1.
Japanese name
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Japanese names in modern times usually consist of a family name, followed by a given name. More than one name is not generally used. Japanese names are written in kanji, which are characters usually Chinese in origin. The kanji for a name may have a variety of possible Japanese pronunciations, Names written in hiragana or katakana are phonetic renderings, and so lack the visual meaning of names expressed in the logographic kanji. Japanese family names are extremely varied, according to estimates, there are over 100,000 different surnames in use today in Japan, the three most common family names in Japan are Satō, Suzuki, and Takahashi. Many Japanese family names derive from features of the landscape, for example, Ishikawa means stone river, Yamamoto means the base of the mountain. While family names follow relatively consistent rules, given names are more diverse in pronunciation. Unusual pronunciations have especially become common, with this trend having increased significantly since the 1990s, male names often end in -rō or -ta, or contain ichi, kazu, ji, or dai while female names often end in -ko or -mi. Other popular endings for female names include -ka and -na, the majority of Japanese people have one surname and one given name with no other names, except for the Japanese imperial family, whose members bear no surname. The family name – myōji, uji or sei – precedes the given name, the given name may be referred to as the lower name because, in vertically written Japanese, the given name appears under the family name. People with mixed Japanese and foreign parentage may have middle names, historically, myōji, uji and sei had different meanings. Sei was originally the patrilineal surname which is why up till now it has granted only by the emperor as a title of male rank. The lower form of the name sei being tei which is a name in Japanese men. Although there was an ancestor in ancient Japan from whom the name Sei originally came. There were relatively few sei, and most of the noble clans trace their lineage either directly to these sei or to the courtiers of these sei. Uji was another name used to designate patrilineal descent, but later merged with myōji around the same time, myōji was, simply, what a family chooses to call itself, as opposed to the sei granted by the emperor. While it was passed on patrilineally in male ancestors including in male ancestors called haku, multiple Japanese characters have the same pronunciations, so several Japanese names have multiple meanings. A particular kanji itself can have multiple meanings and pronunciations, in some names, Japanese characters phonetically spell a name and have no intended meaning behind them
Japanese name
–
Akishino-dera in
Nara, from which
Prince Akishino took his name
Japanese name
–
Here
Fumiko Orikasa 's name is presented family name first in Japanese while it is presented given name first in English
2.
Edoardo Chiossone
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Edoardo Chiossone was an Italian engraver and painter, noted for his work as a foreign advisor to Meiji period Japan, and for his collection of Japanese art. He designed the first Japanese bank notes, Chiossone was born in Arenzano, Province of Genoa, as the son of a printer. In 1847 he enrolled in the Accademia Ligustica, where he specialized in copper-plate engraving, in 1857 he entered the atelier of Raffaele Granara and made several engravings of famous art works. One of his works was selected for display at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, later in 1867 he started working for the Italian National Bank and was sent to the Dondorf-Naumann company in Frankfurt, Germany to be trained in the making of paper money. While he was there, the company began making notes for the Imperial Japanese government. At this point he was invited to go to Japan, many of the portraits by Chiossone have been lost, and others only survive in reproduction, they can all be said to have been faithful likenesses. Chiossone arrived in Japan on January 12,1875, the government Printing Bureau which was part of the Ministry of Finance was under the directorship of Tokuno Ryosuke, who was eager to introduce modern machinery and techniques. At the end of 1875 he made his first portrait, an engraving of the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold and he also designed the koban postage stamp series which was issued in 1876/92. As there was a taboo against using the portrait, he had to resort to other images. Other portraits followed in 1876, those of Ōkubo Toshimichi, Saigō Tsugumichi, the next year the Emperor Meiji, attended by a hundred persons including Prince Arisugawa and Iwakura Tomomi visited the Printing Bureau and Chiossones working room. That year Chiossone also designed the first modern Japanese bank note, a note with the figure of Daikoku. The next year he produced the first bank note containing a human figure, in 1879 Chiossone went on a trip around Japan with Tokuno Ryosuke to record ancient art works and monuments,510 photographs were taken and Chiossone made 200 drawings. Tokuno recorded in his diary, published ten years later, that the two of them had had long conversations, the fruits of this trip were illustrated albums produced between 1880 and 1883. Chiossone also made a portrait of Tokuno two months before he died in year, and designed his tombstone. In 1888 he received his highest recognition, when he was asked to produce a portrait of the Emperor, the only existing portrait at that time was a photograph taken ten years before, and the Emperor refused to be photographed again. So the grand chamberlain Tokudaiji Sanemori arranged for Chiossone to sketch the Emperor at the palace from behind a screen, in 1891 he retired with 3,000 yen severance pay and an annual pension of 1,200 yen. He also received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class, on April 11,1898, Chiossone died of heart failure at his home in Kōjimachi, and was buried in Aoyama Cemetery, where his tomb can still be seen in the foreign section. The papers brought out long articles on his death, and the Japan Weekly Mail spoke of his reputation both for his artistic ability and for his friendly nature
Edoardo Chiossone
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Edoardo Chiossone
Edoardo Chiossone
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Chiossone's portrait of Emperor Meiji, 1888
3.
Kagoshima Castle
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Kagoshima Castle, also known as Tsurumaru Castle, is a Japanese castle in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. This castle was constructed by Shimazu Iehisa in 1601, in 1600 Shimazu Yoshihiro, the father of Iehisa, was defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara as a daimyo of the western alliance, by the eastern alliance led by Tokugawa Ieyasu. This castle was built after the defeat and in the political tension with Ieyasu. This castle is notable for the scale and fairly poor quality as a main castle of one of the richest daimyo in Japan. It is said that Shimazu was afraid of giving the Tokugawa an excuse to attack Shimazu territory by making too large a castle, Kagoshima Station of Kagoshima Main Line Schmorleitz, Morton S. Castles in Japan
Kagoshima Castle
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Kagoshima Castle 鹿児島城
4.
Castle town
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A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe, some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, and England particularly, it is common for cities, towns organized around Japanese castles are called jōkamachi. Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
Castle town
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Map of
Caernarfon in 1610 by
John Speed, a classic example of a castle town
5.
Satsuma Domain
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Satsuma Domain, also known as Kagoshima Domain, was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It is associated with the provinces of Satsuma, Osumi and Hyūga in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, in the han system, Satsuma was a political and economic abstraction based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields. In other words, the domain was defined in terms of kokudaka and this was different from the feudalism of the West. The domain was ruled from Kagoshima Castle in Kagoshima city and its kokudaka was assessed at 770,000 koku, the second highest kokudaka after that of Kaga Domain. The Shimazu family controlled Satsuma province for four centuries prior to the beginning of the Edo period. Despite being chastised by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his 1587 Kyūshū Campaign, during the decisive battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the Shimazu fought on the losing side. Satsuma was one of the most powerful feudal domains in Tokugawa Japan and it was controlled throughout the Edo period by the tozama daimyō of the Shimazu clan. Since the mid-15th century, Satsuma fought with the Ryūkyū Kingdom for control of the Northern Ryūkyū Islands which lay southwest of Japan, in 1609, Shimazu Iehisa requested permission from the shogunate to invade Ryūkyū. After a three-month war which met resistance, Satsuma captured the Ryūkyūan capital of Shuri. In the ensuing treaty, Satsuma annexed the Amami and Tokara Islands, demanded tribute. For the remainder of the Edo period, Satsuma influenced their politics, though not the wealthiest han in terms of kokudaka, Satsuma remained among the wealthiest and most powerful domains throughout the Edo period. The Shimazu exercised their influence to exact from the shogunate a number of special exceptions and they also received special exceptions from the shogunate in regard to the policy of sankin kōtai, another policy meant to restrict the wealth and power of the daimyō. Under this policy, every feudal lord was mandated to travel to Edo at least once a year, the Shimazu were granted permission to make this journey only once every two years. These exceptions thus allowed Satsuma to gain more power and wealth relative to the majority of other domains. Though arguably opposed to the shogunate, Satsuma was perhaps one of the strictest domains in enforcing particular policies, in the 1830s, Satsuma used its illegal Okinawa trade to rebuild its finances under Zusho Hirosato. The Satsuma Daimyo of the 1850s, Shimazu Nariakira, was interested in Western thought and technology. At the time, contacts with Westerners increased dramatically, particularly for Satsuma, as Western ships frequently landed in the Ryukyus and sought not only trade, to increase his influence in the Shogunate, Nariakira engineered a marriage between Shogun Tokugawa Iesada and his adopted daughter, Atsu-hime. In 1854, the first year of Iesadas reign, Commodore Perry landed in Japan, however, the treaties signed between Japan and the western powers, particularly the Harris Treaty of 1858, put Japan at a serious disadvantage
Satsuma Domain
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Kagoshima Castle
Satsuma Domain
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A 150-pound Satsuma cannon, built in 1849. It was mounted on Fort Tenpozan at
Kagoshima. Caliber: 290mm, length: 4220mm.
