1. Essential Question:
What was the impact of western imperialism on Japan?
Warm Up Question:

2. Western imperialism in Asia dramatically changed Japan
Let’s quickly review Japanese history

3. Title
Ancient Japan was a territory divided by clans that borrowed ideas from China, like Buddhism, emperors, writing, & architecture
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4. By the mid 11th century, Japanese feudalism began
Emperor had little power
Japan was ruled by regional landowners called daimyo
Daimyo were served by loyal warriors called samurai
For safety, farmers and small landowners traded parts of their land to strong warlords in exchange for protection. With more land, the lords gained more power. This marked the beginning of a feudal system of localized rule like that of ancient China and medieval Europe.
Samurai Warriors
Since wars between rival lords were commonplace, each lord surrounded himself with a bodyguard of loyal warriors called samurai (SAM•uh•RY). (Samurai means “one who serves.”) Samurai lived according to a demanding code of behavior called Bushido (BUSH•ih•DOH), or “the way of the warrior.” A samurai was expected to show reckless courage, reverence for the gods, fairness, and generosity toward those weaker than himself. Dying an honorable death was judged more important than living a long life.
The Kamakura Shogunate
During the late 1100s, Japan’s two most powerful clans fought for power. After almost 30 years of war, the Minamoto family emerged victorious. In 1192, the emperor gave a Minamoto leader named Yoritomo the title of shogun, or “supreme general of the emperor’s army.” In effect, the shogun had the powers of a military dictator. Following tradition, the emperor still reigned from Kyoto. (Kyoto was rebuilt on the ruins of Heian, which had been destroyed in war.) However, the real center of power was at the shogun’s military headquarters at Kamakura (KAHM•uh•KUR•uh). The 1200s are known in Japanese history as the Kamakura shogunate. The pattern of government in which shoguns ruled through puppet emperors lasted in Japan until The Kamakura shoguns were strong enough to turn back the two naval invasions sent by the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan in 1274 and However, the Japanese victory over the Mongols drained the shoguns’ treasury. Loyal samurai were bitter when the government failed to pay them. The Kamakura shoguns lost prestige and power. Samurai attached themselves more closely to their local lords, who soon fought one another as fiercely as they had fought the Mongols.

5. From 1192 to 1867, Japan was ruled by military dictators called shogun
From 1560 to 1600, 3 powerful shogun, unified Japan
Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan in 1600 & created a strong line of succession called the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan until 1867
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Oda Nobunaga
Tokugawa Ieyasu

