Contact and Change in
Meiji Japan
Chapter 15
Pressure from outside
 The arrival of Commodore Perry caused similar reactions to
that of Cortès arriving in Mexico.
Perry’s Strategies
 On July 14, 1853, Perry sailed into Uraga Harbour with two
steam ships, two sailing vessels, 977 men and 66 guns, which
were larger than any the Japanese had seen before.
 Perry left a letter of demands and would return later to hear the
Japanese response.
 In 1854, Perry returned with more ships and more men.
 The Japanese had agreed to sign the treaty.
 In 1858, Japan signed treaties with England, France, the
Netherlands and Russia.
 Many people in Japan referred to these treaties as “unequal
treaties”, because they were forced upon Japan.
The Japanese response to Perry
 Japan had held out against opening up its trade for over a hundred
years.
 Japan recognized the military power that the Americans had and did
not want to bring on a war in which they could lose.
 Japan did not want to become “another China”
 In 1839, Britain and China were at war. Britain introduced a highly
addictive drug called opium. When the Chinese banned the sale of
opium, Britain began to attack Chinese ports. The British ended up
winning the war, forcing China to sign a series of “Unequal Treaties”.
Other countries from Europe began to sign treaties and to open up
trade. One commentator described China as being “carved up like a
melon”.
Disorder and Civil War
 Many people disagreed with the treaties and saw it as proof
that the shogun was weak.
 The shogun was defeated and the emperor took control of
Japan.
 Prince Mutsuhito was the emperor and selected a new name,
Meiji, which means “enlightened rule”.
A changing order
New Ideas about the government
 Japan needed to become a strong country both economically and
military, and as a result felt that changes needed to be made.
1.
2.
Create a strong central government that could unite the country and rule
it effectively.
Create a form of government closer to the democracies of the West.
 The first step was to move the imperial court from Kyoto to Tokyo (Edo),
the capital.
 Daimyo gave up their lands to the state in exchange for compensation.
 The samurai system was abolished.
 Commoners gained freedoms through the Charter Oath, they could
choose where to live and which occupation to pursue. Old rules about
clothing were no longer enforced.
Education Reform
 Meiji leaders felt that an educated country would produce a
rich and strong country.
 For a while the Japanese educational system was modeled
after the Americans and French.
Industrialization in Japan
 The Industrial Revolution came to Japan as it did to
European and North American countries many years earlier.
 Factories were built. Many people were employed to produce
large amounts of goods.
 Transportation and communication were also revolutionized
by machines.
Borrowing Technology
 Perry brought gifts to Japan, these included: miniature steam
engine (with tracks), two telegraph sets with batteries and
five kilometers of wire.
 The Americans were impressed by the lacquer work,
porcelain and fine silk fabric that they received in exchange.
 Japan hired experts from around the world to do jobs like
install factories.
 Japanese sent people to all around the world to study: ship
building, military science, factory construction, and medicine.
As a result they made volumes of notes about banks,
museums, parliaments, armies, churches, and law courts.
Borrowing Economic Ideas
 Growing industry was encouraged by the government – the
government would pay to build an industry, establish it well,
and then sell it at a low cost to a family who would proudly
own and run it
 a good economic decision because it provided jobs, but also
helped the people to be proud of their efforts and have ownership
in what their area of work was.
 The Yen replaced the currency of rice – (for real this time!) in
Meiji Japan – something that couldn’t happen in Edo Japan
because of the strict feudal system where merchants
controlled the wealth but could not flaunt it.