted more of "&sian Trades$, specifically 'hina and (orea, for they were more

abundant in goods that they wanted. This is why the %ests placed a term such as"seclusion$ and "isolation$ )ust because the Japanese was not that concerned with

them.

1. The Setting

• The Tokugawa rise found Japan vitally affected by

o *mpire and Nation +uilding of the maritime states of western *urope

o The reformation and counter#reformation in *urope

o Tides of dynastic change in &sia

The Flow of *vents

# It began with the maritime e!ploration of -enry the Navigator of ortugal. They reached&frica to find islands in the *ast rich in spices that had been previously bought by the

&rab /hips to 0enice.

# The 'hinese economy was eager for silver. Trade was stimulated by e!change of te!tiles.# /hips from *ngland sought market and returned with spices and skills. The fine silk

thread from 'hina was keenly sought by tailors who prepared the gorgeous costumes ofthe wealthy which we can see in 1enaissance paintings.

# There were countries who sei2ed what they could not purchase.

# &ll these maritime competitions e!tended so the seas of /outh *ast &sia.

# The 'hinese chain of trading posts throughout /outheast &sia thus served as the basis for

ortuguese, Japanese and 3utch trading activities in the area.# The Japanese and New %orld /ilver to 'hina and 'hinese silks to Japan The silks were

used for Japanese merchant princes. *uropean /hips competed with the )unk produced by

'hina 4by )unk they mean silk and other non commodity products that a lot of peoplewanted5 There were even situations where *uropeans would still their cargoes6

# 78th 'entury 9 rotestant 1eformation shook the 'hristian order in *urope and combined

with the personal and political goal of monarchs to shatter what once had been 'hristian:nity.

# 'atholic 'ounter#1eformation struggled to regain what they have lost but after mid#

century they made spectacular gains in &sia.# There were priests that advanced in India, 'hina and Japan

# ortuguese ships brought with them new instruments of navigation and of warfare as well

as agents of counter#revolution.

# 'ommercial and political ferment brought a renewed rise of trade and piracy in Japan


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# Fleets of buccaneers based on the islands off the coast of (yushu raveaged the coasts of

'hina and (orea. They were even supported by some private ships funded by feudal

lords.# ortuguese came and helped by bringings guns in the country therefore strengthening the

central government.

# Then at the end of the century, -ideyoshi 4a conueror5, added a new dimension to theviolence as his armies ravaged (orea 47;


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o Initially they traded silver bullion for (orean shipments of white 'hinese silk

thread

o *ven after the e!port of bullion in Nagasaki was prohibited, the Tsushima#(orea

e!change was an e!ception.

o (orean embassies were imposing events involving hundreds of people and

(oreans took this very seriously because they are very cultural as well asdiplomatic

# In fact, more than they held their own, (oreans were closer to the 'hinese 'ultural

tradition than the Japanese. The (oreans tended to disdain their vernacular hangul system

in favor of classical 'hinese while for their Japanese hosts 'hinese was an acuiredliterary Canguage that supplemented writing in Japanese kana syllabary.

# (oreans also served as transmitters in Tokugawa studies of neo#confucianism scholarship

of 'hina# (orean medicine also attracted Japan

# Many of the daimyo@s who invaded (orea through -ideyoshi@s order brought back with

them group of potters, a craft in which (oreans have e!celled since medieval times.

(orean otters 9 brought knowledge of the clays and gla2es that made possible Japanese production of blue slipware porcelain that rapidly became highly priced and widely used.

# /imple blue and white designs called karakusa, "'hinese Arass$ were soon shipped to all

corners of Japan and the secret of its production, is guarded by the government, became asignificant share of cash income of the domain.

# Thus it is a clear indicator that (orea remained an important thread in the Tokugawa

period# There had been a slowdown in the finances but it affected more on the Tsushima finances

than the (orean#Japanese ties.

# Making sure that Japan would not make anymore invasions, /in Du#-an, visited Japan

o In his reports 9 he admitted that Japanese did support their writings

o -owever he was not impressed with the Japanese 'lassical /cholarship in whichhe thinks lacked formal reverence for 'onfucius. -e said that the Japs "are bornwith good nature but they do not know the %ay$

o -e saw urban prosperity in Japan. -e even said that (yoto is a "dream paradise$

o &s a good 'onfucian, /in felt obliged to deplore this as materialistic but as an

observer he concluded that the Japanese villagers were well#off.

# It would be pleasant conclude that the old enmities and comple!es had been put aside andthat the two countries now saw each other as euals but there are disuieting signs that

old attitudes lived on.

