The+Fall+of+the+Shoguns

// Fall of Feudal Japan // Alex Hayman

Climate and Geography Events and Leaders Weaponry Socio-Political Structure Art Agriculture and the Economy Research Bibliography Essay

Climate and Geographic Factors

 * Generally mountainous, around 3/5 mountains
 * Climate generally rainy or mild and humid
 * Precipitation is double the world average
 * Three distinct periods of high precipitation
 * Winter draws heavy snowfall, mostly in north
 * June and July are rainy
 * September and October are Typhoon season
 *  Typhoons destruction is quite high, has not changed over the years
 *  Rivers have fast flow rate due to mountainous geography
 *  Rivers prone to flooding as result
 * Usually prone to landslides
 * Also quite destructive

** Events and Leaders **

 * 1333: End of Kamakura period
 * 1333-36: imperial rule of Emperor Go-Daigo
 * 1336: Ashikaga Takauji had strong support from samurai displeased with emperor, deposed Go-Daigo
 * 1338: Takauji appointed self shogun, established gov’t in Kyoto
 * 1338: Go-Daigo escapes capture, regains power in Nara
 * 1338-1392: Separate states, civil war
 * 1368: Third Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, comes into power
 * Date unknown: Yoshimitsu gives constables with limited power during Kamakura period great regional power, later called Daimyo
 * 1392: Yoshimitsu reunifies North and Southern court, promises of balance were made, but North court is more powerful anyway
 * 1467-1477: Õnin war, result of feud of between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen, escalates to war involving Ashikaga Shogunate and many Daimyo
 * 1473: both Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen die
 * Aftermath:
 * Hosokawa family takes power
 * Shogun becomes a tool/puppet of Hosokawa family
 * Neither of original families accomplish goals
 * Huge destruction of most Japanese cities, worst in Kyoto
 * 1473-1573: Power vacuum results in Anarchy and Civil War
 * 1542: Introduction of firearms by shipwrecked Portuguese merchants
 * 1568: Daimyo Oda Nobunaga enters Kyoto and ends civil war
 * 1573: Nobunaga overthrows Muromachi bakufu (shogun), extends control to all Japan.
 * 1573: End of Muromachi Period
 * 1600: Battle of Sekigahara, victory of Tokugawa leyasu gives him control of most of Japan
 * 1600: leyasu abolishes most enemy daimyo houses, reduces others
 * 1603: Emperor appoints leyasu first Tokugawa Shogunate
 * 1603: leyasu moves government to Edo (Tokyo)
 * 1605: leyasu retires, appoints son Hidetada shogun
 * 1605-1615: leyasu dedicates decade to Toyotomi daimyo’s destruction
 * 1614: leyasu bans Christianity
 * 1615: Toyotomi stronghold at Osaka destroyed
 * 1616: Foreign trade restrictions[[image:100938-004-A0B1484A.jpg width="178" height="225" align="right" caption="Tokugawa Yoshinobu, last Shogun"]]
 * 1622: Execution of 120 missionaries and converts
 * 1624: Expulsion of the Spanish
 * 1629: Execution of thousands of Christians
 * 1633: Tokugawa lemitsu forbids traveling abroad and reading foreign books
 * 1638: lemitsu forbids ship building
 * 1639: Sakoku established, no foreigners could enter Japan on penalty of death (except the Dutch and Chinese, but restricted)
 * 1657: Great Fire of Meireki destroys 60-70% of Edo (Tokyo), kills over 100k
 * 1854: Convention of Kanagawa signed, allowing permanent trade with US, ending 200 years of isolation
 * 1868: Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigns as Shogun after less than a year, end of feudal Japan, imperial rule restored

** Weaponry **

 * The most notable weapon of Feudal Japan was the Katana (AKA a samurai sword)
 * Katana is most notable for design, esp. the curve in the blade
 * Also notable for sharpness and near mythical cutting ability
 * A shorter version of the Katana is the Wakizashi, used indoors, Katana is too large to be used inside
 * Another weapon notable in Feudal Japan were staves[[image:Katana.gif width="180" height="170" align="right" caption="A Katana/samurai sword"]]
 * The longest was called the Bo (about 2m), mostly used by commoners for self defense, they weren’t allowed to carry weapons
 * A shorter version is the Jo (1.35m), also mostly used by commoners
 * Two really short versions, the Keibo and Ebo (35 and 15 cm respectively), were mostly used indoors
 * Also notable were Nunchakus (AKA nunchuks), shape known to most, originally used as a farming tool
 * Shurikens (literally a dagger hidden in the palm) took various appearances, mostly what we would know as a throwing star, used by various people, mostly used by Ninjas, often envenomed
 * Despite fame of above weapons, the most common weapon in Feudal Japan was a spear not unlike those used by the rest of the world

** Social and Political structure (descending order of social status) **

 * Emperor:
 * Has the highest social status[[image:samurai-art-f.jpg width="160" height="240" align="right" caption="Artist's depiction of a Samurai, likely inaccurate"]]
 * Rulers in name only
 * Have very little power. Mostly under control of Shogun
 * Shogun:
 * A part of the warrior class
 * Military leader of Japan
 * Title often fought for by various Daimyo clans
 * High social status, other classes provide his needs in return for protection
 * Daimyos:
 * Part of the warrior class
 * Nobles at the top of the samurai class
 * Represented the Shogun
 * High social status among warriors
 * Samurai:
 * Main members of the warrior class
 * Loyal to shogun and daimyos
 * Similar to shogun and daimyo, needs provided by lower classes
 * Ronin:
 * Wandering samurai without daimyos
 * Often worked as bodyguards for rich merchants or as mercenaries
 * Low social status, no political influence.
 * Peasants:
 * Commoners, made up 90% of the population
 * Often had to give up 2/3 of their crop to upper classes in exchange for being allowed on the land, very poor, often went hungry
 * Artisans:
 * Craftspeople, made variety of wood and metal products to meet needs and wants of other classes
 * Often not respected as peasants because they did not produce food
 * Were known for very good art, farm tools, and swords.
 * Merchants:
 * Made money by selling goods and produce made by others
 * Very low social status as they made nothing and earned a living on the work of others. So low they often had to live elsewhere and not interact with others except for business



