How Did the Laws of Tokugawa Japan Prevent Dutch Traders from Influencing Japanese Culture?
In the Tokugawa Period, the Dutch’s contributions to Japan served as the door to knowledge on science, medicine, armaments, and products connecting the relationships between Europe and Japan. However, (can’t start a sentence with however) their kindnesses and contributions to Japan were very gentle comparing to what(how) the Japanese have treated and served to them. The Dutch first were permitted to trade, then had to be confined to the small island called Deshima. Although the Dutch were one of the few foreign countries interacting with Japan, Japanese(they) were only aiming for the Dutch’s knowledge and skills to develop their civilization with the strict laws regulated to stop them from influencing their culture. (Thesis statement right?)
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Although the Dutch were the only Westerners allowed to stay in Japan at that time and engage in trade, their given occupation and places for work were harsh. The Japanese laws strictly limited the things they could do. According to the Tokugawa law on foreigners, “the Dutch traders’ wives and children were not allowed to stay in the island, and Japanese soldiers guarded them whenever they wanted to go outside of the island” (Blumberg, 37). Despite the harsh conditions they were provided with, the Dutch traders worked very hard, trying to help Japanese. Such strict rules in the Tokugawa period on the Dutch stopped the Dutch from influencing the Japanese culture although they have helped tremendously, helping to interact with the
Feudalism was a key component of life for those in both Western Europe and Japan. The two systems developed independently from each other yet still held a multitude of similarities. However, their many differences out shadow the unique parallels they shared. The major discrepancies between the two are found in each’s code, structure and regulations. Documents nine and ten, break down the feudal structures of Western Europe and Japan.
The importance of Tokugawa Leyasu taking control included the fact of the Tokugawa shogonate being established bringing along with it 264 years of peace and order. Huge changes which occurred during the reign of the tokugawa family including the introduction of a strict class system and the control of the ruling daimyo families which also made maintaining peace in Japan very easy. Japan 's increased trade and tourism contributed positively to the wealth and success of Japan. These rapid economical and social changes in Japanese society helped to prepare for fast modernization in the following time period. Tokugawa Leyasu had a significant impact on Japan as he established the tokugawa shogunate which brought wealth, peace and education to Japan.
Both Tokugawa Japan (c. 1603 – 1867 c.e.) and Medieval Europe (c. 1000 – 1500c.e.) were defined by a definite social structure called feudalism. This social structure was a distinct and important part of life in medieval times. Both feudal systems consisted of different classes and roles that were controlled by a single leader. Japan’s Shoguns and Europe’s Kings oversaw the whole feudal system and controlled all classes beneath them. Although Japanese Emperors were at the top of the social structure they did not have any power over the Shogun.
Japan’s rich history of power, wealth, and influence had many remarkable eras. One of the more notable periods in Japanese history was that of the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). The Tokugawa Period was talked about in Musui’s Story, an autobiographical book, written by Kokichi Katsu. (Katsu ix) Katsu wrote Musui’s Story for three main reasons: to share how he had transformed from a low-ranking samurai to a well-known hero, to show his sense of self, and to serve as a cautionary tale for his descendants.
However, when centralized power emerged again, in the form of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Chinese influence did not immediately gain much strength. The Tokugawa Shogunate heavily restricted foreign influence, to prevent it from destabilizing Japan, using a policy of isolationism. Only small numbers of Chinese and Dutch merchants were allowed to trade at the port of Nagasaki, only continuing a weak Chinese influence. Although this current influence was weak, the lasting impacts of Chinese influence on previous periods greatly influenced Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate. Confucian principles supported the Tokugawa Shogunate’s bakufu government and its social order, so the shogun promoted the
Tokugawa Japan + Medieval Europe Medieval Europe and Tokugawa Japan lived in seclusion to each other, and yet there were many uncanny similarities between Tokugawa Japan and Medieval Europe. In Medieval Europe there were many key features of the social system that were introduced at the time. The social system of Medieval Europe was called Feudalism. Feudalism puts the King in charge of everything and everyone, with barons and nobles underneath him. The nobles provide loyalty and knights to the king in return for land to control.
