The political revolution of the modernization stage allowed Japan to strengthen its internal government and external interests. Prior to Japan’s attempt to introduce an advanced government, the emperor overthrew the Shoguns and restored his supreme power, which is also known as the Meiji Restoration. Under the emperor’s reliable, centralized government, rather than numerous Shoguns, Japan united. The new government acted as the catalyst that emboldened Japan’s will to modernize and led a successful transition and transformation. Japanese envoys and scholars were sent to European nations, such as Germany, to “study the institutions of the civilized nations, adopt those most suited to Japan, and gradually reform” the government “to attain the status equal to that of the civilized nations.”…
My Shogunate Investigation Throughout Japan’s history men were valued higher than woman, and men were the favoured gender. Both women and men had different traditions, roles and responsibilities in society. During the Shogunate period (1550 - 1850), Japanese women were mothers, entertainers and even samurai warriors and the social hierarchy played an important role on woman’s freedom and determined their future in society. Women had certain duties to fulfil, and served many men during their lifetime.…
“Feudalism” as a term has been controversial since its conception. Its origin is the German “feudalismus,” and was first used in the English language in its current meaning in the 17th and 18th centuries. There is difficulty defining this term because of its inherently large scope; a feudal system is one in which there may be a social, economic, or political system of seigniorial landownership and general dues of the peasantry. This naturally describes many societies throughout history, and so, many historians would argue that to effectively narrow the subject and thus reasonably study the idea of a feudal structure, one must focus on specific criteria. Barendse would agree with this sentiment, as he states in his article, “The Feudal Mutation,”…
Although Japan had an “emperor” in place, its strong military overpowered him and ruled Japan.…
Introduction Fukoku-Kyōhei, meaning “enrich the country and strengthen the military” quickly became the motto for a reinvigorated Japan stepping onto the global stage commanded by the West, while also acting as the mold for which they would inevitably fit through their rather abrupt transformation: The Meiji Restoration (Christensen 1). What may have ultimately began as an endeavor to modernize, may have also become the trigger for exponential societal change and an undertaking that would eventually boast Japan’s military confidence and induce drastic social change. The Meiji Restoration had significant rippling effects around the world during the late 1800’s and allowed Japan to become recognized as an influential world power, but also an…
The Code for Warriors Is there a code that ancient samurai warriors followed in Japan? Most professions around the world abide by some code. For example, doctors follow the Hippocratic oath, lawyers have the professional code, and engineers follow the code of ethics. For example, the samurais of Japan also lived by a strict code of conduct called the Bushido Code. Many years ago in Japan, the country had an ethical system called Bushido.…
More specifically, the talk of the small Civil wars that broke out within medieval Japan. Below the topic of one war in particular, The Onin War, will be explored and recapped. There will also be mention of the Damages that Feudal Japan would take as a result of the war among itself. As a brief explanation; Feudal Japan was a time in Japan where Samurai, honor-bound warriors sword to a “shogun” or general, and Bushido, the samurai’s code of conduct and way of life, ruled.…
Start of A Revolution – Japan The end of violence and the start of a new beginning for Japan… 11th February 2016 – Keshna Jeyandrabalan Clearing up the fog in the atmosphere, Japan has found its new beginning after many years of war. The Sengoku period or also known as the Warring States period (1467-1573), involved violent wars in which certain daimyos wanted a whole empire.…
CONTENTS PRINT CITE Hirohito (1901-1989) was emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. He took over at a time of rising democratic sentiment, but his country soon turned toward ultra-nationalism and militarism. During World War II (1939-45), Japan attacked nearly all of its Asian neighbors, allied itself with Nazi Germany and launched a surprise assault on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Though Hirohito later portrayed himself as a virtually powerless constitutional monarch, many scholars have come to believe he played an active role in the war effort. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, he became a figurehead with no political power.…
The end of the first world war was not as fulfilling as one might have initially thought. The so called “War to end all wars” as stated by Margaret MacMillen, was just a ripple before the tidal wave. World War I was successful only at forming new problems and expanding others. Firstly, WWI was caused by Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, Industrialism, and Alliances that were governing powerful countries across the world. These drove the globe into its first World War and in return led to World War II as well.…
The ‘Taisho Political Crisis’ was the birth of an era of “politicization of the people” in Japan, as political parties known as the ‘Seiyukai’ (Conservatives) and the ‘Kenseikai’(Liberals), began to take shape within the National Diet. The liberal upsurge would arguable reach its zenith when it brought Japan’s first civilian Prime-minister, Hara Takashi, ending with the death of the Emperor Taisho in 1926 and the subsequent political developments in the early Showa period. It is the purpose of this essay to explore to what extent was the ‘Taisho democracy’ actually democratic, between the years 1912 and 1926, the period which the Emperor Taisho reigned for until his death due to the length of this piece. Historian Andrew Gordon argues that the ‘Taisho Democracy’ era started at the end of the 1905 Russo-Japanese war, until the 1932 fall of the Seiyukai party cabinet, because of the emergence of popular liberalism towards the end of the Meiji reign and the subsequent fall of it. This will be done by explaining how a Democracy in the time would have worked, matching it…
After Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration on August 15, 1945 that brought the war to an end, the Allied Powers, led by the United States, began to reconstruct Japan. The United States’ reconstruction of Japan could be seen as three phases. The first phase was an effort to punish and reform japan. During this time, 1945 to 1947, the most fundamental changes for the Japanese Government and society took place. The Allies first punished Japan for its “past militarism and expansion” by organizing trials in Tokyo for war crimes.…
In the year 1911 one of history’s most powerful dynasties came to an end. It is highly questionable as to the series of events that led to the fall of Qing China. One thing is clear, Japan a close neighbor to China did not lead the same fate. The question is how did Japan succeed when China did not. It is known that Qing China failed in many aspects including militarily, economically, and internationally.…
The other part is that the Shoguns, from ruling for so long, became weak. The Shoguns were overthrown “in the name of emperor .” After the fall of the Shoguns, there were some “magnate lords,” wealthy people, who ruled over Japan for three years until a new governor [emperor] could take over to create an imperial state…
I. Introduction History has told numerous stories on how mankind used brute force and arms to impose their different ideologies and vision unto others. But, as time progresses, Man started to denounce war as an instrument of policy and relied heavily on peaceful ways to settle dispute and discrepancies. Gone are the days where war was considered as a standard measure to ensure posterity. Non coercive approaches like Soft Power started to gain grounds as a mean of diplomacy and negotiation amongst states. Japan, known for being a nation rich in imperial dynasties that ruled throughout its existence, is one of the frontrunners in successfully employing soft power, from the mythic rule of Emperor Jimmu Tenno down to Emperor Akihito, Japan has set its eyes on establishing…