Japan is an important player in modern-day geopolitics, and its unique historical development has affected the way in which Japan has participated in global.

Presentation on theme: "Japan is an important player in modern-day geopolitics, and its unique historical development has affected the way in which Japan has participated in global."— Presentation transcript:

1 Japan is an important player in modern-day geopolitics, and its unique historical development has affected the way in which Japan has participated in global events. Throughout its history, Japan has struggled to find the proper way to interact with other countries; at the same time, it has endeavored to establish its own national identity. Issues of foreign relations and national identity became important during the shogunate period in Japan, along with challenges relating to governmental organization, social structure, and national autonomy. Though most historians characterize the shogunate period as lasting from the mid-14th century to the mid-19th century, to fully understand developments in shogun-era Japan, we need to begin by looking at some key events from earlier times. Shogun Japan

2 Essential Questions Why did Japan copy so much of China’s religious traditions, culture, and political institutions at various times early in its history? Why did Japan’s emperor, who was seen as divine, lack much real political power from the Heian era on? Why was Japan until the mid-1800s so often divided into regions ruled mainly by aristocratic clans or powerful individual leaders, the daimyos? What role(s) have the samurai played in Japan’s long history? How important was the code of honor, bushido, in maintaining or undermining order in Japan’s feudal systems? Why were the shoguns, rather than the emperor, the key national leaders for so many centuries prior to the late 1800s? What forces led to the decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate and its ultimate end during the Meiji Restoration in 1868?

3 Chinese Influence on Japanese Identity
Japan borrowed many Chinese ideas and innovations Chinese writing script and literature Governmental organization Buddhism Persistence of Shinto China had a significant impact on the development of early Japan because the two countries were located so closely to each other. The Chinese, however, were stronger and richer than Japan and dominated the Far East (including Korea and Vietnam) both culturally and militarily for centuries. The Japanese incorporated many Chinese ideas and innovations, including Chinese writing script, Chinese literature, and governmental organization and bureaucracy. The most significant Chinese import may have been Buddhism, which was introduced into Japan in the sixth century. Buddhism eventually became highly influential in the political development of Japan. Even though Japan adopted Chinese Confucian and Buddhist traditions, the Japanese did not abandon their native religion, Shinto, which emphasizes veneration and worship of nature. Shinto centers on the belief that all elements of nature (from waterfalls to boulders) contain some elements of the divine, called kami. Unlike other religions, Shinto has no strictly delineated moral code; instead, it simply stresses purity.

4 The Yamato State In its early history, Japan was organized around the uji The Yamato State developed as a consolidation of several uji Chinese-style government Prince Shotoku and the Seventeen-Article Constitution In its early history, Japan was organized into a number of clans called uji—groups ruled by hereditary chiefs. These clans had a hereditary warrior aristocracy and their rulers tended to be authoritarian. The Yamato State came into existence as the result of the consolidation of several different uji. In 587, the Soga uji won a war of succession and assumed power. Heavily influenced by Buddhism and other Chinese ideas, the Soga incorporated many Chinese elements into the Yamato State, including a “bureaucracy of merit” organized according to Confucian principles. In 604, the regent Prince Shotoku created the “Seventeen-Article Constitution.” It was not so much a political document as a set of ideal social behaviors and a moral code that incorporated elements of both Confucianism and Buddhism. In spite of attempts to bring orderliness to the Yamato State, Japan during this time still struggled with issues relating to the role of the emperor and the influence and power of the elite families. Prince Shotoku

5 Taika Reforms Elites unhappy with Yamato policies, installed Tenchi
Emperor moved to curb power of elite families Taika Reforms (646) Land restribution Taxation system Taiho Code (701) A number of elites were unhappy with the policies of the Yamato court, particularly the control exerted by the government and the emphasis placed on Buddhism. The elites managed to successfully install a new emperor, Tenchi, who was supported and advised by a powerful aristocratic family, the Fujiwara. Although the wealthy Japanese clans had helped him gain his position and power, the emperor soon came to regard them as a liability. Tenchi (under the influence of the Fujiwara) pushed through what became known as the “Taika Reforms.” These were designed to cast the emperor of Japan as an absolute ruler in the same mold as the “Son of Heaven,” as the Chinese emperor was called. To control the families, the emperor undermined the source of their wealth by forbidding private land ownership. He then built loyalty by rewarding those he favored with land grants. The government also instituted a census and used it to implement a form of taxation based on the one used in China. In 701, the Taiho Code modified and legally enshrined many of the changes begun by the Taika Reforms. Most importantly, it set up a Chinese-style centralized bureaucracy for running the country.