Satsuma Domain
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Map showing southern Kyushu and Ryukyu islands, 1781
Satsuma Domain
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A
daguerreotype of
Shimazu Nariakira
6.
Kagoshima
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Kagoshima is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the south western tip of the island of Kyushu in Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the Naples of the Eastern world for its bay location, hot climate, the city was officially founded on April 1,1889. Kagoshima Prefecture was the center of the territory of the Shimazu Clan for many centuries and it was a busy political and commercial port city throughout the medieval period and into the Edo period when it formally became the capital of the Shimazus fief, the Satsuma Domain. The official emblem is a modification of the Shimazus kamon designed to resemble the character 市, Kagoshima was also a significant center of Christian activity in Japan prior to the imposition of bans against that religion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Kagoshima was the birthplace and scene of the last stand of Saigō Takamori, japans industrial revolution is said to have started here, stimulated by the young students train station. A statue was erected outside of the station as a tribute to them. Kagoshima was also the birthplace of Tōgō Heihachirō and he led the Grand Fleet to two startling victories in 1904 and 1905, completely destroying Russia as a naval power in the East, and thereby contributing to the failed revolution in Russia in 1905. The Japanese diplomat Sadomitsu Sakoguchi revolutionized Kagoshimas environmental economic plan with his dissertation on water pollution, the 1914 eruption of the volcano across the bay from the city spread ash throughout the municipality, but relatively little disruption ensued. On the night of June 17,1945 the 314th bombardment wing of the Army Air Corps dropped 809.6 tons of incendiary, Kagoshima was targeted because of its largely expanded naval port as well as its position as a railway terminus. A single B-29 was lost to unknown circumstances, area bombing was chosen over precision bombing because of the cloudy weather over Japan during the middle of June. The planes were forced to navigate and bomb entirely by radar, Japanese intelligence predicted that the Allied Forces would assault Kagoshima and the Ariake Bay areas of southern Kyushu to gain naval and air-bases to strike Tokyo. Kagoshima City is approximately 40 minutes from Kagoshima Airport, and features shopping districts, transportation options in the city include the Shinkansen, local train, city trams, buses, and ferries to-and-from Sakurajima. One of the best places to view the city is from the Amuran Ferris wheel atop of Amu Plaza Kagoshima, just outside the city is the early-Edo Period Sengan-en Japanese Garden. The garden was originally a villa belonging to the Shimadzu Family and is maintained by descendants today. On August 1,1934 – the Villages of Yoshino, Nakagōriu and Nishitakeda, on October 1,1950 – the Villages of Ishiki and Higashisakurajima were merged into Kagoshima. On April 29,1967 – the Cities of Kagoshima and Taniyama were merged, on November 1,2004 – the Towns of Yoshida and Sakurajima, the Towns of Matsumoto and Koriyama, and the town of Kiire were merged into Kagoshima. It is marked by cool, relatively dry winters, warm, wet springs, hot, wet summers and mild, as of 1 January 2015, Kagoshima City has an estimated population of 606,624 and a population density of 1,107.49 persons per km². The total area is 546.71 km2, according to the April 2014 issue of the Kagoshima Prefectural Summary by the Kagoshima Prefecture Department of Planning and Promotion, the population of the prefecture at large is 1,680,319
Kagoshima
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From top left: Kagoshima with
Sakurajima in background, Statue of
Saigō Takamori,
Kagoshima Castle, Sengan-en, Statue of
Ōkubo Toshimichi, Night view from Mt. Shiroyama
Kagoshima
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The city covered deep in ash after the 1914 eruption of the
Sakurajima volcano which is seen in the distance across the bay
Kagoshima
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An image taken from the International Space Station showing Kagoshima and its surroundings on January 10, 2013
Kagoshima
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Kagoshima City Hall
7.
Kagoshima Prefecture
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Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture corresponds to the ancient Japanese provinces Ōsumi and Satsuma, including the northern part of the Ryukyu Islands. This region played a key role in the Meiji Restoration, and the city of Kagoshima was an important naval base during Japans 20th century wars and this became known only recently under the Koizumi administration. Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu on the Satsuma Peninsula and this prefecture also includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest of Kyushu for a few hundred kilometers. The most important group is the Amami Islands, surrounded by the East China Sea to the west, Okinawa Prefecture in the south, Kumamoto Prefecture to the north, and Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, it has 2,632 km of coastline. It has a bay called Kagoshima Bay, which is sandwiched by two peninsulas, Satsuma and Ōsumi and its position made it a gateway to Japan at various times in history. While Kyushu has about 13 million people, there are less than 2 million in this prefecture, the prefecture boasts a chain of active and dormant volcanoes, including the great Sakurajima, which towers out of the Kagoshima bay opposite Kagoshima city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from the caldera, on active days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japans most active volcanoes, major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for record daikon radishes, many beaches around the Kagoshima Bay are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the tip of the prefecture, near the spa town of Ibusuki, is home to a rare species of giant eel. Most of the sector is focused in Kagoshima City and the surrounding area. The eastern part of the prefecture, the former Ōsumi Province, is mostly rural, the prefecture has strong agricultural roots, which are reflected in its most well-known exports, green tea, sweet potato, radish, Pongee rice, Satsuma ware and Berkshire pork. Kagoshima prefectures production of bonito flakes is second only to that of Shizuoka, in addition it produces Japans largest volume of unagi eels. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has several facilities within the prefecture, including the main launch facility on Tanegashima. The prefectures gross domestic product is approximately 4.834 trillion yen. League, Kagoshima United FC, a soccer team, was founded in 2014 and competes in the J3 League. High-speed craft route to Ibusuki, Tanegashima and Yakushima, ISBN 0-674-01753-6, ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128. Kagoshima travel guide from Wikivoyage Official Kagoshima Prefecture website National Archives of Japan
Kagoshima Prefecture
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Kagoshima from space
Kagoshima Prefecture
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Kagoshima Prefecture 鹿児島県
Kagoshima Prefecture
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Sakurajima and Kagoshima City
Kagoshima Prefecture
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Makurazaki
8.
Kanji
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Kanji, or kanji, are the adopted logographic Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana and katakana. The Japanese term kanji for the Chinese characters literally means Han characters and is using the same characters as the Chinese word hànzì. Chinese characters first came to Japan on official seals, letters, swords, coins, mirrors, the earliest known instance of such an import was the King of Na gold seal given by Emperor Guangwu of Han to a Yamato emissary in 57 AD. Chinese coins from the first century AD have been found in Yayoi-period archaeological sites, however, the Japanese of that era probably had no comprehension of the script, and would remain illiterate until the fifth century AD. The earliest Japanese documents were written by bilingual Chinese or Korean officials employed at the Yamato court. For example, the correspondence from King Bu of Wa to Emperor Shun of Liu Song in 478 has been praised for its skillful use of allusion. Later, groups of people called fuhito were organized under the monarch to read, during the reign of Empress Suiko, the Yamato court began sending full-scale diplomatic missions to China, which resulted in a large increase in Chinese literacy at the Japanese court. The Japanese language had no form at the time Chinese characters were introduced. Chinese characters also came to be used to write Japanese words, around 650 CE, a writing system called manyōgana evolved that used a number of Chinese characters for their sound, rather than for their meaning. Manyōgana written in cursive style evolved into hiragana, or onna-de, that is, ladies hand, major works of Heian-era literature by women were written in hiragana. Katakana emerged via a path, monastery students simplified manyōgana to a single constituent element. Thus the two writing systems, hiragana and katakana, referred to collectively as kana, are descended from kanji. Katakana are mostly used for representing onomatopoeia, non-Japanese loanwords, the names of plants and animals, and for emphasis on certain words. In 1946, following World War II and under the Allied Occupation of Japan and this was done with the goal of facilitating learning for children and simplifying kanji use in literature and periodicals. The number of characters in circulation was reduced, and formal lists of characters to be learned during each grade of school were established, some characters were given simplified glyphs, called shinjitai. Many variant forms of characters and obscure alternatives for common characters were officially discouraged and these are simply guidelines, so many characters outside these standards are still widely known and commonly used, these are known as hyōgaiji. The kyōiku kanji are 1,006 characters that Japanese children learn in elementary school, originally the list only contained 881 characters. This was expanded to 996 characters in 1977 and it was not until 1982 the list was expanded to its current size
Kanji
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Chinese characters
Kanji
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A young woman practicing kanji.
Ukiyo-e woodblock print by
Yōshū Chikanobu, 1897
Kanji
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Nihon Shoki (720 AD), considered by historians and archaeologists as the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan, was written entirely in kanji.
Kanji
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A jūbako (重箱
?), which has a mixed on-kun reading.
9.
