Early Modern Japan - Essay Example

1. Give THREE reasons why Satsuma and Choshu emerged as the leading domains after 1864.
Both domains were relatively large and also had large numbers of samurai. Both had also engaged in various financial reforms previously to 1864 and were wealthy compared to most other domains. Finally, because of their relative distance from the capital and Edo, they were able to remain politically apart from most of the problems facing other domains.

2. Describe the different points of view set forth by the "pragmatists," the "Confucianists," and the Mito School before the coming of Perry.
In the later Tokugawa, they focused most of their philosophy on the importance of revering the emperor and throwing off foreign influence. Pragmatists generally used common sense observations of Western power to argue that, if it wanted to stay a sovereign nation, Japan needed to Westernize itself to defend itself.

3. How might Tokugawa Yoshinobu be considered a "hero" during the final days of the Tokugawa shogunate?
One way Yoshinobu might be considered a hero is because he was eager to give up the power of the Bakufu. If a Tokugawa who wanted to maintain the power of the family had been Shogun instead of Yoshinobu, the country would likely have erupted into civil war. By agreeing to hand power back to the Emperor, Yoshinobu avoided a lot of bloodshed. Additionally, before he became Shogun, Yoshinobu played off radical elements against one another and the Imperial Court, avoiding a disastrous war against the more powerful Western countries.

4. What was the purpose of the Ansei Purge? Who led it? What was the result?
The Ansei purge was intended to make sure that people in support of opening the country to foreigners were removed from the government. The person chiefly responsible was Ii Naosuke, the Daimyo of Hikone. Although the purge was pretty successful at removing high-ranking samurai from office, it was not popular and Ii Naosuke was assassinated. As a consequence of his assassination, the Bakufu leadership returned to those who had been purged in the first place, so the final result was the opposite of what Ii Naosuke intended.

5. Cite 2 important continuities over the Bakumatsu-Meiji transition period.
One continuity that is somewhat counter-intuitive is the fact that, despite nominal rule by the Bakufu during the Bakumatsu, much of the political power in both periods was held by those outside the traditional higher-ranking samurai. Another continuity is that much effort in both periods was spent on trying to modernize the country and its military so that Japan could get onto an equal footing with other world powers.

6. What was the main theme of the early Meiji reforms? Give 2 examples.
The main theme of the early Meiji reforms was to centralize the actual political power in Japan with the Imperial court and the new Meiji government. The clearest example of this was the abolition of the Daimyo's domains and their replacement with government-owned prefectures. Another example was the formal dissolution of the various official classes that had been held under the Tokugawa bakufu. By making all Japanese people equal citizens under Meiji rule, the new government was able to keep the previously-powerful samurai class from keeping its special influence.

7. Describe the main elements of Mori Arinori's educational reforms. What were the important social and educational impacts of these reforms?
The Mori Reforms included six years of required school and higher education as well for those who were important members of society. Similarly, they attempted to make education more standard across the country, while also instilling Confucian-style reverence in the emperor and Japan. The impact of the reforms was that Japanese people in general had more education, and the country was able to industrialize and Westernize itself much more quickly as a result. Socially speaking, the Japanese also had much more uniform feelings about the Emperor.

8. How did the early Meiji government manage to finance its many reforms as well as pay off the debts incurred from the abolition of domains?
The main ways that the new Meiji government paid for its reforms was by creating much more efficient tax and other revenue streams. Land taxes were no longer paid dependent on the actual harvest, but were collected based on a piece of farmland's value as assessed by a surveyor. The government also encouraged industrialization and the production of popular export goods like silk, which made sure they had foreign funds and investment. Finally, the government reduced the money supply to increase its worth.

9. Explain Tokugawa Nariaki's clever plan to have his son appointed shogun even though by tradition Mito men had never been appointed shogun.
To get around this tradition, Nariaki had his son adopted into the Hitotsubashi branch of the Tokugawa family. Read More