Starting from 1868, Japan’s government began laying the f ounda t i on s f o r a mode rn economy. In 1868, Japan was still a non‐industrialized country. Three quarters of its workforce was employed in agriculture or farming. During this period, industrial ization became an important aim. A government policy of s p o n s o r i n g i n d u s t r y a n d promoting an enterprise called shokusan koygo became a major par t o f t h i s p rogram . The government became realizing that in order for our country to become a rich country with a strong military, it needed to develop industries that the modern military power depended on. In 1850, the Hizen Clan had already b u i l t t h e L i r s t s u c c e s s f u l reverberatory furnace and soon began producing iron guns. In 1865, Japan had two modern sh ipyards a t Nagasak i and Yokosuka. After the fall of the shogun, the new government, the M e i j i g o v e r n m e n t , m a d e developing defense industries top priority. Institutions were created for the manufacture of guns. New schools were founded and the best Japanese students were sent overseas to study.
Japan also began mining. Foreign experts now operate the mines that the Bakufu once operated. By the end of the Meiji period, it is predicted that Japan will become the largest producer of coal and the exporter of copper in the world. When the shogun fell, Japan faced a lot of Linancial problems. It cost the government a lot to crush the clans that were hostile towards it. In 1868, Japan used around thirty million yen, while they only gained around three million. This had a severe impact on the economy. There was inLlation in the country. The internal revenue dropped by a lot and the currency situation was shocking. There were a lot of different clan notes, all worth different values. In 1871,
Inside This Issue:
Truth About Modernization Revealed ....................Page 1
Japan Wins Russo-Japanese War .......................... Page 2
Editorial ....................Page 3
Lifestyle Section ........Page 4
Teriyaki Chicken Recipe .......................Page 4
Food For Thought .....Page 4
Interview with Fashion Designer ....................Page 4
By: Karen Chui
MEIJI Timesthe
Truth About Modernization Revealed
continued on page 2 1
Coal Mining
Japan wins Russo-Japanese War
in order to overcome these problems, the government adopted the yen as the basic unit of currency. Then the exchange of clan notes and the money issued by the daimyo was suspended. Although Japan had a high level of potential savings for an under‐developed country, Japan still lacked a modern banking system. In 1872, it used the American system as a model for Japan. Four national banks were established, but in 1875, the banks were in serious Linancial trouble because of poor management and failure to compete with other banks and institutions. In 1882, Japan adopted the European style system of banking. The nation’s Lirst central bank, the bank of Japan, was formed that same year. The government spent a lot of money on building a new economy. In 1873, they introduced a new land tax in which farmers had to sell 3% of their annual crop to the government. As the government predicted, it became the largest source of income.
Although it was reduced by 0.5% in later years, it was still a heavy burden on the farmers. Another thing that the government changed was the railways and telegraphs. In 1872, the Lirst railway line was built from Tokyo to Yokohama. This was a popular way for transportation for the people; in fact, around two million people took it each year. In 1874, another line was built from Kobe to Osaka. In 1877, it was extended to Kyoto. Telegraph lines were built and linked all the major Japanese cities by 1880. During this period, Japan’s economy grew by a lot. It established major mines, factories and shipyards. The government soon began selling off certain industries to private companies to make sure that there will be continued economic growth in our country. The economy is predicted to have a continuous rise.
By: Karen Chui
On April 17, 1895, Japan, won the war against China. The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, ofLicially ending the war. Japan’s triumph was soon ended when Britain, France and Germany forced it to give up the Liaotung Peninsula in an event known as the Triple Intervention. It had no choice, but to agree. Three years later, Russia was given the right to the Chinese Eastern Railway. It connected Manchuria to the Russian port of Vladivostok, to major ports of Dairen and Port Arthur. This alarmed the Japanese because it threatened its plans for expansion into Asia. Britain feared Russia’s advance in Asia. It wanted to join a defensive alliance with Japan. Not everyone in Japan agreed to this. Some thought that Britain was using the Japanese so its expansions into Asia will not injury Britain’s interests. Unfortunately, on January 30, 1902, the Anglo‐Japanese alliance was signed. After the singing of the alliance, most of Japan’s leaders wanted Russia to recognize its interests in Korea. Most agreed that the only places Japan can expand to are China and Korea. In 1903, at an Imperial Conference, Japan negotiated for a long time with Russia, wanting Russia to recognize its interests in Korea if it recognized Russia’s rights in Manchuria. Despite all this, Russia would not agree to budge on the question of Korea. There was only one choice left for the Japanese. On February 8, 1904, its naval forces attacked the
Russian naval Lleet anchored at Port Arthur. War was declared two days later. Soon, the Japanese troops drove the Russian troops out of Korea. Japan’s army suffered heavy losses, but it still continued to go northward into Manchuria and capturing Port Arthur. In May, Japan won the battle on the Yalu River, giving it control of all of Korea. In September, its troops moved into the south of Manchuria. Later, in early January of 1905, the commander of the army, General Nogi, captured Port Arthur. Soon, on September 5, 1905, the Treaty of Portsmouth was singed between Russia and Japan, ending the war and suffering. Defeating Russia was a great achievement for the Japanese, because no other Asian power had every beaten an established European nation.