Samurai
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Samurai were the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan. In Japanese, they are referred to as bushi or buke. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean those who serve in close attendance to the nobility, the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai. According to Wilson, a reference to the word samurai appears in the Kokin Wakashū. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, the samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, and were trained as officers in military tactics and grand strategy. While the samurai numbered less than 10% of then Japans population, following the Battle of Hakusukinoe against Tang China and Silla in 663 AD, which led to a retreat from Korean affairs, Japan underwent widespread reform. One of the most important was that of the Taika Reform and this edict allowed the Japanese aristocracy to adopt the Tang dynasty political structure, bureaucracy, culture, religion, and philosophy. As part of the Taihō Code of 702 AD, and the later Yōrō Code, the population was required to regularly for census. With an understanding of how the population was distributed, Emperor Monmu introduced a law whereby 1 in 3–4 adult males were drafted into the national military and these soldiers were required to supply their own weapons, and in-return were exempted from duties and taxes. This was one of the first attempts by the Imperial government to form an organized army modeled after the Chinese system and it was called Gundan-Sei by later historians and is believed to have been short-lived. The Taihō Code classified most of the Imperial bureaucrats into 12 ranks and those of 6th rank and below were referred to as samurai and dealt with day-to-day affairs. Although these samurai were civilian public servants, the word is believed to have derived from this term. Military men, however, would not be referred to as samurai for many more centuries, Emperor Kanmu introduced the title of seii-taishōgun, or Shogun, and began to rely on the powerful regional clans to conquer the Emishi. Skilled in mounted combat and archery, these clan warriors became the Emperors preferred tool for putting down rebellions, though this is the first known use of the Shogun title, it was a temporary title, and was not imbued with political power until the 13th century. At this time, the Imperial Court officials considered them to be merely a military section under the control of the Imperial Court, ultimately, Emperor Kanmu disbanded his army. From this time, the Emperors power gradually declined, while the Emperor was still the ruler, powerful clans around Kyoto assumed positions as ministers, and their relatives bought positions as magistrates. To amass wealth and repay their debts, magistrates often imposed heavy taxes, through protective agreements and political marriages, they accumulated, or gathered, political power, eventually surpassing the traditional aristocracy. Some clans were formed by farmers who had taken up arms to protect themselves from the Imperial magistrates sent to govern their lands
Samurai
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Samurai in
armor, 1860s.
Hand-coloured photograph by
Felice Beato.
Samurai
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Samurai around the 1860s
Samurai
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Saigō Takamori (seated, in Western uniform), surrounded by his officers, in samurai attire, during the 1877
Satsuma rebellion. News article in
Le Monde Illustré, 1877.
Samurai
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Iron helmet and armor with gilt bronze decoration,
Kofun era, 5th century.
Tokyo National Museum.
10.
History of Japan
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It is widely accepted that first Human habitation in the Japanese archipelago traced back to prehistoric times. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi in the first millennium BC, during this period, in the first century AD, the first known written reference to Japan was recorded in the Chinese Book of Han. Between the fourth century and the century, Japans many kingdoms and tribes gradually came to be unified under a centralized government. The imperial dynasty established at this time continues to reign over Japan to this day, in 794, a new imperial capital was established at Heian-kyō, marking the beginning of the Heian period, which lasted until 1185. The Heian period is considered an age of classical Japanese culture. Japanese religious life from time and onwards was a mix of Buddhism. Over the following centuries the power of the Emperor and the imperial court gradually declined and passed to the military clans, the Minamoto clan under Minamoto no Yoritomo emerged victorious from the Genpei War of 1180–85. After seizing power, Yoritomo set up his capital in Kamakura, in 1274 and 1281, the Kamakura shogunate withstood two Mongol invasions, but in 1333 it was toppled by a rival claimant to the shogunate, ushering in the Muromachi period. During the Muromachi period regional warlords called daimyō grew in power at the expense of the shogun, eventually, Japan descended into a period of civil war. Over the course of the sixteenth century, Japan was reunified under the leadership of the daimyō Oda Nobunaga. After Hideyoshis death in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power and was appointed shogun by the Emperor, the Tokugawa shogunate, which governed from Edo, presided over a prosperous and peaceful era known as the Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate imposed a strict class system on Japanese society, the American Perry Expedition in 1853–54 ended Japans seclusion, this in turn contributed to the fall of the shogunate and the return of power to the Emperor in 1868. The new national leadership of the following Meiji period transformed their isolated, underdeveloped island country into an empire that closely followed Western models and became a world power. Although democracy developed and modern civilian culture prospered during the Taishō period, Japans powerful military had great autonomy, the military invaded Manchuria in 1931, and from 1937 the conflict escalated into a prolonged war with China. Japans attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to war with the United States, Japans forces soon became overextended, but the military held out in spite of Allied air attacks that inflicted severe damage on population centers. Japans unconditional surrender was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 14 August 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Allies occupied Japan until 1952, during which a new constitution was enacted in 1947 that transformed Japan into a constitutional monarchy, after 1955, Japan enjoyed very high economic growth, and became a world economic powerhouse. Since the 1990s, economic stagnation has been a major issue, an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 caused massive economic dislocations and a serious nuclear power disaster
History of Japan
–
History of Japan
History of Japan
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Jōmon period pottery
History of Japan
–
A Yayoi period
bronze bell, third century AD
History of Japan
–
Daisenryō Kofun,
Osaka
11.
Edo period
–
The Edo period or Tokugawa period is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the countrys 300 regional daimyō. The period was characterized by growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies. The shogunate was established in Edo on March 24,1603. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration on May 3,1868, instrumental in the rise of the new bakufu was Tokugawa Ieyasu, the main beneficiary of the achievements of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Already powerful, Ieyasu profited by his transfer to the rich Kantō area, after Hideyoshis death, Ieyasu moved quickly to seize control from the Toyotomi family. Ieyasus victory over the western daimyōs at the Battle of Sekigahara gave him control of all Japan. He rapidly abolished numerous enemy daimyō houses, reduced others, such as that of the Toyotomi, Ieyasu still failed to achieve complete control of the western daimyōs, but his assumption of the title of shogun helped consolidate the alliance system. After further strengthening his base, Ieyasu installed his son Hidetada as shogun. The Toyotomi were still a significant threat, and Ieyasu devoted the next decade to their eradication, in 1615, the Tokugawa army destroyed the Toyotomi stronghold at Osaka. The Tokugawa period brought 250 years of stability to Japan, the political system evolved into what historians call bakuhan, a combination of the terms bakufu and han to describe the government and society of the period. In the bakuhan, the shogun had national authority and the daimyōs had regional authority and this represented a new unity in the feudal structure, which featured an increasingly large bureaucracy to administer the mixture of centralized and decentralized authorities. The feudal hierarchy was completed by the classes of daimyō. Closest to the Tokugawa house were the shinpan, or related houses and they were twenty-three daimyōs on the borders of Tokugawa lands, all directly related to Ieyasu. The shinpan held mostly honorary titles and advisory posts in the bakufu, the second class of the hierarchy were the fudai, or house daimyōs, rewarded with lands close to the Tokugawa holdings for their faithful service. By the 18th century,145 fudai controlled such smaller han, members of the fudai class staffed most of the major bakufu offices. Ninety-seven han formed the group, the tozama, former opponents or new allies. The tozama were located mostly on the peripheries of the archipelago, because the tozama were least trusted of the daimyō, they were the most cautiously managed and generously treated, although they were excluded from central government positions. The Tokugawa not only consolidated their control over a reunified Japan, they also had unprecedented power over the emperor, the court, all daimyōs and the religious orders
Edo period
–
Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Edo period
–
Tokugawa Ieyasu, first
shogun of the
Tokugawa shogunate
Edo period
–
The
San Juan Bautista is represented in
Claude Deruet 's painting of
Hasekura Tsunenaga in Rome in 1617, as a galleon with Hasekura's flag (red swastika on orange background) on the top mast.
Edo period
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Itinerary and dates of the travels of Hasekura Tsunenaga
12.
