Japan- Geography, the

Edo Period, and Isolation

Created by Ms. Reiffenstein
January 2008
Geography and Japan’s Worldview
• Japan is composed of a long, narrow series
of islands along the Eastern Pacific Coast
of Asia.
• This includes 3000 smaller islands that
include Okinawa.
• 377835 square km or 3/5 the size of Alberta
• Closest foreign countries are South Korea,
Russia and China.
• 73% of country is mountainous, most
farming is done in the valleys and along the
coastline.
 Geography Continued…
• Japan is situated in the volcanic zone that
is called the ring of fire around the Pacific
Ocean.
• It has much rainfall and is very humid, it
has 4 seasons.
• The climate is cool in the north and
subtropical in the south- farmers grow rice
and fruits.
• Island societies tend to be isolated,
mountains create natural barriers, Japan
has looked to the sea for food.
 Edo Period of Great Peace…
• 1500- Japan consisted of 250 small regions
all ruled by an emperor.
• Each Region was ruled by a commander
called a daimyo. Daimyo’s were at war with
each other to increase their holdings and
power.
• Real power and authority was held by the
shogun, he was the leader of the military
government.
3 Shoguns who unified Japan in the
late 1500s are:
• Oda Nobunaga:
– Reduced Buddhist
control over
Japanese politics
– Built castles to
defend his lands
– Paved the way for
unification with new
administrative
practices.
Toyotomi • Continued centralized govt.
Hideyoshi: power
• Changed the tax on the land
from money to quantities of rice
(koku)
• Society based on formal class
structure
• Created a standing army
• Farmers and warriors had to
choose one or the other and not
both
• Supported painters and new
types of drama.
 Tokugawa Ieyasu:

• Established his
government base in
Edo.
• Finalized unification
of Japan
 Why did Japan Isolate itself?
• At the beginning of the Edo period Japan
was trading with many countries.
• Tokugawa Ieyasu didn’t want Japanese
exposed to Western ideas. He saw
Europeans establishing colonies in many
areas they explored. He decided that
foreign ships could only land at one port:
the island of Deshima.
 Spread of Christianity
• Roman Catholic missionaries came on ships
wanting to convert the Japanese to
Christianity.
• Between 1549-87 150,000 Japanese
converted in the Nagasaki Area.
• Bakufu (military govt.) were concerned that
new Christians wouldn’t view the shoguns as
their ultimate authority.
• Shoguns decided to isolate Japan, primarily
from the Western world.
 The National Seclusion Policy
• The Bakufu passed edicts to control the
influence of foreigners. Some of these were:
– Japanese ships forbidden to travel to foreign
countries.
– Any Japanese who attempt to go abroad will be
executed.
– Any Japanese returning from overseas will be
put to death.
– Any Westerners teaching Christianity will be put
in prison.
– No single trading city is permitted to purchase
all merchandise brought by foreign ships.
– Portuguese ships are banned from Japanese
ports. Ships will be destroyed and passengers
executed.