History of Japan to 1868 CE.pdf

Japan = Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido, and the Ryukyu Islands

Jōmon Period (13,000-300 BCE) – prehistoric culture
Yayoi Period (300 BCE-250 CE) – rice-farming agricultural society
Yamato Period (250-710 CE) – imperial dynasty established
Nara and Heian Periods (710-1192 CE) – classical Japanese culture
Kamakura Period (1192-1333 CE) – samurai rule established
Ashikaga Period (1338-1573 CE) – weak shoguns and strong daimyos
Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573-1603 CE) – civil war ending in unification
Tokugawa Period (1603-1868 CE) – peaceful isolation and urban culture

Jōmon Period (10,000 BCE to 300 BCE)
• Prehistoric tribal/clan organization
• Neolithic gatherers, fishers, and hunters arrived
in the south from East and Southeast Asia over
land bridges during last Ice Age.

• named for handmade pottery
• world’s oldest discovered pottery

• 660 BCE: Jimmu, descendant of sun goddess Amaterasu, founded the empire.
Emperor Jimmu with the crow Yatagarasu by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1880)

Yayoi Period (300 BCE to 250 CE)
• Immigrants from China and Korea supplanted Jōmon culture.
• Descendants of Jōmon = modern Ainu people of Hokkaido?

• Immigrants from China and Korea supplanted Jōmon culture.
• Rice cultivation, advanced pottery, and metalwork were
introduced from China and Korea.

• Social classes evolved. Parts of the country united
under powerful aristocrats.
Yoshinogari
Historical Park

• Women may have had a certain level of equality with men
in early Japan.
• Political power remained on the village level, with no
central authority but Chinese travelers reported on the
witch-queen Himiko.
sculpture of Queen Himiko (175-248 CE)
at the Osaka Museum of Yayoi Culture
Himiko by Yasuda Yukihiko

• Japanese worshipped spirits called kami they believed resided
in nature.
• Shinto evolved into a state doctrine believing in the divinity of
the emperor as descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu.
Itsukushima Shrine

Yamato Period (250 to 710 CE)
• Yamato clan rulers, claiming descent from Amaterasu, began
the imperial dynasty that continues to occupy the throne today.
• The Soga clan took political power resulting in symbolic
emperors who performed Shinto rituals.
Amaterasu emerging from Heavenly Rock Cave by
Utagawa Kunisada (1856)
Naruhito, 126th Emperor of Japan
(2019-present)

• Massive keyhole tombs (kofun) were built for clan rulers.

• Japan established close contacts with mainland Asia.
• Buddhism and Chinese writing were introduced via Korean
kingdom of Baekje.

• 645: To resist a potential Chinese invasion, Prince
Shotoku passed the Taika Reforms.
• Shotoku promoted Chinese culture and established a new
government and administrative system based on Chinese
Confucianism.
• A divine emperor ran a centralized government that
limited the aristocrats’ power and enhanced imperial rule.
• All land was bought by the state and redistributed equally
among the farmers.
“From the Emperor of the land of the rising sun to the Emperor of land of the setting sun.”
- letter from Prince Shotoku of Japan to Emperor Yang of Sui dynasty China

Nara and Heian Periods (710 to 1185 CE)
• Classical Japanese culture thrived in the imperial court, aided by
invention of kana writing.
• The Kojiki, Japan’s oldest writing, records events from the
mythical age of the gods up to the 600s based on oral traditions.
page from the oldest surviving
copy of the Kojiki (c. 1371)
Amaterasu Emerging by Shunsai Toshimasa (1887)

• Court women produce literature, like Tale of Genji
(c. 1002) by Murasaki Shikibu, the world's first novel.
• The novel traces the life of the nobleman Genji as he
moves from youthful adventure and romance to a life
of sadness and compassion in his later years.
18th century kimono with images from The Tale of Genji.
In the Edo period, books were represented on garments
to symbolize knowledge and wisdom.
scene from
The Tale of
Genji (1852)

• Japan became increasingly patriarchal. A husband
could divorce on the grounds of the wife talking too
much, having a serious illness, or being unable to
produce a male child.
• Nonetheless, an eighth century law guaranteed
inheritance rights for women. Abandoned wives
could divorce and remarry.

• 710: A new imperial capital modeled on Chang-an, China was established at Nara.
• Emperors patronized Buddhism believing that its teachings would create a peaceful society
and protect the state.
right: Buddhist temple of Byodo-in, Uji (1052 CE)
left: Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kōtoku-in temple (1252)

• 794: The imperial court relocated to Heian (Kyōto) to escape
the growing political influence of nearby Buddhist monasteries.
• 838: End of official diplomatic contacts with China
modern reconstruction of the Heian Palace in Kyoto

• Many aristocrats and the Buddhist monasteries
won tax exempt status reducing state income;
political power shifted from the central government
to aristocrats.
• Aristocrats hired samurai for protection.
• Samurai followed a warrior code called Bushido and
were loyal to their lord and employer.