6. European merchants & missionaries first arrived in Japan in the mid-1500s
Japanese shogun enjoyed trade with Europeans & were fascinated by their military & technologies
But the rapid conversion of Japanese to Christianity worried Tokugawa who banned Christianity in 1619
Contact Between Europe and Japan
Europeans began coming to Japan in the 16th century, during the Warring States period. Despite the severe disorder in the country, the Japanese welcomed traders and missionaries, from Portugal and, later, other European countries. These newcomers introduced fascinating new technologies and ideas. Within a century, however, the aggressive Europeans had worn out their welcome.
Portugal Sends Ships, Merchants, and Technology to Japan
The Japanese first encountered Europeans in 1543, when shipwrecked Portuguese sailors washed up on the shores of southern Japan. Portuguese merchants soon followed. They hoped to involve themselves in Japan’s trade with China and Southeast Asia. The Portuguese brought clocks, eyeglasses, tobacco, firearms, and other unfamiliar items from Europe. Japanese merchants, eager to expand their markets, were happy to receive the newcomers and their goods. The daimyo, too, welcomed the strangers. They were particularly interested in the Portuguese muskets and cannons, because every daimyo sought an advantage over his rivals. The Japanese purchased weapons from the Portuguese and soon began their own production. Firearms forever changed the time-honored tradition of the Japanese warrior, whose principal weapon had been the sword. Some daimyo recruited and trained corps of peasants to use muskets. Many samurai, who retained the sword as their principal weapon, would lose their lives to musket fire in future combat. The cannon also had a huge impact on warfare and life in Japan. Daimyo had to build fortified castles to withstand the destructive force of cannonballs. (See the photograph of Himeji Castle on page 543.) The castles attracted merchants, artisans, and others to surrounding lands. Many of these lands were to grow into the towns and cities of modern Japan, including Edo (Tokyo), Osaka, Himeji, and Nagoya.
Christian Missionaries in Japan
In 1549, Christian missionaries began arriving in Japan. The Japanese accepted the missionaries in part because they associated them with the muskets and other European goods that they wanted to purchase. However, the religious orders of Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans came to convert the Japanese. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit, led the first mission to Japan. He wrote that the Japanese were “very sociable. . . and much concerned with their honor, which they prize above everything else.” Francis Xavier baptized about a hundred converts before he left Japan. By the year 1600, other European missionaries had converted about 300,000 Japanese to Christianity. The success of the missionaries upset Tokugawa Ieyasu. He found aspects of the Christian invasion troublesome. Missionaries, actively seeking converts, scorned traditional Japanese beliefs and sometimes involved themselves in local politics. At first, Ieyasu did not take any action. He feared driving off the Portuguese, English, Spanish, and Dutch traders who spurred Japan’s economy. By 1612, however, the shogun had come to fear religious uprisings more. He banned Christianity and focused on ridding his country of all Christians. Ieyasu died in 1616, but repression of Christianity continued off and on for the next two decades under his successors. In 1637, the issue came to a head. An uprising in southern Japan of some 30,000 peasants, led by dissatisfied samurai, shook the Tokugawa shogunate. Because so many of the rebels were Christian, the shogun decided that Christianity was at the root of the rebellion. After that, the shoguns ruthlessly persecuted Christians. European missionaries were killed or driven out of Japan. All Japanese were forced to demonstrate faithfulness to some branch of Buddhism. These policies eventually eliminated Christianity in Japan and led to the formation of an exclusion policy.
The Closed Country Policy
The persecution of Christians was part of an attempt to control foreign ideas. When Europeans first arrived, no central authority existed to contain them. The strong leaders who later took power did not like the introduction of European ideas and ways, but they valued European trade. As time passed, the Tokugawa shoguns realized that they could safely exclude both the missionaries and the merchants. By 1639, they had sealed Japan’s borders and instituted a “closed country policy.”
Japan in Isolation
Most commercial contacts with Europeans ended. One port, Nagasaki, remained open to foreign traders. But only Dutch and Chinese merchants were allowed into the port. Earlier, the English had left Japan voluntarily; the Spanish and the Portuguese had been expelled. Since the Tokugawa shoguns controlled Nagasaki, they now had a monopoly on foreign trade, which continued to be profitable. For more than 200 years, Japan remained basically closed to Europeans. In addition, the Japanese were forbidden to leave, so as not to bring back foreign ideas. Japan would continue to develop, but as a self-sufficient country, free from European attempts to colonize or to establish their Presence. Europeans had met with much resistance in their efforts to open the East to trade. But expansion to the West, in the Americas, as you will learn in Chapter 20, would prove much more successful for European traders, missionaries, and colonizers.

7. To protect Japan from European influences, Tokugawa Shogunate banned all foreign merchants & missionaries
By 1639, Japan adopted a “closed country policy” & Japan entered an era of isolation that lasted for 200 years

8. Nagasaki Bay Deshima Dutch Ships
By 1639, they had sealed Japan’s borders and instituted a “closed country policy.” Most commercial contacts with Europeans ended. One port, Nagasaki, remained open to foreign traders. But only Dutch and Chinese merchants were allowed into the port. Earlier, the English had left Japan voluntarily; the Spanish and the Portuguese had been expelled. Since the Tokugawa shoguns controlled Nagasaki, they now had a monopoly on foreign trade, which continued to be profitable. For more than 200 years, Japan remained basically closed to Europeans. In addition, the Japanese were forbidden to leave, so as not to bring back foreign ideas. Japan would continue to develop, but as a self-sufficient country, free from European attempts to colonize or to establish their Presence. Europeans had met with much resistance in their efforts to open the East to trade. But expansion to the West, in the Americas, as you will learn in Chapter 20, would prove much more successful for European traders, missionaries, and colonizers.
During this era of isolation, the Japanese allowed one port at Deshima in Nagasaki Bay to remain open but only to Dutch & Chinese merchants

9. The Japanese did more than trade with the Dutch, they also learned from them about new Western ideas
These “Dutch studies” helped Japan learn about some of the new scientific & industrial technologies in Europe
Microscope, 1787
Steam engine, 1845
Anatomy book, 1774
Railroad, 1845
Electric battery, 1840
Steamboat, 1845

