Southeast Review of Asian Studies
Volume 31 (2009), pp. 219–25
Using World History to Teach about
Premodern Japan
THOMAS W. BARKER
University of Kansas
In this scholarly note, Thomas Barker provides ve examples from premodern Japanese
history that can be used in secondary or undergraduate world history classrooms. These
examples could enable cross-cultural and cross-period comparisons, helping students to
better understand how societies have changed, developed, and transformed over time.
Incorporating Premodern Japan into World History
A recent colleague of mine was asked how he would incorporate premodern
Japan—that is, Japan prior to the 1868 Meiji Restoration—within the context of a world history course. His response noted such events as the establishment of the Kamakura bakufu 幕府 (shogunate) in 1185, the Ōnin War
(1467–77), and other political-historical events. Though these events are
indeed important events in Japanese history, do they represent the basis of
material that should be covered in a secondary or undergraduate world history course? In dening what constitutes “world history,” Patrick Manning
(2003, 3) wrote that it “is about connections within the global community . . .
to portray the crossing of boundaries and the linking of systems in the human past.” Similarly, Jerry Bentley (2007) explained the importance of
world history as follows:
It draws attention to the mind-boggling processes of change, development, and
transformation that human beings have generated and driven through time. . . .
As the eld of study that deals most directly with the whole record of human
achievements, world history is essential as the enterprise that enables human
beings to understand themselves and their place in the world.
Based on these denitions of world history, the curriculum of world
history courses at both the secondary and university levels should focus on
cross-cultural and cross-period comparisons to allow individual students to
better understand how societies have changed, developed, and transformed
over time. The goal of most secondary social studies courses—and some© 2009 Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies
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times university courses—is to help create “informed citizens” so that students can better understand their place in society. With that goal in mind, I
believe there are indeed better examples from premodern Japan that could
be incorporated into a secondary or undergraduate course in world history.
First, though, I must briey mention the apparent disconnect between
world history scholarship and the world history curriculum, especially at
the secondary level. This disconnect is the reason for why my colleague
answered the question about Japan the way he did. As an undergraduate, I
was privileged to be advised by world historian Rainer Buschmann at California State University Channel Islands and to be a part of a history program that placed a strong emphasis on world history. My current institution, the University of Kansas, does not have a strong background in world
history as either a eld of research or as an important part of the curriculum. At rst I felt this situation was the fault of the institution itself; however, I have come to realize that there are indeed few institutions that place
serious focus on world history scholarship, although many are starting to
move in that direction. This lack of focus on world history by institutions
directly impacts those who are being trained as secondary educators, most
of whom consequently do not understand that teaching world history
should include more than the “geographic shufe” of spending a few days
of instruction on India followed by a few days of instruction on China and
on to the next geographic region. Though I completely agree with Lucien
Ellington (2008) that the main areas of research by world historians are beyond the comprehension of most secondary and undergraduate students, it
is important to try to instill in students the importance of cross-cultural
and cross-period analyses and comparisons. Doing so would drive home
what I believe is the central focus of world history: connections within the
global community. My experience at the university level and association
with secondary educators has led me to believe that only a few understand
the methodology employed by world historians and why individuals continue to focus on key political points in their instructional approaches to
world history.
An oft-ignored resource that focuses on the connection of the global
community and thus can be helpful in creating a world history curriculum
is the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) World History Course Description (2009). Though this manual is designed for the teaching of the AP
world history course and preparation for the AP world history exam, it provides useful material, ideas, and topics that could be used for the development of a world history curriculum at both the secondary and university
levels. The strong point of this manual is that it breaks down the curriculum
into ve overarching themes that allow for cross-period and cross-cultural
comparisons. The ve themes are:
Scholarly Note: Teaching Premodern Japan through World History
221
1. Interaction between humans and the environment;
2. Development and interaction of cultures;
3. State-building, expansion, and conict;
4. Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and
5. Development and transformation of social structures.
These ve themes are further broken into subcategories, which provide a
framework for discussing almost all aspects of a society. More importantly,
these themes and subcategories allow for a discussion of how societies have
changed, developed, and transformed over time.
Using these ve themes, I have chosen ve examples from premodern
Japan that can be used in the world history curriculum. In each following
section, I provide basic information regarding each topic and how it can be
used in course instruction. These ve examples are important in that, although they may be typically ignored, they provide material that can be
included in the world history curriculum as either central focal points or as
bases for general discussion.
