Mid-terms, returned this week

Course grading philosophy?

Studying the modern era

Hit the brakes: from 100 to 10 yph Three 50 yr. eras, roughly

1850-19001900-19501950-2000

Connect longer past to modern era 2 ways Past evolving forward

economy Past “appropriated” by a later present

monarchy

Creating a Nation State: Context

Internal Crises; External Threats: Generatea broadening, deepening of nation:

-in understandings-in institutions

Socio-Economic Tensions

Tenmei famine 1783Tempō famine 1833-36 (cold, wet

summers) Farmers fled to Osaka & Edo > riots and

starvationRising tide of peasant protest (intra-

village)Chronic daimyo and samurai debt, pay

cuts First samurai rebellion in 200 years (1837)

Ōshio Heihachirō

Ōshi Heihachirō Rebellion, 1837

Ideological Tensions“Merit” ideology (men of talent)National learning (kokugaku) [ 国学 ]Aizawa Seishisai (1782-1863)

Wrote Shinron (New Proposals) in 1824 Echoes themes of merit (and lazy rulers),

and of sacred realmSakuma Shōzan (1811-1864)

Use of Western technology (=open the country)

”Eastern Ethics and Western Science”Teacher/activist, Yoshida Shōin, 1830-59

External crisis: Hunters, Whalers and Gunboats:

Pressure from Russia over Kuril islands & Hokkaido 1770s-1810s

Brits attempted to open Japan 1810s and 1820s

Bakufu concerned Ordered daimyō to strengthen coastal defense

British, Dutch, Russians all interested to force Japan to trade (more)

But, US most motivated to open Japan (whaling)

Matthew Perry arrived Edo July of 1853

Demanded opening of Japanese ports (1854)

Political crisis ensued Reference: “Black ships

and samurai” website (MIT)

Commodore Matthew Perry: Two views

Overthrow ofthe bakufu

•Context of internal crisis and external threat•Tokugawa seek to co-opt opposition, but•Outer domain leaders, and many lower-middling samurai lead overthrow

Satsuma & ChoshuOuter hanHate TokugawaHigh populationHigh ratio of

samuraiFinancially

solvent

Meiji restoration, 1867-68

Bakufu by 1865-66 undertakes reforms similar to those the new government would adopt

But, too little, too late

Anti-bakufu movement succeeds,in name of Emperor : “Meiji ishin (restoration)”

The revolutionary changes

•Dismantling the old order

-domains

•Samurai

Building New Institutions

•Rationalized bureaucracy

•Conscript army

Building new institutions

•schooling

•Rationalizedbureaucracy

•Conscriptarmy

Building new institutions

•taxes •Rationalizedbureaucracy

•Conscript army

•Mass schooling

Building new institutions

•Rationalizedbureaucracy

•Conscript army

•Mass schooling

•taxes

Monarchy

Issues of interpretation

Why did old elite (or a fraction of it) carry out a revolution, which harmed its members?

(-) the weak roots of samurai privilege

(+) Merit ideal

a contradiction in baku-han system