Japan Under the Shoguns

Japan Under the Shoguns

1. Feudal System

   • 1st emperor
     • symbolic power
     • no real power
   • 2nd Shogun
     • military leaders
     • most power
     • 3 main Shogunates
     • Tokugawa was most powerful Shogunate
   • 3rd Daimyo
     • nobility
     • protect shogun
     • owned land
     • wealthy
   • 4th Samurai
     • soldiers
     • shogun
     • worked for Daimyo
     • fought wars
     • highly trained swordsmen
   • 5th Peasants
     • farmers
     • contributed to all society
     • respected for their contribution
     • grew: rice,millet+barley
   • 6th Craftsmen
     • furniture, weapons, enamels
   • 7th Merchants
     • businessmen
     • buy/sell
     • trade with foreigners eg. China, Korea, Spain+Portugal

2. Power of Ieyasu Tokugawa

   • 1603-1867CE
   • defeated all enemies
     • imprisoned all survivors at Edo (Tokyo)
   • uses Daimyo to keep power
     • rewards them with land+power in return protection
   • Buko Shohatto
     • set of laws to control outer Daimyo
   • reintroduces feudal system

3. How Ieyasu Tokugawa consolidated his power

   • defeating his enemies+imprisoning the survivours
   • used daimyo to protect him
   • created a set of laws for outer Daimyo
   • most powerful shogun in Ancient japan

4. Religion + Beliefs in Tokugawa Japan

   • Shinto
     • Japans oldest religion
     • wind, water, fire, land features have their own spirits
     • Shinto = 'Way of the gods'
     • Emperor could contact kami (spirits)
   • Zen Buddhism
     • came to Japan from China via Korea
     • Believed in reincarnation after death
     • hoped to achieve Nirvana (state of nothingness)
     • Samurai used Zen Buddhism to clear mind before battle
     • Influenced the arts (caligraphy)
   • Confucionism
     • based on philosophy of Confucious
     • came from China
     • code of behaviour

5. Land use under the Tokugawa Shogun

   • Deforestation
     • when trees/forest are cut down or removed
     • wood became expensive
     • peasants get angry-need wood for cooking/heating
     • soil erosion
     • animals extinct
   • Reforestation
     • When trees/forest are planted +regrown
     • peasants asked to plant seedlings
     • appointed forest supervisors
     • license required for cutting wood
     • some species of tree protected
     • plantation wood

6. Foreign Trade

   • became suspicious of europeans
     • sold guns to outer daimyo
     • enabled them to over throw Tokugawa shogun
   • 1638- Closed Country policy
     • foreigners were banned from Japan except for the Dutch
     • ship building was banned
     • Foreigners trying to enter Japan were killed
     • Deshima
       • only place foreigners could stay
       • employees of Dutch East India Company

7. last of Shoguns -1867, emperor returned in power

   • shoguns in power from1185-1867CE