** Art **

 * Tensho Shubun was considered most influential painter of Muromachi period
 * Was official painter to the Shogun[[image:93945006_08d4a1eeb0.jpg width="176" height="250" align="right" caption="Catching a Catfish With a Gourd - copy of Josetsu original"]]
 * Many ink landscape pictures attributed to him
 * Believed to have perfected the art of Japanese Zen monochrome painting
 * Was an embassy to Korea in 1423 or 1424
 * Josetsu was one of the first Suiboku style painters of the Muromachi period
 * Probably taught Tensho Shubun
 * Best known painting is “Catching a Catfish with a Gourd”
 * Was created because the Ashikaga Shogun asked a riddle of “How do you catch a catfish with a gourd?”
 * Japanese paintings of the period were very influenced by the Chinese
 * Were mostly of monochrome style, and either black and white or dull colours
 * Often emphasized the land
 * In Suiboku style painting, only black ink is used

** Agriculture and Economy **

 * Japan’s early economy was based largely on rice
 * The Japanese economy in this period was very agricultural, in fact craftsmen were seen as being beneath peasants.
 * The unit of measurement for wealth, 1 koku, was the equivalent of the amount of rice needed to feed a family for a year
 * The Portuguese preferred gold to rice, so the Koban (a gold coin) was made, equivalent to 3 koku
 * European nations were interested in Japan due to large amounts of precious metals contained within it
 * They were amazed by expert craftsmanship in Japan, however this was due to the actual small amount of resources Japan had, and thus couldn’t waste it
 * Portuguese often acted as mediators between Japan and China

Research notes Bibliography
[] (climate information)
 * Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan
 * Copyright 2007
 * Last edit date unknown

Wikipedia (sections listed) [] (weaponry)
 * Events:
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * Art:
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * Economy
 * [][|)]
 * []
 * No copyright
 * Last edit date unknown

[|www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/midlsoc/gr7/4info1.html](home page is [|www.education.gov.sk.ca]) (Socio-Political Structure)
 * Government of Saskatchewan
 * Copyright 2007/2009

Images
 * Tokugawa Yoshinobu: []
 * Katana: []
 * Samurai: []
 * Painting:[]

There are many lessons to be learned from the fall of Feudal Japan. Among them, there exist a few key ones. These would include the classic United we Stand, Divided we Fall, the fact that isolation leads to a loss in the long run, and the straight fact that stability is key to prosperity. Therefore, there is a lot we should learn from the fall of Feudal Japan.  Firstly, the old classic, United we Stand, Divided we Fall. Feudalist Japan was a period fraught with civil conflict, and as such didn’t have much of a chance in the long term. The most important event of this type was the Onin War. What started as a small conflict between two Daimyos over the successor to the Shogun ended up splitting most of Kyoto into two war camps, having the rest evacuated, the entire city pillaged and destroyed, and the Shogun being thrust into a figurehead position with no self chosen successors. Not even the cause of the dispute both dying in 1473 stopped the war 1 . A very good example of how civil conflict can ruin something seemingly stable. Another good example is the Nanboku-cho period of the early Muromachi period. After emperor Go-Daigo was deposed, he fled to the southern half of the country and ruled that half of the country from there. Whishing to regain power, he and the southern court initiated a series of minor conflicts lasting 60 years and three emperors after Go-Daigo’s death <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">2 <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">. Again, minor example of the above. As clearly shown the worst thing a country can do is go to war with //<span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">itself // <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">. <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Another major lesson needing to be learned from this is that having no contact with the outside world is a good way to ensure you become another country’s plaything. One major factor in the civilizations ultimate downfall was that because they were out of touch with the outside world, their quality of technology failed them. This allowed the United States to easily pressure them into a trade agreement due to having more up to date military technology. This resulted in a lot of countries following suit, meaning the government had a lot of treaties and paperwork to fill out and sign, causing mass confusion there, and numerous attempts to seize political power were made <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">3 <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">. They all failed, but suppose one didn’t. <span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> A third important lesson learned is that a big key for prosperity is stability. Most of the feudal years were unstable, and most had minimal prosperity. When Tokugawa Ieyasu was in power during the early Edo years, he minimalized conflict between Daimyos by turning their attention to the arts, requiring them to be in Edo, and generally had less conflict on his hands just by these methods. Also, while he was Shogun, the country shifted from warfare and turmoil to stability and prosperity. During the Edo period, land was Rigidly divided between the classes, Confucian ideas were imbued into the system (IE loyalty to superiors), emphasis was generally shifted away from the military, large restrictions were placed on things to help keep things stable, trade and production grew, and the country was finally in a state of prosperity. Such would not have been the case if stability were not achieved. Although there are more, these are the main lessons to be learned of Feudalist Japan’s downfall.

(please note, this wiki doesn't seem to like indentation)

Essay bibliography

1 ( [], no MLA notes included). 2 ( [], Copyright © 2009 Japan Traveler, Designed by <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|Jordan Dunn] ) 3 ( [], Copyright © 2009 Japan Traveler, Designed by Jordan Dunn)