Japan


 * Political**
 * Tokugawa Shogunate
 * A shogun or “military governor” ruled as a stand in for the Japanese emperor
 * Sought to monopolize power
 * 16th century – state of civil war due to conflict among shoguns
 * End of 16th century – powerful states emerged and military leaders created unification
 * Tokugawa bakufu
 * "tent government"
 * Temporary replacement for the emperor's rule
 * Goal of the shoguns was to prevent return of civil war
 * The daimyo
 * "great names"
 * Powerful territorial lords who ruled and gained power through heredity
 * Maintained government with its own military and circulated paper money
 * Established relations with European mariners and learned how to use gunpowder in weapons
 * The shoguns wanted to control the daimyo as well as Japanese relations with the outside world
 * Issued edicts restricting foreign relations
 * Edicts forbade the Japanese from leaving and forced out all Europeans
 * Trade only allowed at authorized port cities


 * Economy**
 * Tokugawa shoguns set the stage for economic growth
 * Increased agricultural production led to rapid demographic growth
 * Infanticide used to limit population growth
 * Increased production of cotton, silk, indigo, and sake
 * Villages shifted from subsistence farming to farming for profit
 * Increased rice production resulted from new crop strains, new methods of water control and irrigations, and the use of fertilizer.


 * Religion**
 * A lot of Chinese influence
 * Many common people were Buddhist
 * Confucianism was an important philosophical system
 * Eventually, Buddhism and Confucianism were seen as aspects of alien cultures
 * The push for Japanese to return to folk traditions
 * The indigenous Shinto religion grew
 * Christian missionaries travelled to Japan
 * Successful at first
 * The push to preserve Japanese traditions slowed the Christian conversion
 * Anti-Christian Campaign
 * Japanese Christians forced to renounce their faith
 * Tortured and executed European missionaries
 * Christianity only observed in rural areas of Japan


 * Society**
 * Tokugawa rule undermined the social position of ruling elites
 * Different classes included the ruling elites followed by the peasants and artisans – the merchants were at the bottom
 * Administration of local affairs fell to the daimyo and the samurai warriors
 * Ruling elites faced financial difficulty
 * Merchants became increasingly wealthy and prominent


 * Innovation**
 * Ukiyo -- "floating worlds"
 * Entertainment centers
 * escapes from social responsibilities and the rigid rules of conduct
 * Teahouses, theaters, brothels, public baths
 * New strains of crops and new methods of water control and irrigation increase agricultural productivity
 * Kakiemon porcelain was developed and used.


 * Art & Architecture**
 * Poetry, prose fiction, new forms of theatre
 * Ihara Saikaku - wrote poetry and fiction that revolved around love
 * Kabuki theatre
 * Lively skits
 * Acting as well as singing and dancing
 * Actors needed to improvise and embellish dialogue -- scripts served as guides, but did not give much detail
 * Bunraku theatre
 * Puppet theatre
 * Chanters accompanied by music told stories through puppets
 * Puppets manipulated by teams of three
 * Lavish castles were instituted by warlords.