Meiji period
–
The Meiji period, also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from October 23,1868 through July 30,1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan during which Japanese society moved from being a feudal society to its modern form. Fundamental changes affected its structure, internal politics, economy, military. The period corresponded with the reign of Emperor Meiji after 1868 and it was succeeded by the Taishō period upon the accession of Emperor Taishō to the throne. On February 3,1867, the 14-year-old Prince Mutsuhito succeeded his father, Emperor Kōmei, on November 9,1867, then-Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu tendered his resignation to the Emperor, and formally stepped down ten days later. Imperial restoration occurred the year on January 3,1868. The fall of Edo in the summer of 1868 marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, and a new era, Meiji, was proclaimed. The first reform was the promulgation of the Five Charter Oath in 1868, implicit in the Charter Oath was an end to exclusive political rule by the bakufu, and a move toward more democratic participation in government. To implement the Charter Oath, a rather short-lived constitution with eleven articles was drawn up in June 1868, the Meiji government assured the foreign powers that it would follow the old treaties negotiated by the bakufu and announced that it would act in accordance with international law. Mutsuhito, who was to reign until 1912, selected a new reign title—Meiji, to further dramatize the new order, the capital was relocated from Kyoto, where it had been situated since 794, to Tokyo, the new name for Edo. Confirmed in their positions, the daimyo became governors. The han were replaced with prefectures in 1871, and authority continued to flow to the national government, officials from the favored former han, such as Satsuma, Chōshū, Tosa, and Hizen staffed the new ministries. Formerly old court nobles, and lower-ranking but more radical samurai, replaced bakufu appointees, in as much as the Meiji Restoration had sought to return the Emperor to a preeminent position, efforts were made to establish a Shinto-oriented state much like it was 1,000 years earlier. Furthermore, a new State Shinto had to be constructed for the purpose, in 1871, the Office of Shinto Worship was established, ranking even above the Council of State in importance. The kokutai ideas of the Mito school were embraced, and the ancestry of the Imperial House was emphasized. The government supported Shinto teachers, a small but important move, although the Office of Shinto Worship was demoted in 1872, by 1877 the Home Ministry controlled all Shinto shrines and certain Shinto sects were given state recognition. Shinto was released from Buddhist administration and its properties restored, although Buddhism suffered from state sponsorship of Shinto, it had its own resurgence. Christianity also was legalized, and Confucianism remained an important ethical doctrine, increasingly, however, Japanese thinkers identified with Western ideology and methods
Meiji period
–
Meiji Constitution Promulgation (
woodblock print by
T. Chikanobu)
Meiji period
–
The fifteen-year-old
Meiji Emperor, moving from
Kyoto to Tokyo at the end of 1868, after the
fall of Edo.
Meiji period
–
Emperor Meiji in his fifties.
Meiji period
–
When
Itagaki Taisuke was attacked by thugs in
Gifu, he cried "Itagaki may die, but liberty – never!" [
citation needed] (woodblock print by Utagawa Toyonobu)
13.
Marquis
–
A marquess is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is used to translate equivalent Asian styles, as in imperial China. In Great Britain and Ireland, the spelling of the aristocratic title of this rank is marquess. In Scotland the French spelling is sometimes used. In Great Britain and Ireland, the ranks below a duke. A woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is called a marchioness /ˌmɑːrʃəˈnɛs/ in Great Britain, the dignity, rank or position of the title is referred to as a marquisate or marquessate. The theoretical distinction between a marquess and other titles has, since the Middle Ages, faded into obscurity. In times past, the distinction between a count and a marquess was that the land of a marquess, called a march, was on the border of the country, while a land, called a county. As a result of this, a marquess was trusted to defend and fortify against potentially hostile neighbours and was more important. The title is ranked below that of a duke, which was restricted to the royal family. In the German lands, a Margrave was a ruler of an immediate Imperial territory, German rulers did not confer the title of marquis, holders of marquisates in Central Europe were largely associated with the Italian and Spanish crowns. The word entered the English language from the Old French marchis in the late 13th or early 14th century, the French word was derived from marche, itself descended from the Middle Latin marca, from which the modern English words march and mark also descend. In Great Britain and Ireland, the spelling for an English aristocrat of this rank is marquess. The word marquess is unusual in English, ending in -ess but referring to a male, a woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is called a marchioness in Great Britain and Ireland, or a marquise /mɑːrˈkiːz/ elsewhere in Europe. The dignity, rank or position of the title is referred to as a marquisate or marquessate, the honorific prefix The Most Honourable is a form of address that precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness in the United Kingdom. The rank of marquess was a late introduction to the British peerage, no marcher lords had the rank of marquess. The following list may still be incomplete, feminine forms follow after a slash, many languages have two words, one for the modern marquess and one for the original margrave. Even where neither title was used domestically, such duplication to describe foreign titles can exist
Marquis
–
A 17th-century engraving of a marquis in the robe worn during his creation ceremony.
Marquis
–
Royal, noble and
chivalric ranks
14.
Lunar calendar
–
A lunar calendar is a calendar based upon cycles of the Moons phases, in contrast to solar calendars based solely upon the solar year. A purely lunar calendar is also distinguished from lunisolar calendars whose lunar months are brought into alignment with the year through some process of intercalation. The details of when months begin varies from calendar to calendar, with using new, full, or crescent moons. Because each lunation is a less than 29 days,12 hours,44 minutes. Such holidays include Ramadan, the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Mongolian New Year, the Nepali New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chuseok, Loi Krathong, and Diwali. The earliest known lunar calendar was found at Warren Field in Scotland and has dated to c. 8000 BC. Some scholars argue for lunar calendars still further back—Rappenglück in the marks on a c. 17, 000-year-old cave painting at Lascaux and Marshack in the marks on a c. 27, most calendars referred to as lunar calendars are in fact lunisolar calendars. Their months are based on observations of the cycle, with intercalation being used to bring them into general agreement with the solar year. The solar civic calendar of ancient Egypt showed traces of its origin in the lunar calendar. Present-day lunisolar calendars include the Chinese, Hindu, and Thai calendars, synodic months are 29 or 30 days in length, making a lunar year of 12 months about 11 days shorter than a solar year. Some lunar calendars do not use intercalation, such as most Islamic calendars, for those that do, such as the Hebrew calendar, the most common form of intercalation is to add an additional month every second or third year. Some lunisolar calendars are also calibrated by annual natural events which are affected by lunar cycles as well as the solar cycle, an example of this is the lunar calendar of the Banks Islands, which includes three months in which the edible palolo worm mass on the beaches. These events occur at the last quarter of the lunar month, lunar and lunisolar calendars differ as to which day is the first day of the month. In some lunisolar calendars, such as the Chinese calendar, the first day of a month is the day when a new moon occurs in a particular time zone. In others, such as some Hindu calendars, each month begins on the day after the moon or the new moon. Others were based in the past on the first sighting of a lunar crescent, the length of each lunar cycle varies slightly from the average value. In addition, observations are subject to uncertainty and weather conditions, thus to avoid uncertainty about the calendar, there have been attempts to create fixed arithmetical rules to determine the start of each calendar month. The average length of the month is 29.530589 days
Lunar calendar
–
Physical lunar features
15.
Bunsei
–
Bunsei was a Japanese era name after Bunka and before Tenpō. This period spanned the years from April 1818 through December 1830, April 22,1818, The new era name was created to mark the enthronement of the emperor Emperor Ninko in Bunka 15. The new era name was drawn from an aphorism attributed to the ancient Chinese emperor, Great Shun, Shun reads the Heavens,1822, Edo was struck with 150 earthquake tremors over three days. August 11,1823, German flora- and fauna-taxonomist Philipp Franz von Siebold arrives at Dejima as new physician for the Dutch trading post in Nagasaki harbor, august 13,1830, Earthquake at Kyoto, no Richter Scale magnitude suggested by available data. Yokohama Burning, The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II, ISBN9780743264655, OCLC67774380 Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC48943301 Screech, Timon, secret Memoirs of the Shoguns, Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822
Bunsei
–
Shōsōin
16.
Edo
–
Edo, also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. It was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868, during this period, it grew to become one of the largest cities in the world and home to an urban culture centered on the notion of a floating world. From the establishment of the Tokugawa bakufu headquarters at Edo, the became the de facto capital and center of political power. Edo grew from what had been a small, little-known fishing village in 1457 into the largest metropolis in the world with a population of 1,000,000 by 1721. Edo was repeatedly devastated by fires, with the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 being the most disastrous, an estimated 100,000 people died in the fire. During the Edo period, there were about 100 fires mostly begun by accident, between 1600 and 1945, Edo/Tokyo was leveled every 25–50 years or so by fire, earthquakes, or war. In 1868, when the shogunate came to an end, the city was renamed Tokyo, the emperor moved his residence to Tokyo, making the city the formal capital of Japan, Keiō4, On the 17th day of the 7th month, Edo was renamed Tokyo. Keiō4, On the 27th day of the 8th month, Keiō4, On the eighth day of the ninth month, the nengō was formally changed from Keiō to Meiji and a general amnesty was granted. Meiji 2, On the 23rd day of the 10th month, ishimaru Sadatsuga was the magistrate of Edo in 1661. During the Edo period, the Shogunate appointed administrators with jurisdiction over the police, and beginning with the rule of Tokugawa Yoshimune), the machi bugyō heard criminal and civil suits, and performed other administrative functions. The city was out as a castle town around Edo Castle. Kyotos character was defined by the Imperial Court, the nobles, its Buddhist temples and its history, Osaka was the countrys commercial center. Areas further from the center were the domain of the chōnin, the area known as Shitamachi, northeast of the castle, was a center of urban culture. The ancient Buddhist temple of Sensō-ji still stands in Asakusa, marking the center of an area of traditional Shitamachi culture, some shops in the streets near the temple have existed continuously in the same location since the Edo period. The Sumida River, then called the Great River, ran along the edge of the city. The shogunates official rice-storage warehouses, other buildings and some of the citys best-known restaurants were located here. The Japan Bridge marked the center of the commercial center. Fishermen, craftsmen and other producers and retailers operated here, shippers managed ships known as tarubune to and from Osaka and other cities, bringing goods into the city or transferring them from sea routes to river barges or land routes such as the Tōkaidō
Edo
–
Former location of Edo (present-day Tokyo)
Edo
–
Map of Edo in the 1840s
Edo
–
Scroll depicting the Great Fire of Meireki
Edo
–
Chōnin -room exhibit at the Fukagawa Edo Museum
17.