From the Kamakura Period of the late twelfth century to the Meiji Restoration in the nineteenth century, the samurai have held prominent positions as noble warriors in Japanese society. They have come to be famous in modern, Western pop culture as the fierce, stoic guards of feudal Japan, but their practices and rituals extended beyond wielding katanas and donning impressive armor. Samurai practices were rich and complex, with strict codes, ritual suicide, and a history of influencing culture and politics (“Samurai”). Samurai code was influenced by traditional Japanese culture, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism. Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior,” was the code of conduct the samurai class were expected to uphold.
Other countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal had continued to trade with Japan throughout the Tokugawa ban. However the conditions that they had to live in were very harsh. Neither one of these countries colonised Japan either. (The Kingdom of the
The societies of Tokugawa Japan (c.1603-1867C.E.) and medieval Europe (c.1000-1500C.E.) had two things in common; a feudal system. A feudal system is something that features hierarchies or social structures. The feudal system normally starts with a religion, which is at the very top of the social pyramid, then it’s the King or monarch for Europe and the shogun for Japan, then there are the nobles for Europe and the daimyos for Japan. As we go down the pyramid there are the warriors, like the knight in Europe and the samurai in Japan, then there are the peasants. The peasants were included in both eras and are at the lowest part of the pyramid.
“To guard against external influence, they also worked to close off Japanese society from Westernizing influences, particularly Christianity. When the Tokugawa shogunate grew increasingly weak by the mid-19th century, two powerful clans joined forces in early 1868 to seize power as part of an “imperial restoration” named for Emperor Meiji.” This restoration was the beginning of the end of feudalism, or the way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour, in Japan. The Tokugawa regime acted to exclude missionaries because of suspicion of foreign intervention and colonialism. Eventually, they issued a complete ban on Christianity in Japan.
Youssef Marakby ID:900130817 Instructor: Richard Byford Rhet 1020 The Samurai’s affect on Japan’s culture For many years, the legendary Japanese samurai warriors showed that they are the most well known class of ancient Japan and also known with their supremacy of honor, service, and duty which the Japanese society still have today. The samurai helped lay the foundations of Japan 's culture.
That Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor to establish a New World Order that could not be created with America as a powerful country. The New World Order that was in Japan’s vision was a land where the Yamato race was the dominate one. The Japanese were not pleased with always being
Samurai were warrior class who lived by an unwritten code called “Bushido.” They fought for the large landowners called Daimyo, they worked for the Daimyo’s protection and against other powerful landowners. The Samurai was taught the values and traditions, and had to be educated in literature and writing. Therefor samurai were also trained in meditation and fighting techniques such as archery, swordsmanship, and martial arts.
Baron Kentaro Kaneko, the Japanese minister of commerce and agriculture, stated, “Japan . . . occupies a small amount of land and has a large population, with little material out of which to manufacture, hence has to rely upon the material imported from other countries” (Document 37- DBQ 14). By industrializing, Japan was able to dominate in the sale of manufactured goods like textiles, to those areas abroad that it was closer to than the more powerful Western countries. The success in economics greatly advanced imperialism in nations with more money, trade, and raw
Elliot Guereca & Gustavo Sanchez 6th Period Japanese Imperialism in Korea “ Japan saw itself as having to protect Korea from foreign countries” During the 18th and early 19th century the world experienced new changes in world powers with imperialist countries and countries who experienced imperialism. One example of this would be Japanese imperialism in Korea during 1910-1945, a 35 year harsh change in Korea’s culture, impacting both countries in negative and positive ways in the years to come. Everything started during the Meiji period, a period where Japan saw change within its government creating a centralized bureaucracy.