Bakumatsu

1853-1868

Outer Daimyo and Tokugawa

ReasonsAncien Regime 1853-1867

Economic weakness (domestic)

1. Rice crop failures in 1822, 1836= hunger

2. Value of silver coins (therefore prices) in Japan set by Shogun, not by weight

3. Exchange in Japan to silver : gold 5:1, in world 15:1, massive silver influx = inflation.

• Samurai paid by daimyo in rice, standard of living falls as price stays low

• Trade with West after 1854, heavy demand for: – Exports: silk, tea

– Imports: cheap cotton goods and firearms

Economic weakness (foreign relations)

• Treaty of Kanagawa 1854 set tariffs low, cannot protect Japanese manufacturers from cheaper imports, Japanese start to go out of business

• Shi-shi (“men of determination”) assassinate foreigners 1859-1862

• Shi-shi burn British consulate in 1863• Western governments want heavy

indemnities/reparations, shogun must pay but running out of money

Political weakness (military)

• Samurai abandoned cannon and firearms which won sengoku after 1609

• 1638-1854 no significant wars in Japan• Samurai took up philosophy and ink brush• Samurai moved from warriors to admin.• Still carried swords, but worked on theory of war

and not practice

Political weakness (foreign affairs)

• “Unequal Treaties” cannot be resisted– Treaty of Kanagawa 1854

– Treaty of Edo or Harris Treaty 1858

Political weakness (domestic)

• Shi-shi cannot be controlled• Shi-shi go to Edo to speak out on politics • Tozama of Choshu and Satsuma plot against shogun• Japanese intellectuals studied “Dutch learning”

(Western knowledge ) rangaku• Official schools study Western knowledge and

language opened in Mito, Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, Hizen

Tokugawa government

Pressure group: Tozama

• The tozama, anti-shogun from 1600

• Choshu economically healthy, other daimyos deep in debt

• Satsuma grew sugar for great wealth, monopoly based on climate

• Could purchase Western arms; school in Nagasaki

Pressure group: Emperor

• Radical government established in Kyoto under Emperor and Choshu

• Radical shi-shi assassinate moderate samurai (terror)

• 1863 Emperor-Choshu alliance called shogun to Kyoto, shogun promised to expel barbarians (which he could not)

Choshu-Satsuma alliance

• 1857 Choshu begins to build an army using peasants and samurai with rifles

• 1863 Satsuma begins building navy by purchasing Western ships

• 1866 Satsuma and Choshu choose to cooperate against the shogun

Leaders do not support government

Yoshida Shoin

• Very influential teacher

• Studied Western military books in Nagasaki

• He opened school in Choshu

• Pro-emperor, anti-shogun

• Influenced young nobles like Kido Takayoshi (Koin)

Leading personalities of the Meiji Restoration

• Choshu– Kido Takayoshi (Koin) (1833-1877)– Ito Hirobumi (1841-1909)– Yamagata Aritomo (1838-1922)– Inoue Kaoru (1836-1915)

• Satsuma– Saigo Takamori (1828-1877)– Okubo Toshimichi (1830-1878)– Matsukata Masayoshi (1835-1924)

• Tosa– Itagaki Taisuke (1837-1919)

• Hizen– Okuma Shigenobu (1838-1922)

Okubo Toshimichi

• Satsuma daimyo leader

Saigo Takamori

• Satsuma daimyo leader

• Military leader of Restoration

Kido Takayoshi

• or Kido Koin• Choshu daimyo leader

Class antagonism

• Shogun vs. outer daimyo

• Merchants vs. samurai and daimyo--have a lot of money but little say in government

• Peasants suffering under high prices

• Wealthier peasants vs. poorer peasants

ReformRule of Moderates

1867-1868

Moderate government in power

• 1866-1867 new shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu

• Created council of leading daimyo to share power

• Failed: only 5 of 24 daimyo attended meeting

Tokugawa Yoshinobu (or Keiki) (in retirement)

Moderates politically weak

• Tokugawa cannot resist foreign armies and

• Cannot cancel unequal treaties

Dual sovereignty

• January 1868 Choshu-Satsuma-Kyoto/Emperor alliance in Kyoto vs.

• The shogun in Edo maintained support from loyal daimyo in central Japan

Foreign war or civil war

Choshu, Satsuma, and other tozama march to Kyoto, seize power, and proclaim restoration of emperor

• Shogun retreats to Edo• July 1868: Saigo Takamori leads Choshu and

Satsuma march to Edo, battle between tozama modern forces (imperial army) and samurai at today’s Ueno Park. Shogun army defeated.

Saigo Takamori at Ueno

Moderate government loses support

• Conservatives: Shogun did not want to share power but could not meet emergency

• Liberals and radicals: Choshu, Satsuma, and shi-shi felt shogun was weak in front of foreign powers

Radicals or Reactionaries?

