Tokugawa Literature
Theater and Art
-work of new urban fiction seen in Ihara Saikaku
-Greatest novel was "Five Women Who Loved Love" about 5 women searching and 4 dying for love
-most popular literature was about lighthearted and people pleasing
-Poetry remained a more serious form of literature as seen by great Japanese poet Matsuo Basho
-new world of entertainment gave rise in the theater to Kabuki-which emphasized action, music, and dramatic gestures to entertain viewers.
-Leaders feared corruption of morals with such show business and forbade women to appear on stage
-hostage system gave rise to magnificent mansions with lavish furnishings.
-Art enriched by ideas of other cultures.
Korea: The Hermit Kingdom
Role of Women
-Yi dynasty in Korea, founded in late 14th century remained in power for entire Tokugawa Era
-Capital was at Hanyang (Seoul)
-Pattered their society after that of the Chinese
-Korean rulers tried to keep Korea isolated from the outside world
-Japan invaded Korea under forces of Hideyoshi
-Korea defeated Japan but was devastated and Yi dynasty was weakened
-In 1630s a Manchu army invaded northern Korea and forced North Korea to be subject of China
-Korea remained highly untouched by Europeans and Christian missionaries
1. Oda Nobunaga
- seized the imperial capital of Kyoto and placed the reigning shogun under his control.
2. Toyotomi Hideyoshi
-a farmers son who became a military commander and succeeded Nobunaga. He made his capital at Osaka
3. Tokugawa Ieyashu
- the daimyo of Edo (modern day Tokyo) took the title of shogun in 1603.
-Tokugawa rulers restored the central authority in Japan and brought a longer period of peach know as the "Great Peace."
-Ruled from capital in Edo until 1868
-women had restricted lives
-men heads of household had broad authority over property, marriage, and divorce.
-parents arranged marriages among common people
-wives moved in with husbands family
-women valued for their roles as child-bearers, and homemakers
-both sexes worked in fields
-Japan in chaos at end of 15th century
-Daimyo-the heads of noble families, controlled their own lands and warred with neighbors
-Three powerful political figures began to unify Japan in the late 16th century
Europeans in Japan
Tokugawa Rule
-Portuguese landed on the islands in 1543 as Japan was being unified
-Took part in trade between Japan, China, and Southeast Asia
-Welcomed at first
-Japanese fascinated by tobacco, clocks, glasses, and European goods
-Daimyo wanted to buy European weapons
-Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in 1549
-Converted many local daimyo
-Jesuit practice of destroying shrines caused reactions
-1587 Hideyoshi issued an edict prohibiting Christian activities in his lands
-Under Tokugawa Ieyasu, all missionaries were expelled and Japanese Christians were executed
-Merchant followed behind the Christians
-Only a small Dutch community in Nagasaki was allowed to stay-permitted to dock in Nagasaki once a year and could stay for only 2-3 months
-set out to take control of the feudal system in Japan
-state was divided into 250 separate territories called hans-or domains
-Each han ruled by a daimyo
-Daimyo controlled by shogunate through the hostage system
-system where daimyo had to residences-one in their own land and one in Edo
-When daimyo not in Edo, his family was forced to stay there
-During great peace the samurai ceased to be a warrior class and many became managers of the lands of the daimyo
The Class System
Economic and Social Changes
-Under the Tokugawa trade and industry began to flourish like never before-especially in growing cities of Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka
-1750 Edo one of largest cities in the world
-Banking flourished, paper money became normal medium of exchange
-Japanese merchant class emerged
-Peasants still made up most of the population
-Most peasants experienced declining profits and rising costs and taxes
-nearly 7,000 peasant revolts in the Tokugawa Era.
-Rulers established strict legal distinctions between classes
-4 main classes-warriors-peasants-artisans-merchants
-No intermarriage between classes
-Emperor and court families were first class
-Second was warrior class composed of shogun, daimyo, samurai, and ronin.
-Shogun was supreme ruler after the emperor and distributor of national rice crop.
- local daimyo got land and rice from shogun in exchange for military service.
-Samurai got rice for their services as advisers, castle guards, and gov officials.
-Ronin were warriors without masters that traveled the countryside seeking employment
-Peasants, artisans and merchants were next in line
-Below these classes was the eta-Japan's outcasts
-Tokugawa enacted severe laws to regulate the homes, dress and lives of eta.