• 1180-1185: The Taira and Minamoto clans fought in the
Genpei War.
Warriors of the Taira clan

• Minamoto Yoritomo defeated the Taira and
established a new bakufu government in
Kamakura as the first shogun.
• The shogun, not the emperor, had the real power.
A figurehead emperor remained in Kyoto with the
court aristocracy.
Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun

Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333 CE)
• Samurai were now the leading social class. Daimyō
lords controlled vast landed estates that were tax
exempt.
• The daimyo relied on the samurai, and a loose
coalition of noble families came into power.
• Industries such as paper, iron casting, and porcelain
emerged.
Samurai holding a severed head

• New Buddhist sects emerged, including Zen which was popular with samurai. It emphasized
strong self-discipline, especially meditation.
Photo from the 1890s showing samurai armor and weapons
Samurai about to
perform seppuku,
a ritual suicide

• 1274 and 1281: Kublai Khan's Mongol invasions were repelled
with the help of kamikaze storms.
• War preparations against the Mongols bankrupted the
Kamakura shogunate.
• 1333-1336: Emperor Go-Daigo overthrew the Kamakura
shogunate and restored imperial power.
Japanese samurai boarding Mongol ships in 1281

Ashikaga Period (1336 to 1568 CE)
• Shogun Ashikaga Takauji challenged the imperial court and
captured Kyoto.
Kinkaku-ji / Golden Temple in Kyoto is a
synthesis of imperial court, samurai, and
Zen Buddhist influences.
Ashikaga Takauji

• Takauji and his successors supported Zen Buddhism, including ink painting, Zen gardens, and
the chanoyu tea ceremony.
Moss garden of Saihō-ji cherry blossom at the rock garden of Ryōan-ji Temple

• Takauji and his successors supported Zen
Buddhism, including ink painting, Zen gardens,
and the chanoyu tea ceremony.
Tea Ceremony
by Toyohara Chikanobu (1888)

• Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu lost influence over frontier regions
and the shogunate collapsed in civil war.
The Forces of Ashikaga Yorimitsu Returning Home by Utagawa Yoshitora (1862)

• 1467–1573: During the Sengoku (Warring States Era), daimyō feudal lords fought continuously.
Muromachi samurai (1538)
domains of Sengoku-era daimyos

• 1543: Portuguese missionaries and traders arrived and introduced firearms and Christianity.
Jesuit Francis Xavier led a mission to Kyoto.

• Daimyō, keen for trade with Europeans, welcomed
Christianity.
• Goods like tobacco, clocks, and eyeglasses attracted
the Japanese, and the rulers were especially
interested in European weapons.
Date Tanemune,
a Sengoku period daimyo

Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568 to 1600 CE)
• Oda Nobunaga captured Kyoto, overthrew the Ashikaga
bakufu, and won control of central Japan.
• Nobunaga eliminated militant Buddhist monks.
• The Jesuit practice of destroying Shinto shrines led to
the suppression of Christianity.
Benkei, a Heian-era Buddhist warrior monk, is a popular Japanese folk hero.

• 1582: Nobunaga was betrayed and assassinated by one
of his generals.
• A loyal general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, quickly seized
Nobunaga’s territories and eliminated remaining rivals
Oda Nobunaga

• 1590: Hideyoshi conquered neighboring regions and completed reunification of Japan.
Onna-Musha were samurai women who
fought alongside men.

• Hideyoshi destroyed castles, confiscated weapons from farmers and religious institutions, and
forbade samurai from farming, crafting, and trading to create clear social class distinctions
Himeji Castle was built in 1333 and
remodeled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1581.

• Hideyoshi persecuted Christian missionaries.
• 1592-1598: Hideyoshi dreamt of conquering the entire
world, but a Japanese invasion of Korea was defeated
by Chinese and Korean forces.
The Twenty-Six Martyrs
of Japan were Catholics
crucified in 1597.
Toyotomi
Hideyoshi

The Battle of Sekigahara (1600), involving over 160,000 samurai, was the climatic battle of the wars of unification.

• 1598: Tokugawa Ieyasu, a strong ally of Nobunaga and
Hideyoshi, succeeded him. Japan entered an age of
peace and national isolation.
Yuki no Kata defending Anotsu castle
during the Sengoku period

Tokugawa Period (1603 to 1868 CE)
• 1603: Ieyasu became shogun and moved his base to the village of Edo (modern Tokyo)
beginning 265 years of Tokugawa rule
• This was the most stable and peaceful period in Japan's premodern history.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Edo Castle

• The state was divided into about 250 territories called hans, or domains.

