JAPAN UNDER THE SHOGUN• Power and control the rise of the

shogun• Roles in the feudal society• Honour and Duty• First contact with the west

THE LEGEND OF THE 47 RONIN• In 1701, the shogun sent for Lord Asano to

meet with a representative of the emperor• Lord Kira, a court official, was assigned to

teach Asano the correct way to behave• When Asano did not give Kira a large enough

payment for his help, Kira insulted him repeatedly in front of the other nobles

• Asano became angry, pulled out his sword and cut off Kira’s arm

• Asano knew he had committed a forbidden act, as a result on order of the shogun, Asano took his own life

THE LEGEND OF THE 47 RONIN• Now that Lord Asano was dead, his 47 samurai

became ronin, warriors without a master• They had lost their honour and position within

society• Out of loyalty to their master, they avowed to

avenge his death• They launched a surprise attack and killed Lord

Kira in his home• They had fulfilled their duty, but now duty

demanded that they also kill themselves• The 47 ronin were buried side-by-side in

Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo.

THE LEGEND OF THE 47 RONIN

THE SHOGUN IN JAPAN• The shogun were the military rulers of Japan• The story of the 47 ronin is one of the most

beloved Japanese stories• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHgzDoQj1ZI

• It took place during the Edo or Tokugawa period of Japanese history which lasted from 1600-1868

• Edo, the present day capital of Tokyo, was capital during this time

• Tokugawa were shogun rulers• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG_qx2p9eiU&

THE SHOGUN IN JAPAN• In the 100 years before the Edo period Japan

was in almost constant warfare• Powerful landowners, known as daimyo

competed with one another for power and territory

• Tokugawa Ieyasu became the most powerful man in Japan after he defeated rival daiymo

• In 1603 he was made shogun by the emperor• The shogun held the true power in the land

with the emperor being a figurehead• A figurehead is someone who has symbolic

and ceremonial power

UNIFYING THE LAND• Ieyasu was determined to create a strong

shogunate, a council of advisors, officials and administrators

• His goal was a long lasting and stable government

• He first step was to watch the daimyo, many of them had fought against him

• He gave loyal lords domains next to the domains of those whose loyalty he questioned

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncWTy0VuYJc&feature=fvsr&

UNIFYING THE LAND• Ieyasu’s successors added ideas that increased

Japanese stability• ALTERNATE ATTENDANCE– Every second year the daimyo were forced to live in

Edo– Were called guests of the shogun during this time

• SHARING POWER– The bakuhan system of two levels of government

was established– The shogun acted like the federal government, the

daimyo controlled local affairs• STRICT LAWS– Laws established by the shogun controlled many

aspects of the daimyo's lives

UNIFYING THE LANDINCREASING SHOGUN ‘S POWER DECREASING DAIMYO’S POWER

The shogun enforced an existing law that banned peasants from owning weapons or swords

Without weapons, the peasants were useless to the local daimyo who might try to raise armies

A network of secret police was established. Anyone accused of threatening the shogun’s power was considered guilty and punished severely

Needing permission to marry or to alter their castles, the daimyo could not make military alliances against the shogun or build up their defences

One-quarter of all agricultural land, mines, ports, and cities were owned by the shogun

Loyal daimyo were given villages to govern. It was their responsibility to collect taxes, keep order and pay for road building and flood control projects in the area

A FEUDAL SOCIETY• There was a rigid social structure to Japan's

feudal society. Membership is each class was hereditary, determined by birth

• Roles were highly regulated, for example there were 216 rules regulating dress from the emperor all the way to the lowest member of society http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ4k4dtRgPw&feature=related&

• The roles included– Samurai– Peasants– Artisans – Merchants– Women

THE SAMURAI• They were the much respected warrior class• They lived in castle towns controlled by the

shogun or daimyo they served• Only samurai were allowed to have swords• These were large curved swords, sharp enough

to slice an enemy in two• There were many subdivisions in the samurai

ranks, with the ronin the lowest and least honourable

• They were forbidden from becoming involved in trade or business

THE SAMURAI• During peacetime they were

posted as officers in rural towns and did a variety of duties– Surveying land– collecting taxes – Keeping order

• The samurai code of honour dictated they lived simple and thrifty lives

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfG6SakcF4I

PEASANTS• During this era farmers were

considered important because they produced the food that sustained society

• Laws controlled every aspect of their life

• They were forbidden to smoke tobacco or drink rice wine and needed special permission to travel outside their district

ARTISANS• Artisans typically lived in towns• Sons of artisans were not only restricted in

class but to follow in the specific craft of their father

• Object produced by artisans in Japan included– High quality paper and porcelains– Lacquered or enameled containers– Clocks and pans

• Despite their skills , their status was lower than the peasants because their work required materials produced by others

MERCHANTS• They bought items from artisans to trade or

sell to others• They arranged for shipping and storage of rice• As rice was the currency of the day, they

performed a function similar to modern bankers

• They produced even less than the artisans, so they were at the bottom of the social structure

• Government spies would report on merchants who showed off their wealth or dared to criticize the government

WOMEN IN EDO SOCIETY• They were limited by their birth class

like men• Women in rural areas had more

freedom than upper class women• They worked in the home, in the

fields, gathered wood and raised silkworms

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=526GEeS3fQ0

• Women in all aspects of society were considered lower than men

• They had no legal status during the Edo period

OUTCASTS IN EDO SOCIETY• Outcasts were people shunned or ignored by

the other classes as a result of their work• Often their occupations had some aspect of

death so leather tanners and butchers were examples of outcasts

• People with leprosy and entertainers were also considered outcasts

• During the Edo period they had to live apart from the rest of society– They were not allowed to change jobs– They could not enter the home of a peasant– They could not be in the city after 8 pm

HONOUR AND DUTY• the teachings of Confucianism played an

important role in Japanese class distinctions• Confucius was a Chinese scholar whose

teachings for moral, right living were brought to Japan by Buddist monks

• Basic belief, if everyone accepted their duties and obligations, there would be peace and order

• Many of his sayings encouraged people to be modest and work and study hard

• “what you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR6Xdy8MHKg&

HONOUR AND DUTYWISDOM POSSESSOR Wisdom collector

Ruler Subject

Father Children

Husband Wife

Older sibling Younger sibling

Friend Friend

DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS

• To be a wise and just leader

• To obey

• To support and provide for the other

• To respect

• To protect the other • To honour

According to Confucius these were the five basic relationships. In Edo Japan these ideals were stressed especially filial piety, faithfulness and devotion to the parents

HONOUR AND DUTY• the samurai used their power to organize

the lower classes into groups of five families called goningumi

• Members of these groups were supposed to help each other and each person was responsible for the behavior of others in the group

• Everyone in the group could be punished if one person was disobedient, did not show respect to a superior, or did not work hard enough

FIRST CONTACT WITH THE WEST• In 1534 a Portuguese ship wrecked off

the coast of a small Japanese island• Because they approached from a

southern direction, they became known as the southern barbarians

• They were soon followed by the Spanish, Dutch, and British traders along with Christian missionaries

• At first the Portuguese and the Japanese had positive impressions of each other

FIRST CONTACT WITH THE WEST• In 1549, Francis Xavier, a Jesuit, arrived

to begin to convert the upper classes, to Christianity

• The missionaries found a culture which had combined Shinto, with Confucian code of conduct, and Buddhist self-discipline

• Both had ethical codes, beliefs about right and wrong behavior

• The Christian concept of one god was new for Japan

CHRSITIAN AREAS OF JAPAN IN 1640