6 Nara Period 710–794 New capital established Buddhist temples built
The Sutra of the Golden Light Power struggles continued within Japanese government Capital moved to Heian The imperial Japanese ruling house established a new capital in Nara in 710. The city was a copy of the Chinese city of Chang’an, although it was only about one-fourth the size of Chang’an. The court was modeled after the Tang dynasty’s in China. The Buddhist temples of the Nara period owned land and were politically powerful in their own right. Much of their power came from the emperor’s use of the Sutra of the Golden Light as the basis for his right to rule. The Sutra stated that law was of the human world and could change rapidly. That meant that the laws of humans and Buddhism could be adapted to the emperor and the politics of the Japanese court as needed. The end of the Nara period was characterized by political struggles to determine who would assume the Japanese throne. These power struggles between the Japanese clans and Buddhist monasteries from the hills around Nara reached a fever pitch of violence and deceit. To end the conflict, the capital at Nara was moved to the city of Heian in order to move the government away from the Buddhist monasteries that surrounded the former capital city on all sides.

7 Discussion Questions What key aspects of social, political, and cultural life did the Japanese borrow from China in forming their national identity and political system early in the Common Era? How did the Nara period (710–794) show the continuing influence of China on Japan’s political rulers and their political system? What showed the continuing strengths of native Japanese traditions during this time when much was borrowed from China? The Japanese borrowed Buddhism from China, they adapted China’s written script and its official bureaucracy of “merit” based on Confucian principles, etc. The new capital in Nara was modeled on China’s imperial city Chang’an; the influence of Buddhism and Buddhist monasteries on the central government; the concept of the emperor as an absolute ruler and the “Son of Heaven,” etc. Perhaps the most obvious evidence was the continuing loyalty of the Japanese to the various forms of Shinto worship native to their land.

8 Heian Japan 794–1185 Emperor as divine, not to be bothered with ruling
Cultural contributions Courtly life in Heian Japan Social and political organization The role of the emperor in Heian Japan originally followed the Chinese model, with the emperor holding complete power over a centralized state. As the Heian era progressed, however, the emperor became more of a symbolic and ceremonial figure rather than one with real political power. This shift occurred largely due to the idea that because the emperor was divine, he should not be bothered with ordinary things—such as day-to-day governing. Consequently, real power came to be held by powerful aristocratic families. The move to Heian signified the beginning of a more distinctive Japanese culture. Although the Chinese language remained dominant in education and government, Chinese characters were adopted into a Japanese script, which was often used by women at court. One such woman, Lady Murasaki Shikibu, wrote the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, which tells the story of the life and loves of a prince. As real power shifted away from the emperor, his court became more focused on elaborate rituals and ceremonies. The Japanese created a new system of etiquette and language unique to the Heian court. In Heian society, Japanese peasants worked the land and provided the taxes (mostly in the form of textiles and rice). A hereditary aristocracy dominated local areas in much the same way that the uji had exerted influence earlier, and powerful aristocratic families in the emperor’s court wielded the power of the centralized government. The Tale of Genji

9 Land and the Heian Land became consolidated in the hands of a few powerful families Tax burden fell more and more on the peasants Shoen: private estates that operated as small, local states During the Heian period, more and more land became consolidated in the hands of a relatively small number of families. These powerful families were exempt from taxes, as were Buddhist and Shinto monasteries; consequently, the tax burden fell increasingly on the peasants. Private estates called shoen developed as aristocratic families came to control more and more land. These shoen were not single blocks of land like those found in Europe during its feudal period; instead, the wealthy would seize scattered pieces of land when they could, and then would get peasants to work the land under the supervision of a manager. Shoen came to comprise the majority of agricultural land in Japan and were passed down within families. The families controlling the shoen also increasingly began to act independently from the Heian government.

10 Military and the Heian Powerful families in the government organized armies relying heavily on mounted cavalry Samurai emerged Contending armies grew in power Aristocratic families like the Fujiwara and Taira controlled the government Council of State and organized armies that relied largely on mounted cavalry. Originally the military answered only to the emperor, but during the mid-Heian period government armies composed of samurai (meaning “servants”) were converted into private armies of the Japanese aristocracy. Shoen also developed their own private armies, recruiting men to help defend and expand their estates. These private armies formed the backbone of the Japanese military for nearly a thousand years. The early samurai were not the stylish, educated samurai depicted in films and television shows; rather, they were largely illiterate, recruited from the lower classes, and trained to destroy an opposing army. (The samurai of legend and history originated with the Tokugawa Shogunate, in the 17th century.) The samurai were mounted warriors who carried a wide variety of weapons such as bows and arrows, short swords, and long swords with a curved blade. The contending armies of the different aristocratic families came to exert more and more influence, further weakening the power and position of the emperor and the centralized government. The armies also made it possible for aristocratic families to wield more power.