the shogun felt that loyalty to the renaissance ideas and a christian religion were threats to his authority
he soon ordered all christian missionaries to leave the country - churches were destroyed and christians that refused to give up their faith faced execution
When the shogun ordered his daimyo to give up their religion, most complied - however, ronin and lowerclasslevels were more defiant as they found joy and a community in this religion
missionaries continued to come to japan disguised as traders, in turn, Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu passed exclusion laws - if you broke a law, the penalty was death
the exclusion laws
all christianmissionaries and foreign traders were forced to leavejapan and no new incomers were allowed to enter
the Japanese were not allowed to go abroad
ships that were large enough to go on voyages were destroyed and nonewones were allowed to be built
Japanese who were out of the country were not allowed to return
most foreign objects were forbidden - christian books (bibles) were notallowed, neither were scientific books
in addition to the exclusionlaws, the shogun tightendcontrols on movement within japan,
people needed special documents to move form one domain to another
a curfew was enforced to keep people from moving around at night
wheel travel was banned
exceptions to the exclusion laws
the shogan banned almost all foriegntraders exept for the dutch, Chinese and korean traders
the dutch were only allowed in onespecific island - this isolation was essential for national security and the japaneese culture from the shogan's point of view
the dutch
the dutch were allowed to stay as they were only interested in trade and notreligion
however, they still had to take a long and expensive trip to Edo to pay their respects to the shogun - they stayed for 3months
The dutch scholars
dutch traders that taught japanesescholars about the renaissance (the shogun was interested even though he did not allow his people to be - he feared these ideas might confuse them and forget their obedienceto him)
peace in edo during isolation
although it was peacful, the people lived under strict laws - could not move from the social class that they were born in - people were notencouraged to think for themselves
Culture in edo period of isolation
as a result of the prosperity and peace in japan, arts and culture was able to flourish such as
kabuki - theater
teaceremony
sumowrestling
haiku
woodblock
kendo
noh
Bunraku - puppets
the floating worlds
Cultural activities took place in areas called the floating worlds
There the rules and controls of Tokugawa society were relaxed, and once they had fulfilled their duties to their occupation and family men could temporarily unwind and enjoy themselves.
the shogun tried to suppress the floating worlds at first, but decided to keep these entertainment districts under surveillance instead.
the floating worlds served as places to escape
class system in upheaval
towards the end of the period, merchants became wealthy as everyone used their services - they leant money at a time when everyone needed it, and they stored rice and converted it into cash or credits, they made money in the floating worlds
peasants needed money to pay the high rents and taxes
samurai did not have real work but they were too proud totake other jobs, some began to marrymerchant daughters - goingagainst strict social rules
many daimyo were nearing bankrupcy
everyone was looking for someone to blame, and many blamed the shogun and emperor
disasters and hard times
japan was struck by many natural disasters that led to famines
land was deserted as peasants fled to the towns- they could not find work
a third of the population died of starvation
rice was so scarce- prices rose steeply
city dwellers rioted and attacked homes of the wealthy
the expansionist threat
several nations were knocking on Japan’s door.
Russia, England and the United States, in particular, requested trade, or at the very least, water and coal for their passing ships.
In 1825, the shogunate responded with the “No Second Thought
Expulsion Order”
A Booming Economy:
Long periods of stability and peace did however result in a strong Japanese Economy.
Pros:
Increased productivity of agriculture
Introduction of gold and silver as currency
Increased urban population
But there were still some Cons of having an isolated economy:
Overtaxing of peasants
Continued use of rice as currency
No foreign trade
isolation in japan - they wanted peace, safety, harmony and oppertinuties for personal enjoyment - controls in japan and risk of bad punishments and execution reduced crime rates
the feudal system was established in a time of conflict and poverty. the shogun discouraged change but eveyone was unhappy with poverty that they were living in.