E. The Countries of the West

# Ieyasu was no longer eager to continue and e!pand trade with the %est# -is options had increased with the coming of the 3utch and *nglish

# %ill &dams 9 pilot of the 3utch who remained in Japan until his death in 78=B

o +enifeciary of favorable treatment from Ieyasu and -idetada

o *n)oyed high status

o 'os Ieyasu seemed to have found him interesting and useful, for &dams broke

the monopoly on news about the %estern world previously en)oyed by theIberian missionaries 4which they really despised5


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# The companies *nglish *ast India 'ompany 4*I'5 and 3utch *ast India 'ompany

40'5 9 the driectors of these companies were empowered to wage defensive war, build

forts, conclude treatiesof peace and to enter into alliances, all in the interest of theirtrade.

# -olland was the biggest trading countryin the world during this time6

# Aenerally, there was a widening competition among these western countries. iracy and privateering were the e!pected manner of procedure. 'hinese )unks were also inviting

targets6 &nd it was all because of these setting that Ieyasu had to make decisions about

foreign policy and trade.# The *nglish reuests for trade were less threatening. They were honored with a permit to

come to "any$ port in Japan.

# The 3utch on the other hand, reinforced fears of 'athloic missionaries and offered trade

without any ideology at all.

o Maurit2 of Na2au warned that "the /ociety of Jesus under the cover of the

sanctity of religion, intends to converts the Japanese to its religion, split the

e!cellent kingdom of Japan, and lead the country to 'ivil %ar.$

# Ieyasu@s 1esponseo To Manila 9 a warning that Japan had been considered a 3ivine 'ountry from

ages past and that he was not about to reverse the stand of previous generations

o To the 3utch 9 received a formal permit to trade that it came to stand as state#to#

state agreement

# The *nglish were the first to be discouraged. They discovered that the permit had to be

renewed every successive shogun . :nder -idetada, he limited their purchasing privilagesto the port of -irado thus denying them leverage to e!ploit different markets.

They eventually closed their factories in Japan and concentrated in India in which they

were able to gain more profit.# They little by little limited their restriction to a selected groups and overseas travels were

ruled out for all Japanese.# The 3utch watched these developments with satisfaction, e!pecting they would end up

monopoli2ing the trade with Japan.

G. To the Seclusion Decrees

- -ideyoshi had ruled against 'atholic 'hristianity and moved to e!ecute missionarymartyrs

# Ieyasu was eager to increase the volume of foreign trade and he had more important

political problems facing him with the need to reduce -ideyori@s 4/on and successor of-ideyoshi5 castle and followers at saka.

# The decisions against 'hristianity were made in the years around 787G#787<

o

rdering all 'hristians out of the countryo /tart of the general persecution

# The +akufu@s need to know that the samaurai and especially the daimyo, beleivers would

have no higher loyalty than the on they bore their Tokguawa overlord.# Ieyasu was receiving council from +uddhist advisers

o They accepted +uddhism more

o It was co#opted in the service of the Tookugawa state

# Iemitsu 9 third /hogun. Iemitsu was a ruthless and paranoid leader


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o 3uring this time there was a 'hsistian uprising in the /himabara eninsula

o 'ommon believers were hunted down and killed

# Five rincipal 3ecress

o In the first seven article decree

47#E5 9 Forbade the sending of the Japanes /hips overseas e!cept for

those properly certified and decreed death for Japanese, who having beenoverseas, returned.

4G#>5 9 1eporting and offered rewards for identification of kirishitan

4;#7?5 9 Cimited trade in ob)ects from abroad

o /econd 3ecree

1emoved the e!ception of the certification for overseas travel, made ban

all#inclusive and ordered punishment by death for any who disobeyed.


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# Ming &uthorities were less forgiving than (oreans. They showed little interest in

Japanese overtures. They said that the Japanese should not be trusted

# /atsuma 9 sei2ed control over 1yukyu islands, disarmed their inhabitants and installed ashadow govt therefore they still had access to 'hinese goods.

# The +akufu addressed several letters concerning the possibility of reopening trade and

commerce with the Ming# +ut the Ming dint want too cos they said that the Japs did not fulfill their "reuirements$

and that they did not even say sorry for occupying the 1yukyu Island

# 3espite this response, the Japs were still confident of its ability to have its own way evenafter the death of Ieyasu

# +oth regimes in other words both stood in their own principle and dignity and re)ected

the decision of the other6

# In 78GBs the 'hinese officials suddenly asked for Japanese help against the Manchus, the*do authority said "it is hardly proper for them to come now that their country has fallen

into civil war$.