Shimazu Nariakira
–
Shimazu Nariakira was a Japanese feudal lord of the Edo period, the 28th in the line of Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma Domain. He was renowned as an intelligent and wise lord, and was interested in Western learning. He was enshrined after death as the Shinto kami Terukuni Daimyōjin in May 1863, Shimazu Nariakira was born at the Satsuma domains estate in Edo, on April 28,1809. He rose to power as daimyō of the domain of Satsuma only after surviving a gruesome and arduous war within his own family and domain, known as the Oyura Sōdō or the Takasaki Kuzure. He faced much opposition in Satsuma since he spent most of his life in Edo, Nariakira did not see eye to eye with his father, Shimazu Narioki, or his father’s chief advisor, Zusho Hirosato. Both Narioki and Zusho were wary of the Tokugawa shogunate, Zusho also saw many similarities in Nariakira and his grandfather, Shigehide. Shigehide also had a great interest in Dutch studies as well as scientific and industrial projects, having worked so hard to rehabilitate and strengthen the treasury of Satsuma, Zusho did not encourage Nariakira’s ambitious and costly program for a military build-up. Nariakira arrived in Satsuma to attempt to resolve the Ryūkyū crisis, as per the orders of shogunal high official Abe Masahiro, on March 8,1847, Narioki arrived in Satsuma, making Nariakira’s position, something equivalent to deputy to his father, obsolete. After essentially having the reins of power wrenched from his hands by his own father and he was placed in charge of the newly created office of military service of Satsuma in October 1847. In 1848, Narioki appointed Hisamitsu steward of Chosa District, with the responsibility of acting on behalf of the daimyō in all matters in the area. At ceremonial occasions, Hisamitsu was ordered by his father to sit at a higher than that of the deputy in charge of the daimyō of Satsuma’s castle. Narioki even went so far as to place Hisamitsu in charge of all of Satsuma whenever the daimyō chose to leave Satsuma for any reason, business or pleasure. It was apparent that Hisamitsu was being groomed to become the next daimyō, completely disregarding the fact that, by primogeniture, many of Nariakira’s followers believed Yura was the source of the subsequent deaths of his eldest children. This belief caused many of them to call for the assassination of Yura, her son Hisamitsu, and Zusho, Nariakira was able to restrain them, upon hearing of their plans for murder, Narioki began rooting out Nariakira’s supporters and ordering their deaths by seppuku. The conflict had gotten so far out of hand that Nariakira was left no choice. Abe, seeing that Nariakira was being hindered in his proceeding with the Ryūkyū crisis by his own father and family retainers, aided in getting Narioki to retire and removing Zusho. Abe first went about the task of removing Zusho, who was relied upon by Narioki. Abe’s stated purpose was a desire to discuss the Ryūkyū crisis, zusho’s devotion to Narioki pushed him to take full responsibility for the illicit trade by committing seppuku on December 18,1848
Shimazu Nariakira
–
Shimazu Nariakira
Shimazu Nariakira
–
The Shūseikan (集成館) industrial area established by Shimazu Nariakira in 1852 in Iso (磯),
Satsuma province. A "foreigner's building" (異人館) was built to house seven English technicians. 1872 photograph.
Shimazu Nariakira
–
The 1854
Shōhei Maru, Japan's first Western warship, was built from Dutch technical drawings, under Nariakira.
Shimazu Nariakira
–
Shimazu Nariakira's three daughters
18.
Tokugawa shogunate
–
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Tokugawa bakufu and the Edo bakufu, was the last feudal Japanese military government, which existed between 1600 and 1868. The head of government was the shogun, and each was a member of the Tokugawa clan, the Tokugawa shogunate ruled from Edo Castle and the years of the shogunate became known as the Edo period. This time is called the Tokugawa period or pre-modern. Following the Sengoku period, the government had been largely re-established by Oda Nobunaga during the Azuchi–Momoyama period. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, central authority fell to Tokugawa Ieyasu, society in the Tokugawa period, unlike the shogunates before it, was supposedly based on the strict class hierarchy originally established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The daimyō were at the top, followed by the warrior-caste of samurai, with the farmers, artisans, and traders ranking below. In some parts of the country, particularly smaller regions, daimyō and samurai were more or less identical, since daimyō might be trained as samurai, otherwise, the largely inflexible nature of this social stratification system unleashed disruptive forces over time. Taxes on the peasantry were set at fixed amounts which did not account for inflation or other changes in monetary value, as a result, the tax revenues collected by the samurai landowners were worth less and less over time. This often led to confrontations between noble but impoverished samurai and well-to-do peasants, ranging from simple local disturbances to much bigger rebellions. None, however, proved compelling enough to challenge the established order until the arrival of foreign powers. The Tokugawa Shogunate came to an end in 1868 with the resignation of the 15th Tokugawa Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu. The bakuhan taisei was the political system in the Edo period of Japan. Baku is an abbreviation of bakufu, meaning military government—that is, the han were the domains headed by daimyō. Vassals held inherited lands and provided service and homage to their lords. The bakuhan taisei split feudal power between the shogunate in Edo and provincial domains throughout Japan, provinces had a degree of sovereignty and were allowed an independent administration of the han in exchange for loyalty to the shogun, who was responsible for foreign relations and national security. The shogun and lords were all daimyō, feudal lords with their own bureaucracies, policies, the shogun also administered the most powerful han, the hereditary fief of the House of Tokugawa. Each level of government administered its own system of taxation, the emperor, nominally a religious leader, held no real power, this was invested in the shogun. The shogunate had the power to discard, annex, and transform domains, the sankin kōtai system of alternative residence required each daimyō to reside in alternate years between the han and the court in Edo
Tokugawa shogunate
–
Shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa shogunate
–
Flag
Tokugawa shogunate
–
Hideyoshi and Ieyasu played
Go on this board.
Tokugawa shogunate
–
A 1634 Japanese
Red seal ship
19.
Ansei Purge
–
Ansei Purge was a multi-year event in Japanese history of the Edo period. In 1858–1860, the Tokugawa shogunate got rid of those who did not support its foreign trade policies, the Ansei Purge was ordered by Ii Naosuke on behalf of the bakufu. The purge was carried out in an effort to quell opposition to trade treaties with the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, over 100 people were victims of the crackdown. Men were forced out of positions within the bakufu, or from han leadership or from the Imperial Court in Kyoto and they included Date Munenari Matsudaira Yoshinaga Mito Nariaki Shimazu Nariakira Yamanouchi Toyoshige 1858, Beginning of the Ansei Purge 1859, Arrests and investigations continuing. March 24,1860, Ii Naosuke was assassinated at the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle and this is also known as the Sakurada-mon Incident Kusunoki Seiichirō. Nihon shi omoshiro suiri, Nazo no satsujin jiken wo oe, national Diet Library, photograph of Sakurada-mon
Ansei Purge
–
Edo Castle's Sakurada Gate (Sakurada-mon): The assassination of Ii Naosuke occurred nearby.
20.
