How did the Tokugawa Period impact the people of Japan?
The Tokugawa period or otherwise known as the Edo period has been recognised as an extremely significant aspect of Japanese history and left history changing effects on the country. In this essay, five primary aspects of the Edo period, which has helped produce present day Japan and had greatly impacted on the nation during this period will be addressed:
Politics, Social structure,The Samurai, Relations with the West and Culture.
Politics:
Tokugawa rulers during the 17th century greatly improved a multitude of separate political aspects and as a result, positively impacted the nation and citizens. A primary example of this is Tokugawa’s establishment of the capital at Edo which in present day Japan is called the iconic Tokyo. Additionally, he established a strong central government, along with his shoguns imposing an era of unity, stability, and peace in Japan. The shoguns closely monitored and controlled the local daimyo possessed a relative amount of power but remained to be tested for their loyalty and kept under control by the shoguns who restricted their family and eventually became hostages. The daimyo was required to maintain two residences in an attempt to prevent rebellion because of this wasting factor which prohibited them as they had minuscule amounts of time to construct a powerful army due to constantly needing to defend two residences. The Tokugawa period was an era of peace, stability, and
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the third of Japan’s unifiers, was able to create a stable regime that brought peace to Japan for 250 years. Under his system, “the centralization of feudal state and society went much further than it had in the earlier periods.” (Sources, 121). During this time, Shogun and roughly 260 feudal lords, called daimyos, ruled Japan. According to law, the positions of daimyos were inherited, which meant that a daimyo would be succeeded by one of his sons and this succession would be approved by the Shogun. The Shogun was theoretically selected by the emperor, who fulfilled his role as the “final legitimizing authority in Japan” (sources 121).
While ongoing change became the status quo in late-Tokugawa era Japan the ideals of the samurai—and the respect they receive—endured. And, because samurai could still fall back on the prestige their class represented, members of society still
The characteristics of Tokugawa Japan’s early modern state formation include feudalism, absolutism, and religious power. In The Taming of the Samurai, Eiko Ikegami claims that feudalism focuses on political structures. The characteristics of the political structure of Tokugawa Japan include political power that is controlled by private hands, military system of vassalage, and securing government forces. Eiko Ikegami describes the shogunate as the strongest authority figure of Tokugawa Japan. Eiko Ikegami also discusses Marxist’s definition of the feudalism system. Based on Marxists, the definition of feudalism involves transferring agricultural goods to the ruling higher class. Eiko Ikegami discusses that in Tokugawa Japan, the samurai used economic surplus transfer technique to gain economic surplus from peasants.
The Edo period set in the era of 1603-1867 was commonly known as the Tokugawa Period, this was when the Japanese society was ruled by Tokugawa Shogunate and the country’s 300 regional Daimyo, which at the time were powerful territorial lords who rules most of Japan which then was contained under strict social order, economic growth and prohibited foreign contact with outside countries. Many of japans historical artists would usually create illustrations on large scrolls of paper which are called ‘Emakimono’. Paint ceramics, calligraphy on silk or paper, use ink wash to paint vast landscapes. The most popular art form was ukiyo-e.
The following essay will highlight the reasons that contributed to the success of the Japanese Shogunate period, as well as factors that influenced in a negative way the Japanese history as a whole. I will look at factors that made the social classes run as smoothly as they did. The reasons and benefits of very few wars throughout the period and the effects on the education that people received. I will also look at the negatives of the Shogunate period, yet depending on how you look at things, this essay could mean a completely different thing to you and to others.