Five Articles Oath and

Constitution of 1868

1868-1889

Five Articles Oath orCharter Oath

• Emperor Matsuhito (Meiji) is 14 when selected emperor January 1868

• Charter Oath of 1868 plan for how Japan would move ahead after shogun

• Rejects “expel the barbarians” for learn from the West

Okubo Toshimichi Saigo TakamoriKido Takayoshi

Dajokan (Council of State)Key leaders:

Reign of Terror: Korean crisis 1871-1873

• Kido Takayoshi• Okubo Toshimichi• Go abroad to study

Western science, law, government, education, military, banking,…

• Two year tour

• Saigo Takamori stays in Tokyo

• Looks for ways to help samurai

• Proposes invasion of Korea and

• A large, powerful army and navy

Reign of Terror: Korean crisis 1871-1873 (2)

• Kido and Okubo return quickly from tour and debate the Korean invasion.

• Korean invasion is cancelled

• Modernize Japan before expanding

• Saigo is angry• Saigo quits the

government and returns to Satsuma with supporters

Reign of terror

• 1874 Saga Revolt 2,000 samurai defeated

• 1877 Satsuma Rebellion– Saigo led 30,000 against modern government

army. Defeated in six months. This was the final samurai revolt.

– The Last Samurai

Samurai destroyed as a group

Saigo Takamori at Kagoshima

Early death

• Kido Takayoshi died of tuberculosis in 1877.

Reign of virtue: social change

• 1869 New social classes proclaimed to replace feudal structure

• 1871 Eta or outcasts given full legal equality

• 1870 commoners allowed to have family names

• Commoners can marry with samurai class

Reign of virtue: social change

• Western dress expected for all official ceremonies

• Western haircuts replace topknots• Meat encouraged over Buddhist

vegetarianism• Beer and dairy products available• Western ballrooom dancing popular• All daimyo lands returned to emperor

Reign of virtue: political change

• 1871 men may cut off their topknot

• 1876 Hatori Edict prohibited the wearing of swords in public except for special ceremonies

• 1876 samurai must give up swords

• Samurai given one last final payment

• Daimyo given gov’t bonds, become wealthy

Reign of virtue: economic change

• 1871 Yen established as currency

• 1882 Bank of Japan to control economy

• Modern railroad

• Modern communications

• Zaibatsu to speed industrialization

Zaibatsu

Zaibatsu name and region of origin

• Mitsui (Kyoto) merchant house

• Yasuda (Edo) peasant who became banker

• Kawasaki

• Mitsubishi (Tosa)

• Sumitomo (Osaka/Kyoto) from 17c mining

Few in numbers

• Meiji government mostly men from Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, and Hozai. All former tozama

• Only 4 daimyo out of 260 led revolution

• They were a minority of nobility, and nobility a minority of population

Control of key organizations

• Imperial army created from conscripts• Dajokan rules in emperor’s name• Emperor is the symbol of new government• 1868 Edo renamed Tokyo• 1869 Emperor moved into shogun’s Edo castle• 1871 Education reform• 1890 Rescript on Education (universal ed.)

Authoritarian government

• Oligarchs (Kido, Saigo, Okubo…) rule in Emperor’s name

• 1880: Newspaper criticisms of government restricted

• Public meetings required police approval

• Soldiers, policemen, teachers, and students could not be politically active

National emergency

• Western powers militarily stronger

• Several peasant uprisings against new taxes

• Samurai revolts in 1874-1876/1877

RestorationMeiji Constitution of

1889

Meiji government

•

Conservatives come to power

•The generation of leaders after the radicals focused on strengthening their power and creating a representational government with a Diet.•Prince Saionji Kinmochi, of old noble family, entered politics 1900-1940.•Genro later in life

Prime Ministers 1889-1900

•

•Matsukata Masayoshi•Satsuma

•Yamagata Aritomo

•Choshu

•Army

•Ito Hirofumi•Choshu

Ito Hirofumi

• Choshu leader who studied in the West

• Wrote the 2nd constitution:

• The Constitution of the Empire of Japan

Law and order restored

• Constitution of 1889 or Meiji Constitution

• There was a long struggle between the new Diet and the Prime Minister or cabinet.

• But the differences were settled using legal means and the Diet became equal of the prime ministers

New ruling group

• The Prime Ministers and genro competed with Diet for power 1889-1900.

• Diet won the power struggle.

• Prime Ministers become: Genro, elder statesmen. The unofficial, decision-makers.

Illustrations

http://www.smith.edu/fcceas/curriculum/dunnagan.htmhttp://www.svensaaler.de/TokugawaKeiki.gif

Bibliography

• Miocevich, Grant. Investigating Japan.