Ii Naosuke
–
Ii Naosuke was daimyō of Hikone and also Tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23,1858, until his death on March 24,1860. He is most famous for signing the Harris Treaty with the United States, granting access to ports for trade to American merchants and seamen and extraterritoriality to American citizens. He was also an enthusiastic and accomplished practitioner of the Japanese tea ceremony, in the Sekishūryū style, under Ii Naosuke’s guidance, the Tokugawa shogunate navigated past a particularly difficult conflict over the succession to the ailing and childless Tokugawa Iesada. Ii Naosuke managed to coerce the Tokugawa Shogunate to the last brief resurgence of its power, Ii was assassinated in the Sakuradamon incident by a group of 17 Mito and 1 Satsuma samurai on March 24,1860. Ii Naosuke was born on November 29,1815 as the 14th son of Ii Naonaka, the daimyō of Hikone by his concubine. Since Naosuke was the 14th son, he was not in line for a prominent position and early in his life was sent to a Buddhist temple where he lived on a small stipend from his family. Fortunately for Ii, even though he was sent to the monastery, his 13 elder brothers were adopted into other families who needed an heir. Accordingly, when his father died in 1850, Ii was called back from the monastery and became the daimyo of Hikone, a fudai domain, and took the family name of Ii. As the daimyō of Hikone, Ii was one of the daimyo who were eligible for a position in the bakufu, Ii became involved in national politics, rapidly rising to lead a coalition of daimyo. In 1853 Ii put forward a proposal concerning the Japanese negotiations with Commodore Matthew C. The position of Tairō, a post traditionally held by members of the Ii family, was rarely filled, Iis promotion to the post of Tairō annoyed many of the shinpan daimyōs including Tokugawa Nariaki. As the Tairō Ii Naosuke had both prestige and power only to the Shogun, Ii also enjoyed the full backing of the fudai daimyōs. An intelligent and capable politician Ii Naosuke was determined to restore the power of the bakufu in Japanese policy making, Ii Naosuke regarded the Harris treaty, which Hotta Masayoshi had negotiated with the American envoy Townsend Harris as in Japans best interests. In accordance with the protocol he asked the three lords of the gosankyō for their views in writing. However Ii faced a problem in the form of an obstructionist policy from members of the Hitotsubashi faction led by Hitotsubashi Keikis father Tokugawa Nariaki, Ii was unwilling to sign the Harris treaty without approval from Emperor Kōmei in Kyoto. However the daimyōs of the Hitotsubashi faction were preventing him from presenting the treaty to the emperor by withholding their approval, at this time Harris started putting pressure on the shogunal officials to sign the treaty. Ii decided not to risk aggravating the Americans and on 29 July 1858, encouraged by the backing of the bakufu officials. Soon after this Ii negotiated a number of unequal treaties with the Dutch, the Russians, the British
Ii Naosuke
–
Statue of Ii Naosuke at the grounds of Hikone Castle.
Ii Naosuke
–
Edo Castle's Sakurada Gate (Sakurada-mon) – photographed by
Felix Beato, 1863–1870.
Ii Naosuke
–
Edo Castle's Sakurada Gate (Sakurada-mon) – the location chosen by Ii Naosuke's assassins for their attack in Ansei 7 (March 1860).
Ii Naosuke
–
Gōtoku-ji, burial place
21.
Okinoerabujima
–
Okinoerabujima is one of the Satsunan Islands, classed with the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. The island,93.63 km² in area, has a population of approximately 15,000 persons, administratively it is divided into the towns of Wadomari and China in Kagoshima Prefecture. Much of the island is within the borders of the Amami Guntō Quasi-National Park, the island is an elevated coralline island with a length of approximately 20 kilometres and width of 7 kilometres, with Mount Ōyama at 246 metres above sea level at its highest peak. In the eastern part of the island is a limestone cave system. The coast of the island is surrounded by a coral reef, Okinoerabujima has a humid subtropical climate with very warm summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is lower in winter. The island is subject to frequent typhoons, Okinoerabujima is home to several rare species of reptiles and insects endemic to the island itself, or more generally to the Ryukyu Islands. The island is one of locations where swimming with whales is legally approved. It is uncertain when Okinoerabujima was first settled and it was ruled by the Aji nobility who built numerous gusuku fortifications from the 8th century onwards. From 1266 it was part of Hokuzan, and from 1422 the Ryukyu Kingdom, the island was invaded by samurai from Satsuma Domain during the 1609 Invasion of Ryukyu and its incorporation into the official holdings of Satsuma was recognized by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1624. Satsuma rule was harsh, with the inhabitants of the reduced to serfdom and forced to raise sugar cane to meet high taxation. The island was subordinate to Tokunoshima from 1616 to 1690, when an independent daikansho was established, throughout the Satsuma period, the island was used as a prison settlement, especially for political offenders, including many members of the Ryukyuan royal family. Saigo Takamori was exiled to Okinoerabujima from 1862-1864, after the Meiji Restoration the island was incorporated into Ōsumi Province and later became part of Kagoshima Prefecture. Following World War II, along with the other Amami Islands, it was occupied by the United States until 1953, in September 1977, a massive typhoon devastated the island, which experienced winds in excess of 210 km/h for two hours as the typhoon passed by. Nearly two-thirds of the homes across the island were damaged or destroyed by the storm and 73 people were injured, Most of the injuries across the island were caused by collapsing buildings. With moderate rainfall and a climate, the island is suitable for agriculture. Main crops include potatoes, sugar cane and floriculture. Brown sugar refining and the production of distilled liquor is the major industry
Okinoerabujima
–
Yakomo beach on Okinoerabujima
22.
Shimazu Hisamitsu
–
Prince Shimazu Hisamitsu, also known as Shimazu Saburō, was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. The younger brother of Shimazu Nariakira, Hisamitsu served as regent for his underage son Tadayoshi, Hisamitsu was instrumental in the efforts of the southern Satsuma, Chōshū, and Tosa clans to bring down the Tokugawa Shogunate. Hisamitsu held the title of Ōsumi no Kami 大隈守. In the Meiji Era, he was created prince in the Meiji-era kazoku nobility. Hisamitsu was born in Kagoshima Castle in 1817, the son of Shimazu Narioki and he was briefly adopted by the Tanegashima clan as an heir, but was returned to the Shimazu family while still a child. At age eight, he was adopted into the Shigetomi-Shimazu, a family of the main Shimazu house. Kanenoshin, now named Matajirō, came of age in 1828, at age 22, following his marriage to the daughter of the previous Shigetomi lord, Tadakimi, he inherited family headship. He was supported as a candidate for succession to the main Shimazu house during the Oyura Disturbance, Tadayuki gained a position of primacy in Satsuma, due to his status as the lords father. He returned to the main Shimazu house in 1861, and it was then that he changed his name to Hisamitsu and his wife was Shimazu Chimoko, and has born him son Shimazu Tadayoshi. In 1862, Hisamitsu went to Kyoto, and took part in the increasingly Kyoto-centered politics of the 1860s and it was during Hisamitsus return from a stay in Edo, when three English men on horseback offended his retainers by refusing to dismount or stand aside. The Englishmens failure to observe proper etiquette resulted in some argument, a chase, Hisamitsu remained at the core of the kōbu-gattai movement in Kyoto, until Satsumas secret alliance with men of the Chōshū Domain. He supported the Satsuma domains military actions in the Boshin War, in the Meiji era, he was given the rank of a duke. Hisamitsu died in 1887, at age 70, he is buried in Kagoshima Prefecture, Shimazu Hisamitsu to Meiji ishin, Hisamitsu wa naze, tōbaku wo ketsui shita ka 島津久光と明治維新, 久光はなぜ, 討幕を決意したか
Shimazu Hisamitsu
–
Shimazu Hisamitsu
23.
Kyoto
–
Kyoto is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a close to 1.5 million. Kyoto is also known as the thousand-year capital, in Japanese, the city has been called Kyō, Miyako, or Kyō no Miyako. In the 11th century, the city was renamed Kyoto, after the Chinese word for capital city, after the city of Edo was renamed Tokyo in 1868, and the seat of the Emperor was transferred there, Kyoto was known for a short time as Saikyō. Obsolete spellings for the name include Kioto, Miaco and Meaco. Another term commonly used to refer to the city in the period was Keishi. His last choice for the site was the village of Uda, the new city, Heian-kyō, a scaled replica of the then Tang capital Changan, became the seat of Japans imperial court in 794, beginning the Heian period of Japanese history. The city suffered destruction in the Ōnin War of 1467–1477. Battles between samurai factions spilled into the streets, and came to involve the court nobility and religious factions as well, nobles mansions were transformed into fortresses, deep trenches dug throughout the city for defense and as firebreaks, and numerous buildings burned. The city has not seen such widespread destruction since, Hideyoshi also built earthwork walls called odoi encircling the city. Teramachi Street in central Kyoto is a Buddhist temple quarter where Hideyoshi gathered temples in the city, throughout the Edo period, the economy of the city flourished as one of three major cities in Japan, the others being Osaka and Edo. The Hamaguri rebellion of 1864 burnt down 28,000 houses in the city, the modern city of Kyoto was formed on April 1,1889. The construction of Lake Biwa Canal in 1890 is one taken to revive the city. The population of the city exceeded one million in 1932, stimson, Secretary of War in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the city was removed from the list of targets and replaced by Nagasaki. The city was spared from conventional bombing as well, although small-scale air raids did result in casualties. As a result, the Imperial City of Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities that still have an abundance of prewar buildings, however, modernization is continually breaking down the traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as the Kyōto Station complex. Kyoto became a city designated by government ordinance on September 1,1956, in 1997, Kyoto hosted the conference that resulted in the protocol on greenhouse gas emissions that bears the citys name. Kyoto is located in a valley, part of the Yamashiro Basin, in the part of the mountainous region known as the Tamba highlands
Kyoto
–
From top left:
Tō-ji,
Gion Matsuri in modern Kyoto,
Fushimi Inari-taisha,
Kyoto Imperial Palace,
Kiyomizu-dera,
Kinkaku-ji,
Ponto-chō and
Maiko,
Ginkaku-ji, Cityscape from Higashiyama and
Kyoto Tower
Kyoto
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18th century map with the Japanese capital "Meaco"
Kyoto
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Kyoto, main street, 1891
Kyoto
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Daidairi and a panoramic view of
Heian-kyō (restoration model)
24.