10. The Japanese repeatedly refused Western trade
Title
From 1640 to 1853, Japan was isolated while the rest of Asia became imperialized by Western powers
In the early 1800s, Britain, France, Russia, & USA tried to negotiate trade rights in Japan
The Japanese repeatedly refused Western trade

11. Critical Thinking Decision #1: The Arrival of Americans in 1853
In 1853, U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Tokyo Harbor with 4 well-armed, steamships & demanded that the Japanese trade with the USA
Critical Thinking Decision #1:
The Arrival of Americans in 1853
Japan’s Response: C

12. Japanese officials realized they were overmatched by U.S. naval ships
When Matthew Perry returned in 1854, Japanese officials signed the Treaty of Kanagawa which opened two ports to American merchants
Japanese officials realized they were overmatched by U.S. naval ships

13. After the United States opened the door to Japanese trade in 1854, other Western powers entered Japan
By 1860, England, France, the Dutch, Russia, & USA all had unequal trade treaties & extraterritorial rights in Japan

14. Critical Thinking Decision #2:
The Meiji Restoration
Japanese were angry that the shogun had given in to foreigner’s demands & feared Japan would become as powerless as China
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In 1867, the Tokugawa shogun stepped down which brought an end to 600 years of military dictatorship
Emperor Mutsuhito took control of the government & took the title “Meiji” (“enlightened rule”)
Japan’s Response: B

15. The Meiji emperor realized the best way to end Western influence was to modernize
Japan sent diplomats to Europe & America to study Western ways & adapt them to their own country

16. Japan admired Germany’s government & used it as a model to create a new constitution and parliament

17. Japanese leaders eagerly supported industrialization & began building modern factories…

18. …railroads, steamships, & steel bridges
Title
…railroads, steamships, & steel bridges

19. Japan built a modern military by modeling their army after the Germans & their navy after the British

20. Title
Japanese officials reformed education using models from German, America, & French public schools
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21. Western fashions became popular in Japan

22. Modernization in the Meiji era transformed Japan into the most industrial & militarized nation in Asia
Land Redistribution
Public schools (Germany, USA, & France)
End of the feudal system
By 1900, Japan had 7,000 miles of railroad track; thousands of factories; profitable tea, silk, shipbuilding industries; & an modern army & navy
The Meiji reforms gave Japan power & respect; Japanese nationalism led to the end to Western extraterritorial rights & unequal trade treaties
Modern banking system
Modernize the Army (Germany)
Meiji Reforms
Written Constitution (Germany)
Build a Modern Navy (Britain)
Critical Thinking Decision #3:
Japanese reforms & industrialization
Japan’s Response: D
Human Rights & Religious Freedom
Emperor Worship Intensified

23. Like other industrialized nations, Japan began to imperialize in Asia
By the 1890s, Japan saw itself as a modern nation that needed raw materials
Like other industrialized nations, Japan began to imperialize in Asia
Japan looked to take Korea, but China always had a claim to the land

24. For their victory, Japan gained Taiwan & spheres of influence in China
The dispute with China over Korea resulted in the Sino-Japanese War from 1894 to 1895
In a short time, Japan defeated the Chinese army & destroyed their navy
For their victory, Japan gained Taiwan & spheres of influence in China

25. Title
This woodblock print is an almost perfect example of how the Japanese (left) saw themselves as totally different from the Chinese and fundamentally similar to the Westerners, seen here in the figures of Western advisors (right) standing behind the Chinese
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26. After Japan’s victory over China, a rivalry developed between Japan & Russia
From 1904 to Russo-Japanese War began over control of Port Arthur & Manchuria

27. During the war, Japan shocked the world by defeating a western power
In 1905, U.S President Teddy Roosevelt helped draft the treaty that Korea to Japan & removed Russia from Manchuria
“In the world’s eye”

28. Western nations relied on Japan to keep order in Asia
Title
Japan’s victories over China & Russia transformed Japan into the dominant force in Asia
Western nations relied on Japan to keep order in Asia
Unfortunately, Japanese imperialism surged again in the 1930s & 1940s which became a focal point of World War II

29. Closure Activity
Compare and contrast Chinese & Japanese reactions to imperialism:
How were each impacted by the arrival of Europeans?
How did each respond to imperialism?
Why was Japan’s reaction to imperialism more “successful” than China’s?