日本歴史のレッスン一 (History of Japan Lesson One)

日本歴史のレッスン一

Tokugawa Shogunate

 Today we have a lesson in Japanese History and the Meiji Restoration. Prior to this period in time, control of Japan had been in the hands of the Shogun. A shogun came into power by succeeding or overthrowing the previous one shogun. During this time the emperor was still present but was nothing more than a cultural and religious figurehead. It was the Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府) founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu that would bring an end to the feudal system of Japan and return control of the country to the emperor and his ministers. In November of 1867 the 15^th Tokugawa Shogun relinquished his power to the emperor and ushered in a new era for Japan.

Meiji Restoration

One of the main reasons for the Meiji Restoration was the fact that Japan had fallen technologically behind the rest of the world during their self-imposed seclusion. To combat this many changes were made of these reopening Japan to foreign trade was one of the most important. This allowed Japan to refortify its military power with new weaponry and techniques. This period in time also saw the abolishment of the class system in Japan and the end of the samurai.

The Last Samurai

During the Meiji Restoration steps were taken that removed the power of the samurai (侍) class. One such step was the outlawing of caring a sword in public. Up until this point it was a badge of honor for a samurai to carry his swords with him. While many ex-samurai were conscripted to serve in the new military others fought the abandoning of their privileged class. The Satsuma Rebellion (西南戦争 Seinan Sensō (Southwestern War)) was the last in a series of these uprisings. It culminated in the deaths of the rebels and the effective end to the Japanese samurai.

It was a time of change, but without it Japan may not exist today. So until next time...

じゃね。