Japanese soldiers during the Russo-Japanese War
2
By: Anonymous Our government has recently started to modernize. I agree with the whole modernization thing, but I still think that Japan should maintain our divine culture. We should not change our lifestyles so they are replicas of the Western people’s. Before this Meiji Restoration, the upper classes would wear silks and satins. The peasants were only allowed to wear hemp and cotton. When people walked out on the street, we could tell who were in the upper class and lower class. All of this changed in 1872. Our government decided that everyone should dress in the Western style. We had to dress Western style for all court and ofLicial ceremonies. Then the morning coat or cutaway became the standard dress for formal occasions. Peasants no longer wore their hemp and cotton clothing and the upper classes no longer wore their silk and satin clothing. No one could tell an upper class person
from a lower class one. We became the same. I come from an upper class family. I feel as if my social status has been lowered. I feel as if I have lost the respect of the peasants and the people who have a lower social status than me. In 1870, many people had their traditional samurai topknot replaced with Western‐style haircuts. Since I come from an upper class family, I was forced to cut off my topknot so show that I was an “enlightened” man. I did not believe in this though. I felt that my topknot showed who I really was, a young proud Japanese man. Having my topknot cut off made me feel like I lost another part of my true identity. A part of this Restoration that I personally like is eating meat. Along with this modernization came many new dishes that contain meat. Although Buddhist beliefs did not allow the eating of meat, several dishes, such as Sukiyaki and Teriyaki, became popular in a very short amount of time.
Editorial
By: Anonymous In 1872, our government decided to start the way people dressed. In the past, the upper class wore silks and satins while peasants like my family were only allowed to wear hemp and cotton. This is changed in 1872. Everyone was encouraged to wear Western clothing. When I head this news, I felt joy inside. Never have I felt so happy in my life. We poor people would now dress the same as the upper classes. I felt as if my social status has rose. To Lit in, many samurai had to cut off their topknots. With his topknots cut off, I felt as if everyone was more equal now. The rich and the poor dressed the same and in early 1870, ate pretty much the same food. In early 1870, people were encouraged to eat dishes containing meat and this tradition
gained popularity quickly. With everyone eating the same kind of food, I felt that the upper classes and the lower classes were more equal now. Another thing that our new government changed was adding ballroom dancing. It was a popular pastime. Soon, this changed. In 1889, the Japanese craze for Westernization came to an end. Most Japanese people returned to living their lives Japanese style. I thought that this was a bad choice for our society. During the time when our country replicated Western lifestyles, I felt that I had more freedom and everyone was more equal. This made everything better, but good things do not last for long.
SukiyakiMap of Japan
3
Life Style Section
Chicken Teriyaki 3/4 pounds chicken thighs2 tbsp sake (rice wine)4 tbsp soy sauce4 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)2 tbsp sugar
Mix all ingredients except for chicken in bowl. Marinate the chicken in the mixture for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Heat some oil in a frying pan.
Fry the skin side of the chicken on medium heat until the skin is browned.Pour the sauce used to marinate chicken into the pan. Cover the pan and steam cook the chicken on low heat until done. Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce becomes thick. Stop the heat. Slice the chicken, pour the thickened sauce over the chicken and serve on a plate.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT During the Meiji Period, other countries
started to influence Japan’s food and culture. A new
kind food known as Shojin-ryori would be introduced. This dish was introduced by a high priest after the
priest came back from China. This dish was cooked by Buddhist priests. They believed that eating is the same
as killing something because they believed that plants
were alive. Therefore, Buddhist priests thought that people should not waste any food.
Shojin-ryori is a vegetarian dish, but some vegetables such as onions, garlic and leek are not used
because they are too strong. No cooking spice is used
too. The Buddhist priest think of the Shojin-ryori as the mother of the Japanese foods because many of the
other vegetarian dishes are based on this dish.
Shojin-ryori
INTERVIEW WITH JAPAN’S TOP FASHION DESIGNER
In this issue, we have interviewed Japan’s top fashion designer.
MT : Hello, Yuuki. We have heard of your famous
creations so we have invited you here today for an interview and hopefully a sneak preview of your work for
our readers.
Yuuki: Hello. I am honored to be an this issue of Meiji
Times.
MT: Tell us about yourself. How many years have you been working as a designer? Why did you choose to
become a designer? Is it hard to design a new line?
Yuuki: I have been working as a fashion designer for five
years now. Most designers say that by now, we usually
know what type of clothing is good and which are bad and I have to agree with this. I choose this job because as a
young girl, I would be drawing designs of clothes that I wanted. As a grew older, I started to design actual pieces of
clothing. The first thing I designed was a dress. It was
simple, yet astonishing. When I first showed it to my teacher (I had lessons with a fashion designer to learn
4Continued on page 5
more about designing clothes), she
was surprised that someone so young had such a great talent. From that day
on, I knew that my dream job would
be a fashion designer. it is not that hard to come up with new ideas
because my ideas come from the public. The lines that I have created
are based on what the majority of
society wants. For example, now people want to dress like Westerners
so my new line is based on that.
MT: So Yuuki, what inspired you to
create this new line that everyone
wants?
Yuuki: As you know, most of Japan’s
population want to live “the Western way.” Our people have developed a
craze for Western things.
Food, clothing and education in Japan
are replicas of the West. Before this Restoration, the upper classes and the
lower classes dressed very differently.
The upper classes wore silk and satin while the peasants were limited to
hemp and cotton. This has changed.
When you go out on the streets, most of the people are already wearing
Western style clothing. All I did was
simply draw out the style of clothing that everyone wanted.
MT:You make this job sound really
easy! Thank you for interviewing with us today. Maybe you could give us a
preview of your new line.
Yuuki: This job is not really that hard. All you need is to be patient and think
out of the box. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I cannot show you
and the readers a preview of my new
line. But I can show you a kimono that I previously designed and mark
my words, Japan is destined for greatness.
5
“Japan is destined for greatness”
Traditional Kimono with Cranes
Political Cartoon