Interaction between Humans & the Environment (Theme One):
Introduction of Smallpox to Japan
The arrival of smallpox in the eighth century had a dramatic effect on the
Japanese population. Most likely this disease rst arrived in Kyushu from
the Korean Peninsula in the early part of the 730s and quickly spread to the
main island of Honshu. Mortality rates were as high as 60 to 70 percent in
some areas, though most places may have experienced rates as low as 25 to
35 percent (Farris 1985, 65–66). Although the disease affected people from
all walks of life, the greatest impact was upon those responsible for agricultural production. To compensate for the decline in agricultural production
and reduce the burdens of taxation, the shōen 荘園 (manorial) system was
developed. This system later served as the foundation for the rise of the
samurai.
The example of the introduction of smallpox to Japan can be used to allow future cross-period comparisons to be made as a world history course
develops. Two examples that can be drawn back to this event are the introduction of smallpox and other diseases to the Americas in the sixteenth
century and the introduction of smallpox to Pacic Islanders in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This discussion of how diseases travel between and among societies is also one that can be related to today, focusing
on AIDS, SARS, avian u, and H1N1 inuenza. Ultimately, this discussion
should allow for an analysis of how diseases impact societies. Also, because
the historical introduction of diseases to a society is often associated with
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Western exploration and colonialism, a discussion of smallpox in Japan will
demonstrate to students the fallaciousness of that association.
Development & Interaction of Cultures (Theme Two):
The Arrival of Buddhism in Japan
The arrival of Buddhism in Japan is dated around the middle of the sixth
century, with 552 being the most commonly accepted date. The arrival of a
new religion from the Korean peninsula was met with some opposition by
aristocratic families, but the adoption by the Soga 蘇我 family and their
eventual triumph over rival families—who opposed the religion—led to
ofcial sanction. At rst Buddhism appealed only to a small portion of the
elite who read its scriptures as part of their scholarly pursuits. However,
Buddhism was able to spread throughout Japan, due (in part) to a complex
arrangement of political support and to the fact that the religion also introduced written texts, monumental architecture (temples), an organized priesthood, a highly developed ritual system with elaborate use of symbolism,
and the idea of universality to the Japanese islands.
Most world history courses touch upon the spread of Buddhism from
India along the Silk Road toward China. Discussing the introduction of
Buddhism to Japan allows specic comparisons to be made with other parts
of Asia—an important situation, given the symbiotic relationship with the
native Shinto tradition that evolved in Japan. Students can therefore be
encouraged to consider how other indigenous religious in other parts of
Asia reacted to the arrival of Buddhism.
State-building, Expansion & Conflict (Theme Three):
The Mongol Invasion
Kublai Khan (1215–94) attempted two military invasions of the Japanese
islands from the Korean peninsula (1274 and 1281) after several failed diplomatic attempts seeking “friendly” relations with the Japanese. Between
the invasion attempts, the Kamakura bakufu developed defensive positions
along the Kyushu coast by building walls and fortications on beachheads
and potential landing points. The second invasion ended when a typhoon
destroyed or damaged a large number of the Mongol ships. The Japanese
referred to this typhoon as kamikaze 神風 (divine wind), marking the rst
use of the term that became popularized—in a different context—during
World War II. Because of the uncertainty over whether there would be a
third invasion attempt, the bakufu continued to maintain a strong defensive
position in Kyushu until word reached Japan of Kublai’s death. The massive amount of resources used to maintain this defensive position had negative impacts on the bakufu and contributed, in part, to its downfall in 1333.
Scholarly Note: Teaching Premodern Japan through World History
223
In a world history course, the failed invasion attempt on Japan by the
Mongols can be discussed in terms of Mongol expansion efforts and how
various groups responded to this expansion. The twenty-year maintenance
of the defensive position in Kyushu contributed to the weakening of the
Kamakura bakufu, a situation that could be compared with how other societies were able to repel would-be invaders and how their political regimes
were subsequently inuenced. For example, students (or their instructors)
could draw comparisons with Eastern and Central Europe, particularly
Mongol attacks on Poland (1259) and the Kingdom of Hungary (1280s).
This comparison allows for a better understanding of how states during this
period dealt with expansionist desires of other groups and how the events
and their reactions inuenced the state. Furthermore, cross-period comparisons—especially with how societies handled Western expansionism in
later centuries—could easily be made.
