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