# +ut thanks to private 'hinese traders 4who were in favor of Japan5 trade became possible

# The 'hinese had no headman nor formal authori2ation as the 3utch did.# It is however, the cultural role of the 'hinese that provides the most striking contrast to

the role and treatment of the dutch

o 4*!perience of 'hina 0/. /tory of the 3ucth by (aempfer5

(aempfer were obliged to humiliate themselves with several hours of silly

pantomime to amuse the /hogun Tsunayoshi but that same shogun tried

hard to be a serious student of the higher culture of 'hina. That shogun laughed at (aempfer but he treted the visiting 'hinese monks

with the greatest deference. 3utch were well advised to keep their faith under the wraps and sealed

whatever religious books they have

The 'hinese, in Nagasaki, were allowed to build temples and officialsaccompanied them to make sure of their safe arrival

# In short, the contrast between the treatment of these Chinese prelates and the dragnet that

was out for Catholic priests brings home the fact that although for a century and more the

seclusion system tried to exclude Western thought and religion, during the same period

the Japanese elite was struggling to master the Chinese cultural tradition.

# That same respect was extended to Chinese goods. The bakufu saw to it that the best of

Chinese silks came into its own hands and that the best of Chinese books were available

to its scholars.

# In some ways this respect extended to Korean scholars, partly because they could help inthe transmission of Chinese texts and thought.

# By Yoshimune’s time in the early eighteenth century the bakufu’s interest extended to

practical imports from China in the hope of reducing what was becoming a serious trade

imbalance. (Japanese mines are beginning to run out and so they placed restrictions in

their bullion exports)

# This brought hiring of specialists from China to help search for useful plants appropriate


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locations in Japan (Japs were eager for the production of silk, sugar and pharmacopeia)

Take note The Japanese seclusion was aimed principally at the %est. It is %estern ethnocentricism

to think that a country that chooses to cut itself off from the %esterners has cut itself from

the rest of the world. Most +akufu trade policies were designated for access to 'hinesegoods, and in this regard they were highly successful.

The 3utch trade was actually trade in &sian, chiefly 'hinese goods. 'hinese and (oreans

brought more of those than the 3utch. The Nagasaki trade was really 'hina Trade.

?. The uestion of the "'lose 'ountry$

# The Japanese term sakoku, “closed country,” was coined by a Japanese scholar who

translated the chapter in which Kaempfer discussed the “closed country” and,

incidentally, argued its benefits.

# the last decade of the Tokugawa period kaikoku, or “open country,” served as the

antithesis to jo i, “expel the barbarians!”

# as we have seen, japan is far from being closed

# The world of the Japanese was far from closed mentally, culturally, or even

technologically. Chinese scholars, artists, and priests came to Nagasaki throughout the

Tokugawa years; educated Chinese received cordial hospitality from their Japanese hosts,

and even Chinese commoners who had skills and ability were able to make an important

contribution to Japanese culture.

# At the same time the Japanese paranoia about Christianity was never relaxed. There were

situations where Chinese books were even checked to make sure that it does not contain

references pertaining to Christianity.

# Edo was a place they considered as “Christian Residence” cos its where they lock up

Christians.

o Allegations of belief in Christianity remained one of the most effective ways of

dealing with political enemies and demonstrating personal vigilance.

o It is not that Christians are bad, in fact it was the contrary, but they were able to

mislead stupid commoners by kindness and thereby prepare them to become

traitors of their country.

# At the start of the Tokugawa period Holland was becoming one of Eu- rope’s great

powers, with stations in all parts of the world, but by the nineteenth century it had been

transformed into a small trading state that minded its own business almost as quietly as

Tokugawa Japan did.

# Many European history writers believed that it is because of the “isolation and

seclusion” of japan that resulted in Japan’s failure to achieve international standing in the

modern times.

# World War II philosopher Watsuji Tetsuro described sakoku (“Closed System”) as the


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“tragedy of Japan, responsible for the problems the country experienced in modern times.

It forced, he thought the rushed modernization under state control that followed and

contributed to the drive to compete and excel with its disastrous Pacific War.

Entire system of seclusion should be evaluated and rethought

The Japs prefer to see it as normal and reasonable response of an early modern state that

was defining itself and its boundaries

“the country was far more open to new currents during the sakoku period than it is today .

. . foreign goods and information flowed in abundantly.”

What if the Tokugawa founders have taken a less restrictive of Japan’s place in the

international system?

o China and Korea, after all, were part of a world order that was closed to Japan

unless it was willing to make substantial modifications in its professions ofsovereignty and autonomy.

o the English had left of their own accord in the 1620s, and thereafter found

themselves increasingly involved in the subcontinent of In- dia, where profits and

glory were far greater. The Iberian empires of Spain and Portugal were already in

decline by the seventeenth century, hardly capable of threat to Japanese

policymakers.

o That left the maritime holdings of the Dutch in Southeast Asia, holdings that were

consolidated with full political control only in the late nineteenth century.

o Things might not, in other words, have been very different. With one exception:the ferocity of the Christian extirpation, though an internal matter, was what led to

the external restrictions. That control over sectarians, in turn, was central to the

bakufu’s assertion of control over its feudatories. In that sense “seclusion” and

bakufu “power” were interchangeable.

chap 3 - the japanese foreign relations - marius jansen

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