• Daimyō were kept in check through the alternate
attendance system. Daimyō were required to spend
half their time in Edo while their families remained in
the capital full time.
• Maintaining two households and retinues of samurai
warriors was a huge financial burden for the daimyō
and limited their power at home.
armor used by Kenshin Uesugi, one of the most
powerful daimyōs of the Sengoku period

• Neo-Confucianism stressed the importance of morals, education and hierarchical order in the
government and society. A rigid social hierarchy ensured peace and stability.
• Samurai (10% of population) were ranked highest, followed by farmers, artisans, and
merchants. Social class intermarriage was forbidden.

• 1630s: Japan closed its borders to most
foreign contact and forbade Japanese from
travelling abroad.
• European missionaries were expelled, and
Christianity was suppressed.
Dutch East India Company ship

• Only Chinese and Dutch traders had limited access through the tiny manmade island of
Dejima at Nagasaki. Japanese gained limited knowledge of Western philosophy, history and
medicine through this trade.
Dejima

• Only 19 Dutch traders were allowed to remain at Dejima at one time.
Dutch traders
at Dejima

• Commerce and manufacturing flourished, especially in Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Edo (Tokyo)
became largest city in the world with a population of around one million.
Edo in the 1600s

• A growing merchant class enjoyed Kabuki theater that emphasized action, music, and dramatic
gestures. The early plays dealt with the world of urban teahouses and dance halls.
left: Kabuki actor Oniji Ōtani III, Bando Zenji, and Sawamura
Yodogoro
above: Kunitarō Sawamura II flying over the stage in
Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (1847)

• A growing merchant class enjoyed Kabuki theater that emphasized action, music, and dramatic
gestures. The early plays dealt with the world of urban teahouses and dance halls.
March 1849 production of the Kabuki play Chūshingura

• Printing and publication of books increased; education became available to the urban
population. The haiku poet Mitsuo Bashō was active.
五月雨をあつめてはやし最上川
Samidare wo/ Atsumete Hayashi/ Mogamigawa
The rains of summer join together.
How swift it is
Mogami River.
行春や鳥啼き魚の目は泪
Yuku haru ya/ Tori naki uwo no/ Me wa namida
Spring is passing.
The birds cry, and the fishes’ eyes are
With tears.
*”Spring is passing” often means an eternal parting. The birds and the
fishes mean Basho and his friends.

• Artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai produced their ukiyo-e prints.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Hokusai (1831)
“living only for the moment,
savoring the moon, the snow,
the cherry blossoms, and the
maple leaves, singing songs,
drinking wine, and diverting
oneself in simply floating,
unconcerned by the prospect of
imminent poverty, buoyant and
carefree, like a gourd carried
along with the current of the
river...”
- Asai Ryoi, Tales of
the Floating World (1666)

• Artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai produced their
ukiyo-e prints.
Amida Falls, Hokusai (c. 1829-1833)

Mitsui Shop in Suruga Street in Edo,
Hokusai (c. 1830)

Kanbara, Hiroshige (1833)

Travelers Surprised by Sudden Rain, Hiroshige (1831)

The Plum Garden in Kameido,
Hiroshige (1857)
Suido Bridge and the Surugadi Quarter,
Hiroshige (1857)
Futami Bay in Ise Province,
Hiroshige (1857)

Suo Iwakuni,
Hiroshige (1859)
Kozuke Province,
Hiroshige (1853)
Moon Bridge in Meguro,
Hiroshige (1857)

• The works of Ihara Saikaku are the best examples of this new urban fiction. His greatest novel,
Five Women Who Loved Love, tells of five merchant-class women searching for love.

• The rigid social structure gradually broke down as merchants
grew wealthier and more powerful while samurai became
impoverished.
• Tokugawa rule steadily weakened because of farmer revolts
due to high taxes, natural disasters, and famine.
above: Great Kanto Earthquake
left: Eruption of Mount Bandai

• 1853: A fleet of U.S. steam-powered warships arrived in Edo Bay. Commodore Matthew C.
Perry demanded American use Japanese ports and trading privileges. Japan was forced to
open its door for the first time in two centuries.
Commodore Matthew Perry American Black Ships

• 1868: the Tokugawa government collapsed under heavy political pressure, the power of
Emperor Meiji was restored, and Japan ended its isolation and embraced foreign contact.
Meiji government officials
Emperor Meiji (1873)

History of Japan to 1868 CE.pdf

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