Aizu
–
Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1,2010, it had a population of 291,838, the principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu. During the Edo period, Aizu was a domain known as Aizu Domain. It was part of Mutsu Province, the area once was part of Iwase Province in the 8th century and, before the prefectural system, the daimyo over much of the Edo period was from the Hoshina family. They had been senior retainers of the Takeda family, and in the early 17th century the head of the family, Hoshina Masamitsu, adopted the illegitimate son of the second Tokugawa shogun Hidetada. As a result, the Hoshina familys fortunes rose, with larger and larger fiefs being given to them, until finally they were moved to Aizu, then rated at 240,000 koku, in the mid-17th century. In 1822, the Hoshina-Matsudaira line became extinct with the death of the seventh lord Katahiro and he was succeeded by the eighth lord Katataka, who was a sixth cousin and a member of the Takasu cadet branch of the Mito collateral line. He died without heirs in 1852 and was succeeded by his grandnephew, the present head of the Tokugawa clan, Tsunenari, is also from the Aizu lineage. Aizu was known for its skill, and maintained a standing army of over 5000. It was often deployed to security operations on the fringes of the country. Also, around the time of Commodore Perrys arrival, Aizu had a presence in security operations around Edo Bay, during the tenure of the ninth generation lord Matsudaira Katamori, the domain deployed massive amounts of their troops to Kyoto, where Katamori served as Kyoto Shugoshoku. Operating under the orders of the Shogunate, they acted as the first official supervisor. Earning the enmity of the Chōshū Domain, and alienating his ally, though the Aizu forces fought as part of the greater efforts of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, they were eventually besieged at Tsuruga Castle, the seat of the Aizu domain, in October 1868. The Byakkotai, a group of young, predominantly teenage, samurai, dewa Shigetō, an admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy, elevated to the peerage with the title of danshaku. Hideyo Noguchi, a doctor who made contributions to the fight against syphilis. Shiba Gorō, prominent at the Siege of the Peking legations,1900 and he is best known for introducing Pestallozian teaching methods to Japan and educational reform. Ibuka Kajinosuke, former samurai turned Christian pastor, responsible for bringing the YMCA to Japan, Matsudaira Tsuneo, son of Matsudaira Katamori, ambassador to the U. S. and UK. Matsudaira Setsuko, daughter of Matsudaira Tsuneo, later married Prince Chichibu no Miya, saigō Tanomo, former chief councilor of the Aizu clan, later, a teacher of Sōkaku Takeda and a chief priest of the Tōshōgū Shrine
Aizu
–
Tsuruga Castle, located in
Aizuwakamatsu
Aizu
–
Aizu comprises the western third of
Fukushima Prefecture
Aizu
–
Aizu troops disembarking at Fushimi before the
Battle of Toba-Fushimi
Aizu
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Monument to the Byakkotai Samurai
25.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
–
The Kyoto Imperial Palace is the former ruling palace of the Emperor of Japan. The Emperors have since resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace after the Meiji Restoration in 1869, today, the grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency hosts public tours of the buildings several times a day. The Palace lost much of its function at the time of the Meiji Restoration, however, the Taishō and Shōwa Emperors still had their enthronement ceremonies at the palace. The palace is situated in the Kyoto-gyoen, a rectangular enclosure 1,300 metres north to south and 700 metres east to west which also contains the Sento Imperial Palace gardens. The estate dates from the early Edo period when the residence of high court nobles were grouped together with the palace. When the capital was moved to Tokyo, the residences of the nobles were demolished. The Imperial Palace has been located in this area since the final abandonment of the Daidairi in late 12th century. The present palace is a direct successor—after iterations of one of these sato-dairi palaces. The palace, like many of the oldest and most important buildings in Japan, was destroyed by fire and it has been destroyed and rebuilt eight times, six of them during the 250-year-long peace of the Edo period. The version currently standing was completed in 1855, with an attempt at reproducing the Heian period architecture, the grounds include a number of buildings, along with the imperial residence, or dairi. The neighbouring building to the north is the sento, or residence of the retired emperor, the Imperial Household Agency maintains the building and the grounds and also runs public tours. The main buildings are, among other halls, the Shishin-den, Seiryo-den, Ko-gosho, o-gakumonjo, dignitaries with special permission for official visits used to enter the palace through the Okurumayose entrance. The Shodaibunoma building was used as a room for dignitaries on their official visits to the palace. They were ushered into three different anterooms according to their ranks, the Shinmikurumayose structure was built as a new carriage entrance on the occasion of the enthronment ceremony of Emperor Taisho in 1915. For state ceremonies, the dignitaries would enter through the Kenreimon, which has a cypress-wood roof and this gate would have been used on the rare occasions of the emperor welcoming a foreign diplomat or dignitary, as well as for many other important state ceremonies. Passing through the Kenreimon, the inner gate Jomeimon would appear and this leads to the Shishin-den, which is the Hall for State Ceremonies. The Gekkamon is a gate on the west side of the main courtyard. Another gate in the courtyard is the Kenshunmon, which has a similar architectural style to the Kenreimon
Kyoto Imperial Palace
–
Miniature model of the palace (north is on the left side)
Kyoto Imperial Palace
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Satellite view of the Kyoto-gyoen with the Imperial Palace in the northern part
Kyoto Imperial Palace
–
Kenreimon (建礼門), one of the main entrance gates from the outer to the inner courtyard
Kyoto Imperial Palace
–
Jomeimon
26.
Kinmon incident
–
The Kinmon incident, also known as the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion, was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate that took place on August 20,1864, at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. The rebellion reflected the widespread discontent felt among both pro-imperial and anti-foreigner groups, who rebelled under the sonnō jōi slogan, sonnō jōi had been promulgated by the Emperor Kōmei as an Order to expel barbarians. Thus, in March 1863, the sought to take control of the Emperor to restore the Imperial household to its position of political supremacy. During what was a crushing of the rebellion, the leading Chōshū clan was held responsible for its instigation. To counter the rebels kidnapping attempt, the Aizu and Satsuma domains led the defense of the Imperial palace, however, during the attempt, the rebels put Kyoto to fire, starting with the residence of the Takatsukasa family, and that of a Chōshū official. It is unknown if the set fire to Kyoto as soon as they began to lose, or if their doing so was part of their original strategy. Various courtiers, including Nakayama Tadayasu, the Emperors Special Consultant for National Affairs, were banished from Court as a result of their involvement in this incident, the shogunate followed the incident with a retaliatory armed expedition, the First Chōshū expedition, in September 1864
Kinmon incident
–
An 1893
woodblock print by Yūzan Mori, depicting the Hamaguri rebellion.
27.
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
–
Tokugawa Yoshinobu was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, after resigning in late 1867, he went into retirement, and largely avoided the public eye for the rest of his life. Tokugawa Yoshinobu was born in Edo, as the son of Tokugawa Nariaki. Mito was one of the gosanke, the three families of the Tokugawa clan which were eligible to be chosen as shogun. His mother, Princess Arisugawa Yoshiko, was a member of the Arisugawa-no-miya, Shichirōmaro was brought up under strict, spartan supervision and tutelage. He was taught in the literary and martial arts, as well as receiving an education in the principles of politics. At the instigation of his father, Shichirōmaro was adopted by the Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa family in order to have a chance of succeeding to the shogunate. He became family head in 1847, coming of age that year, receiving court rank and title, upon the death of the 13th shogun, Shogun Iesada, in 1858, Yoshinobu was nominated as a potential successor. His supporters touted his skill and efficiency in managing family affairs, however, the opposing faction, led by Ii Naosuke, won out. Their candidate, the young Tokugawa Yoshitomi, was chosen, soon after, during the Ansei Purge, Yoshinobu and others who supported him were placed under house arrest. Yoshinobu himself was made to retire from Hitotsubashi headship, the period of Iis domination of the Tokugawa government was marked by mismanagement and political infighting. Upon Iis assassination in 1860, Yoshinobu was reinstated as Hitotsubashi family head, at the same time, his two closest allies, Matsudaira Yoshinaga and Matsudaira Katamori, were appointed to other high positions, Yoshinaga as chief of political affairs, Katamori as Guardian of Kyoto. The three men then took steps to quell political unrest in the Kyoto area, and gathered allies to counter the activities of the rebellious Chōshū Domain. They were instrumental figures in the kōbu gattai political party, which sought a reconciliation between the shogunate and the imperial court. In 1864, Yoshinobu, as commander of the imperial palaces defense and this was achieved by use of the forces of the Aizu–Satsuma coalition. He was the only Tokugawa shogun to spend his entire tenure outside of Edo, immediately upon Yoshinobus ascension as shogun, major changes were initiated. A massive government overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Tokugawa government, the national army and navy, which had already been formed under Tokugawa command, were strengthened by the assistance of the Russians, and the Tracey Mission provided by the British Royal Navy. Equipment was also purchased from the United States, the outlook among many was that the Tokugawa shogunate was gaining ground towards renewed strength and power, however, it would fall in less than a year
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
–
Tokugawa Yoshinobu as Shogun of Japan, c. 1867
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
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Tokugawa Yoshinobu organizing defenses at the Imperial Palace in 1864, together with
Matsudaira Katamori, during the
Kinmon Incident
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
–
The
French military mission to
Japan, invited by Tokugawa Yoshinobu for the modernization of his forces, in 1867
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
–
Tokugawa Yoshinobu with rifle
28.
