Tokugawa Rule (1 gen 1603 anni – 1 gen 1867 anni)

Descrizione:

-Feudal system with Daimyos (local lords) controlled samurais. The emperor was believed to be a descendent of the sun goddess but the Shogun, a military leader, was the main ruler. Lords could challenge the shogun for position.

-Late 1400s = Age of the Warring States where gunpowder was more widely used.

-Muskets spread across Japan and Tokugawa Ieyasu rose up and the Tokugawa shogunate ruled for 250 years.

-Tokugawa created a secret police force, restricted gunpowder production, and forced daimyo families to live in Edo (now Tokyo) to ensure loyalty (curbed their power and wealth).

-Four classes, warriors (lords and samurai, 7%), farmers, artisans, and merchants (1/3). Rigid social structure.

-China has always influenced Japan, some Japanese adopted Buddhism. They adopted Confucian thought and borrowed their political structures.

-Japan adopted various Chinese ideas, including arts and architecture, through cultural exchanges

-Various forms of art flourished in Japan with the most notable being Kabuki (theater that combines elaborate costumes, music, and dance), woodblock printing and Haikus (short poems)

Decline:
-Initially, the Tokugawa welcomed foreign traders and ideas. However, they grew concerned about the spread of Catholicism and began expelling missionaries and restricting trade.

-Xenophobic

-By 1638, it had expelled most European traders, limiting trade to just one port. Only the Dutch were allowed to visit, and only once or twice a year.

-Travel and building of large ships was prohibited

-Policy of isolation was beneficial in that it helped the Tokugawa rulers preserve Japanese traditions and maintain control . This also prevented them from gaining foreign knowledge.

-They lacked modern weaponry as a result of Tokugawa government restricting production.

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