Japanese history
Author: Edutraveller
Date written: 04/19/2003 04:03:06 PM
Last edited: 2003/05/04 12:44:16
Keywords: History, Japanese history, History in Japan, Yayoi, Edo period
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History
History is a controversial subject in Japan. As constantly recurring problems between Japan on the one side and Korea and China (among other nations) on the other would suggest, memories of the Second World War are still fresh in many people's minds - or the scars remaining are. When discussing this field, it is necessary to tread a narrow line between those who feel that Japan has still to acknowledge the crimes of the Second World War, and those who feel persecuted by constant criticism from abroad. The summary below of the major points of Japanese History is written with this in mind, and without taking a position on this debate.
Prehistory (to about 300AD)
The first traces of human activity on the Japanese islands dates from about 100,000 BC with a simple paleolithic (stone-using) culture that made the usual arrowheads, stone axes and such like. The first shards of pottery discovered seem to date from about 10,000 BC when the Jomon period begins. In this period, clay images were made and by around 3,000 BC large communities were in existence.
From 300 BC the Jomon period gives way to the Yayoi (300 BC to 300 AD), a culture that has its roots in the northern parts of Kyushu and which began cultivating rice. The knowledge and seeds seem to have come from China through Korea; the cultivation of rice requires stable communities and hence is a highly socialising force.
During this period, ties with China are apparent as King Na of the kingdom of Wa (Japan, although at that time probably just the area around northern Kyushu) sends tribute to the Chinese empire. In return, he is sent a gold seal (on display in the Fukuoka Prefectural Museum). Emissaries are again sent in teh third centuray AD, by which time the first large burial mounds (kofun) had been constructed in the western part of Japan.
Kofun Period (300AD to 710AD)
The Kofun Period is named after the large, keyhole-shaped burial mounds in which the nobles of the time were interred. The first part of the period is sometimes termed Yamato (300 AD to 592 AD). The kings of this time regularly paid tribute to the Chinese court, and the first iron swords made in Japan date from the fifth century AD.
The second part of the Kofun Period is called the Asuka Period (592 AD to 710 AD). The period is marked by Asuka Bijitsu, a particularly elegant yet simple form of pottery. In this time, Buddhism was introduced from the Korean peninsula (mid-sixth century AD), and the first constitution was drafted. Emissaries were sent to the Chinese court several times, and troops that had been sent to Korea were defeated by local and Chinese forces.
Nara Period (710AD to 794AD)
The Nara Period begins with the location of the capital of Japan in Heijokyo (Nara). Many temples were built, and the first Daibutsu (Great Buddha) was constructed in Todaiji Temple (Nara).
Heian Period (794AD to 1185AD)
The Heian Period begins with the move from Nara to Heiankyo (Kyoto). At this time, the arts and culture of Japan flourish, and Murasaki Shikibu writes the tale of Genji, the world's first novel. The emperor stops sending tribute to the Chinese court, perhaps indicating a new sense of security in Japan.
Kamakura Period (1185AD to 1333AD)
In 1180, Minamoto Yoritomo established his headquarters in Kamakura, on the coast near present-day Tokyo. Concentrating power in his own hands, the Imperial family becomes a figurehead while the country (although as yet not entirely united) is largely under the control of the Shogun. Buddhism spreads rapidly throughout the country, and many new sects are founded. In 1333, the Kamakura Shogunate comes to an end in the midst of war.
Muromachi Period (1333AD to 1573AD)
With the end of the Kamakura Shogunate, the Ashikaga family rose to prominence. Ashikaga Takauji became the first Muromachi Shogun. After a period of Japanese pirate raids on the Chinese coast, the Shogunate reestablished relations with the Chinese court. In 1422, after a long conflict, Sho Hashi united the whole of Okinawa under his control and became the King of the Ryukyus. Kyoto experiences significant instability, with the Onin war (1467 to 1477). Many temples and palaces were destroyed at this time, and many lives lost.
The Daimyo system was established in 1536 (basically a feudal system where a lord has control over a particular domain). Shortly afterwards, the Portuguese arrive in Japan for the first time, bringing guns and western science and learning (and disease). Francis Xavier arrived in 1549 and starts missionary work, which initially is tolerated.
Azuchimomoyama Period (1573AD to 1600AD)
In 1573, the Ashikaga Shogunate ended. There followed a period of instability, where various factions struggled for power. In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeded in unifying the entire country of Japan under his control, with the support of Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1592, Hideyoshi sent forces to Korea, who returned unvictorious.
Edo Period (1600AD to 1867AD)
After the death of Hideyoshi, more maneuvering saw Tokugawa Ieyasu victorious at the battle of Sekigahara. He united the entire country under his command and established his capital in Edo (later Tokyo). Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan experiences a long period of peace, allowing development in the arts and culture - but stagnation in many other ways. Overseas travel is banned, trade is banned.
Local daimyo are required to spend alternate years in Edo and their home town. This requires them to have two homes, and to worry about their position in their own region - meaning that no group is sufficiently powerful to challenge the shogunate. Edo grows to be the biggest city in the world. In 1641 a Dutch Trading post is established in Nagasaki, the only contact between Japan and the outside world.
Tokugawa Japan continued for many generations, slowly stagnating, but largely stable despite occasional famines and rebellions. Russian traders begin links with the Ainu of Hokkaido and Sakhalin, an area still largely beyond the control of the Shogunate. In 1853, Commodore Perry of the United States arrived in his "black ships" and demanded that Japan open to the outside world. International pressure lead to increased exposure to foreign cultures, and may have helped bring internal stresses to the fore.
Meiji Restoration (1868AD to 1912AD)
In 1868, these pressures spilled over and a rebellion took place. Imperial forces routed the Shogunate's armies and took control. The Meiji Restoration of the imperial family to the centre of Japanese political life had taken place.
The newly-restored Emperor Meiji moved to Edo and renamed it Tokyo (eastern capital). The Ryukyu islands, under control of the Satsuma family from Shikoku, became fully incorporated into Japan as Okinawa Prefecture, and the constitution of the Empire of Japan was written. In 1904-05, Japan was victorious in the Russo-Japanese War, a sign of how quickly the country had managed to develop and arm. In 1910, Korea was colonised.
20th Century: Pre-WWII
In 1912, the Taisho Emperor inherited a country that was growing in wealth and confidence. In 1915, Japan expanded into Manchuria in northern China, and issued a list of demands that the weakened Chinese Empire could not refuse. In 1931, the Japanese engineered the Liutaochu Incident, which gave them a pretext for expanding into northern China in order to gain access to raw materials for burgeoning industries.
One thing lead to another, and as the military gained more and more influence in Japan, democracy faltered. Japan became more and more expansionist, attacking and taking over British, Dutch, French and other countries' colonies in the Asia Pacific. Finally, this lead to the bombing of Pearl Harbour, one of the most devastating attacks of the Second World War that finally brought the United States into the conflict. With much loss of life on all sides, the war was finally won by the allied forces and Japan surrendered after two atomic weapons were dropped on her cities - Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
20th Century: Post-WWII
Japan was defeated and occupied by allied forces - that is, the United States of America. A new constitution was written, and land reforms enacted to try and establish democracy in the country and ensure that the formerly ruling elite were not able to concentrate control of all resources in their hands as before.
In 1951, a peace treaty was signed in San Francisco, ending the occupation (although a huge US presence remained and remains today). Japan experienced miraculous growth (helped by US spending on the Korean and Vietnam wars), and shot from a basket-case economy at the end of the war to the second economy in the world in the space of a few decades. The modernisation of the Japanese economy has been a model for other nations in Asia and around the world, but few have been able to reproduce its success.
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