The major periods that shaped Japan’s history and future were the Heian-era of Aristocracy and the Kamakura period of Samurai. The Heian-era and the Kamakura period are interesting because of their differences in social structure, tradition, and culture. In the Heian era, the aristocrat’s social class was sought by many because of their social and cultural status. When the warrior rise in the Kamakura age the social classes change dramatically between aristocrat and warrior. The Heian-era (794-1191) was an age of self development in Japan’s culture and tradition. Before the Heian-era, Japan
During the post classical period, 650 C.E to 1450 C.E, Japanese leaders were confronted with several issues that threatened political order in Japan. The problems that arose during that time included a lack of respect for Buddhism, for example, monks were not taking their vows seriously. Another problem included the division between classes in the social structure, one instance was when the lady-in-waiting in the temple showed disdain for the peasants in a lower class than her. Ultimately, one last problem was the lack of overall respect for the government. Samurais were not being properly trained and the Daimyo were fighting among themselves simply for power. The issues that presented themselves during this time period can be solved in many ways. Buddhism, a unified religion, reestablishing Confucian values and relationships, and properly training the Samurai are just
This research essay will examine how the Isolation policy, introduced by the Tokugawa shogunate, was a turning point in Japanese history. The first section of the essay will discuss the rationale for the policy’s introduction. This will be followed by an analysis of the short and long term effects this policy had on Japanese Society.
The Japanese Feudal system was the way the Tokugawa Shogunate maintained control of medieval Japan. The Japanese Feudal was an effective way to make sure that the Tokugawa Shogunate didn’t get overthrown as the ruler of Japan. Three (3) rules that were part of the Japanese Feudal are: No one shall leave or enter Japan, Farmers and peasants couldn’t be merchants and the daimyo had to spend six (6) months every year in Toyko with the Shogun. One (1) of the rules of the Feudal system was no one was allowed in or out of Japan this is so there was no foreign culture or religion that would spread through Japan and question the way Japan was being ran and prevent the westernisation of Japan this also included banning Christianity. As stated by History.com “With the Act of Seclusion (1636), Japan was effectively cut off from Western nations for the next 200 years”.
The death of emperor Hideyoshi and subsequent ascension to the throne of Hideyori in 1598 set into motion events that would alter the political landscape in Japan for the next two hundred and fifty years. Tokugawa Ieyasu, in his quest to become absolute ruler of Japan defeated Hideyori loyalists in the battle of Sekigahara and was appointed Shogun by Hideyori in 1603. This military “coup d’état” effectively gave Tokugawa complete control of Japan and reduced the emperor to little more than a figurehead in the governing of Japan. As history would show, the feudal system of government that Tokugawa created ultimately led to
The Tokugawa period in Japan, otherwise known as the Edo period (1603-1867) was the final era of traditional Japan (Britannica School 2015). Ieyasu Tokugawa united Japan, preventing Japan from going into chaos. The Meiji Restoration period (1868-1912) consisted the return of full emperor control and the birth of major political, economic and social change. During the Tokugawa period Japan went through large economical change through the harvesting of agriculture to the production of various items, all achieved through peace.
Tokyo became the capital of Japan in 1868, although its history is long and varied. It used to be called Edo, which was originally a small fishing village. In 1590, Shogun Tokugawa leyasu made Edo his base and in 1603 it became the seat of government when he made the city his headquarters. During the Edo Period (1603–1868), Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world, with a population topping one million by the 18th century. During this time, the city enjoyed a prolonged period of peace known as the ‘Pax Tokugawa’. Edo became the capital of Japan after Emperor Meiji moved his seat to the city from the old imperial capital, Kyoto. Edo was then renamed Tokyo.
Tokugawa had centralized government with 450 daimyo put into a place. He required them to meet in Edo every other year, having a residency for at least one year. The families of the daimyo also had to stay as hostages, so they could
Meiji Restoration was a significant historical event not only in Japanese history but also in world history. A study (Hunt, Lynn, Thomas, & Barbara, 2009) concluded that the word “Meiji” means “enlightened rule” and the goal was to combine “modern advances” with “eastern” values. This event restored practical imperial rule to Japan under Emperor Meiji in 1868 (“Meiji Restoration”, 2017). As a result, it led to the tremendous changes in political and social structure of Japan, and spanned both the Late Tokugawa period and the beginning of the Meiji period (“Meiji Restoration”, 2017). The main causes of Meiji Restoration can be analyzed from the following different aspects.
Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the nation's capital and Imperial Residence GOT SHIFTED from Kyoto to Tokyo. In 1888 development of another Imperial Palace was finished. The royal residence was once annihilated amid World War Two, and reconstructed in the same style, a short time later.