Creation, Expansion & Interaction of Economic Systems (Theme Four):
Spanish-Japanese Relations
Many world history scholars have focused on the development of the Manila galleons with respect to the development of the Chinese and world
economy (see, for example, Flynn and Giráldez 1995a, 1995b). The Spanish
were actively engaged throughout the seventeenth century in establishing
policies with the Japanese that they thought would best provide security for
Manila and the Pacic trade. For the Spanish, the most important policy
was the securing of a port in Japan that could be used by the galleons on
their return voyage to Acapulco. Japanese authorities, under the leadership
of Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 (1543–1616), hoped to gain, by having Spanish experts come to Japan as instructors, technical knowledge regarding
how to build Western-style ships, how to better exploit Japanese mines, and
how to create more accurate maps and charts. Ultimately, the Spanish chose
to end relations with Japan after they came to believe that the Manila galleons would be more secure if they were not to interact with Japan.
Spanish-Japanese relations can be used in a world history course to discuss the growing world economy and how various groups were not always
interested in direct economic exchange for commodities: some, for example,
were also focused on acquiring new technologies and the securing of longdistance trade routes. In addition, competition among the Dutch, English,
Spanish, and Portuguese in Japan made it difcult for the Spanish to maintain strong relations with Japan. Students could also learn about the importance of the Manila galleons in East–West economic exchanges. By extension, one could also focus on how the Protestant-Catholic rivalry impacted
relations with non-European groups.
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Development & Transformation of Social Structures (Theme Five):
The “SPAM” System
Near the beginning of the Tokugawa 徳川 period (1600–1868), a status system that can be traced back to Hideyoshi Toyotomi 豊臣秀吉 (1536–98) became solidied. Inuenced by neo-Confucian ideas from China, the “SPAM”
system derives its name from the hierarchical organization of society into
four groups: samurai, peasants, artisans, and merchants. This status system
also contained a very comprehensive system of sumptuary laws that limited
how members of certain classes could dress and wear their hair, where they
could live, and what they could eat. These laws and this system were designed to support and reinforce the samurai-led political system.
Perhaps the best way to introduce the SPAM system within the world
history curriculum is through cross-period or cross-society comparison.
Although one can discuss intellectual inuences from China that helped
shape the system, it might be better to compare the SPAM system to other
status systems in Europe, China, or India. Doing so will allow for a comparison of how a distinctive group in society used laws and other means to
set themselves apart from other classes within their society.
World History: A Means to an End
The difculty in teaching any course is the decision of what material to incorporate to meet the course goals and objectives. Taking cues from Manning’s (2003) and Bentley’s (2007) notion of world history and from guidelines set by the College Board for the AP world history course, the world
history curriculum needs to have a strong focus on cross-cultural and crossperiod comparison to demonstrate how societies have changed, developed,
and transformed over time. The ve examples germane to premodern Japan
that I have briey highlighted here meet these criteria. As someone who
has been trained in Japanese history, I would incorporate these ve topics
because they are items and events I know well. Other instructors, of course,
will wish to use material with which they are familiar for their courses.
In short, if we truly wish to better incorporate Japan and other nonEuropean societies in the world history curriculum, then world history—not
the “geographic shufe”—needs to be explained and taught. From my observations, undergraduate courses in world history can be more successful
than courses taught at the secondary level, because most secondary social
studies educators are not trained by their institutions regarding world history methodology and how to incorporate it in classroom instruction. This
disconnect needs to be addressed and mended if instructors are truly serious about incorporating Japan (or other parts of Asia or the world) at the
secondary level.
Scholarly Note: Teaching Premodern Japan through World History
225
References
Bentley, Jerry H. 2007. Why study world history? World History Connected 5 (October).
http://worldhistoryconnected.press.uiuc.edu/5.1/index.html.
College Board. 2009. World history course description: May 2010, May 2011. http://
www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_worldhist.html?worldhist.
Ellington, Lucien. 2008. Asia in world history: Notes on pedagogical scholarship. Southeast Review of Asia Studies 30: 177–81.
Farris, William Wayne. 1985. Population, disease, and land in early modern Japan, 645–900.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Asia Center.
Flynn, Dennis O., and Arturo Giráldez. 1995a. Arbitrage, China, and world trade in the
early modern period. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 38 (4):
429–48.
———. 1995b. Born with a “silver spoon”: The origin of world trade in 1571. Journal of
World History 6 (September): 201–21.
Manning, Patrick. 2003. Navigating world history: Historians create a global past. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.