Meiji Japan

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Meiji Japan

• Game on

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Basics about Japan

• Indigenous religion Shinto
• Heavily influenced by Chinese Confucianism and
  Buddhism Japanese sect Zen
• Christianity is virtually not present in
  practice, though modern Japanese do enjoy
  celebrating Christian holidays like Christmas
  (kitsch)

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Feudal Japan Shogun, Samurai and Male Bravado up
the Wazoo

• Since the 12th century, Japan had been a feudal
  state
• Structure
• Shogun (warlord)
• Daimyo lords
• Samurai knights/warriors
• Serfs/peasants
• Merchants (outside the social structure dealt
  with foreigners and material wealth, considered
  impure)

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Bushido Honor code way of the warrior.
Tempered extreme violence of military lifestyle
with tenets of local religion and philosophy
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Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868)

• After a series of civil wars over centuries,
  Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu took control and created a
  hereditary shogunate
• Emperor and family still considered royalty, but
  had no real power

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Foreign Advances

• In the 16th and 17th century, foreign
  missionaries were allowed into Japan.
• Christian conversion was frowned upon and
  ultimately banned missionaries given the boot
  (forcibly)
• Sakoku- isolationism
• Lasted until 1858 Commodore Matthew Perry
  showed up with naval forces. Forced Japan to sign
  peace treaties with US and eventually other
  nations did the same

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Restoration of An Empire

• 1868 Meiji Restoration (literally Enlightened
  Rule)
• Return to emperors rule
• Upheaval in social structure in Japan
• Adoption of a constitution in 1889
• Values similar to Victorian England
• Rise of an educated bourgeoisie, esp in Kyoto and
  Edo (Tokyo)

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Historically women and men had seen not too much
of a distinction between the abilities of their
sexes By the time the Meiji era rolled in, so
did Victorian values about women and men, as well
as sexuality (suppression of expression)
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Effects of Meiji Control

• Industrialization and Modernization
• Universal education
• Textile production
• Coal production
• Railroads
• Merchant marine
• Militarization swept away samurai class, forced
  conscription on all males of 21 y.o.

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Imperial power

• Japanese imperial gains against
• China
• Russia
• Showed their might to Western nations like Great
  Britain and US (Allies with Britain in WW1)