Meiji Restoration
–
The Meiji Restoration, also known as the Meiji Ishin, Renovation, Revolution, Reform, or Renewal, was an event of change that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were Emperors before the Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical abilities, Meiji government also made education compulsory for both boys and girls at minimal fees. The goals of the government were expressed by the new emperor in the Charter Oath. The Restoration led to changes in Japans political and social structure. In Japan however, unlike China, foreign ideas were not associated with opium addiction. Figures like Shimazu Nariakira concluded that if we take the initiative, we can dominate, if we do not, we will be dominated, leading Japan to throw open its doors to foreign technology. Observing Japans response to the powers, Li Hongzhang considered Japan Chinas principal security threat as early as 1863. The word Meiji means enlightened rule and the goal was to modern advances with traditional eastern values. The main leaders of this were Itō Hirobumi, Matsukata Masayoshi, Kido Takayoshi, Itagaki Taisuke, Yamagata Aritomo, Mori Arinori, Ōkubo Toshimichi, and Yamaguchi Naoyoshi. The foundation of the Meiji restoration was the 1866 Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance between Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi, leaders of the reformist elements in the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain. These two leaders supported the Emperor Kōmei and were brought together by Sakamoto Ryōma for the purpose of challenging the ruling Tokugawa shogunate, after Emperor Kōmeis death on January 30,1867, Emperor Meiji ascended the throne on February 3. This period also saw Japan change from being a society to having a market economy. The Tokugawa Shogunate came to its end on November 9,1867, when Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Shortly thereafter in January 1868, the Boshin War started with the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in which Chōshū and this forced the Emperor to strip Yoshinobu of all power, setting the stage for official restoration. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country, consequently the title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Taikun, in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs and it is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement. All Tokugawa lands were seized and placed under control, thus placing them under the prerogative of the new Meiji government. With Fuhanken sanchisei, the areas were split into three types, urban prefectures, rural prefectures and the already existing domains
Meiji Restoration
–
History of Japan
Meiji Restoration
–
A teenage
Emperor Meiji with foreign representatives at the end of the
Boshin War, 1868-1870.
Meiji Restoration
–
Allegory of the New fighting the Old in early Meiji Japan, circa 1870.
Meiji Restoration
–
The
Tokyo Koishikawa Arsenal was established in 1871.
29.
Boshin War
–
The war found its origins in dissatisfaction among many nobles and young samurai with the shogunates handling of foreigners following the opening of Japan during the prior decade. Increasing Western influence in the led to a decline similar to other Asian countries at the time. An alliance of western samurai, particularly the domains of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the sitting shogun, realizing the futility of his situation, abdicated political power to the emperor. Yoshinobu had hoped that by doing this, the Tokugawa house could be preserved and those loyal to the Tokugawa retreated to northern Honshū and later to Hokkaidō, where they founded the Ezo republic. Defeat at the Battle of Hakodate broke this last holdout and left the imperial rule supreme throughout the whole of Japan, around 120,000 men were mobilised during the conflict, and of these about 3,500 were killed. When the Boshin War began, Japan was already modernizing, following the course of advancement as that of the industrialized Western nations. But Japan protected its economy by rejecting Western-enforced free trade. And since those Western nations, especially the United Kingdom and France, were involved in the countrys politics. Over time, the war has been romanticized as a bloodless revolution, in 1854, Commodore Perry opened Japan to global commerce with the implied threat of force, thus initiating a period of rapid development in foreign trade and Westernization. His efforts culminated in March 1863 with his Order to expel barbarians, other attacks included the shelling of foreign shipping in Shimonoseki. During 1864, these actions were successfully countered by armed retaliations by foreign powers, such as the British Bombardment of Kagoshima, the Shogunate further ordered a punitive expedition against Chōshū, the First Chōshū expedition, and obtained Chōshūs submission without actual fighting. Despite the bombardment of Kagoshima, the Satsuma domain had become closer to the British and was pursuing the modernization of its army, the Scottish dealer Thomas Blake Glover sold quantities of warships and guns to the southern domains. American and British military experts, usually former officers, may have directly involved in this military effort. The British ambassador Harry Smith Parkes supported the forces in a drive to establish a legitimate, unified Imperial rule in Japan. The Shogunate also was preparing for conflict by modernizing its forces. In line with Parkes designs, the British, previously the Shogunates primary partner, the Tokugawa thus came to rely mainly on French expertise, comforted by the military prestige of Napoleon III at that time, acquired through his successes in the Crimean War and the War of Italy. In 1865, Japans first modern naval arsenal was built in Yokosuka by the French engineer Léonce Verny and this in turn prompted Chōshū to form a secret alliance with Satsuma. In the summer of 1866, the Shogunate was defeated by Chōshū, in late 1866, however, first Shogun Iemochi and then Emperor Kōmei died, respectively succeeded by Yoshinobu and Emperor Meiji
Boshin War
–
Samurai of the Satsuma domain, fighting for the Imperial side during the Boshin War period. Photograph by
Felice Beato.
Boshin War
Boshin War
–
The Shogunate's
Kanrin Maru, Japan's first screw-driven steam warship, 1855. The Shogunate actively pursued modernization, but was faced by growing internal discontent against the harm to national sovereignty brought on by contact with Westerners.
Boshin War
–
Bakufu troops near Mount Fuji in 1867. The painting by French officer
Jules Brunet shows an eclectic combination of Western and Japanese equipment.
30.
Seikanron
–
The Seikanron debate was a major political debate in Japan in 1873 regarding the immediate invasion of Korea. It was decided that no action was to be taken against Korea, after the Meiji Restoration and the overthrow of the Shogunate in 1868, the newly formed Meiji government embarked on reforms to centralize and modernize Japan. In foreign affairs, the government had taken steps to establish a foreign affairs bureau to take over Japans external relations which was conducted by the bakufu. Although the shogunate had been overthrown, the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei an alliance of northeastern domains continued resistance to the new government, Enomoto Takeaki a former shogunate naval officer had taken control of the eight of the best warships of the Shoguns navy and joined the northeastern alliance. After the defeat of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, he had fled north to Hokkaido where he occupied the city of Hakodate. In the spring of 1869, the government began operations against the last stronghold of military opposition. Enomoto Takeakis refusal to surrender and his escape to Hokkaidō with a part of former Tokugawa Navys best warships embarrassed the Meiji government politically. The imperial side had to rely on military assistance from the most powerful domains as the government did not have enough power, especially naval power. Although the rebel forces in Hokkaidō surrendered, the response to the rebellion demonstrated the need for a strong centralized government. Reforms enacted by the Meiji government such as the abolition of the led to resentment. The traders were confined to the outpost and no Japanese were allowed to travel to the Korean capital at Seoul, the bureau of foreign affairs wanted to change these arrangements to one based on modern state-to-state relations. In late 1868, a member of the Sō daimyō informed the Korean authorities that a new government had been established and it also used the character ko rather than taikun to refer to the Japanese emperor. The Japanese were however just reacting to their political situation where the Shogun had been replaced by the emperor. The Koreans remained in the world where China was at the centre of interstate relations. These samurai posed a threat to the government, and as a samurai himself Saigō sympathized with their situation. According to orthodoxy, Saigō himself volunteered to go to Korea as an envoy, inviting an assassination attempt that would provide justification, if any were needed. However Saigōs statement was an attempt to win over the support of Itagaki Taisuke, additionally, while the expedition to Korea was aimed at providing income for unemployed samurai, Saigō did not object to the Inoue-Yoshida plan, which abolished samurai stipends. Thus Saigōs condemnation of Meijis provocation against Korea in 1876 suggests that Saigos intention may have merely been to establish a relationship with Korea
Seikanron
–
The Seikanron debate.
Saigo Takamori is sitting in the center. 1877 painting.
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