2. Japan and the Christians
• In 1614 Ieyasu ordered all Christian
missionaries to leave the country
• Churches were destroyed and Japanese
Christians who refused to give up their new
faith were executed
• This lasted until 1640
3. Terms of Exclusion Laws
• All Christian missionaries and foreign traders
were forced to leave Japan
– No newcomers were allowed to enter
• The Japanese could not leave their country, and if
they did they would not be allowed to return
• Ships large enough to make long voyages could
not be built and existing ones were destroyed
• Most foreign objects were forbidden
4. Exceptions to the Exclusion Laws
• In 1639 the Shogun banned Portuguese ships in
Japan and expelled all foreigners except for
Dutch, Korean, and Chinese traders.
• The Dutch were only allowed on a small island in
the harbour of the city of Nagasaki
• The Dutch were allowed to stay because they
were seen as less threatening (they were
interested in trade, not religion)
• Some shogun also allowed Dutch scholars to
teach them western medicine
5. The Booming Economy
• Farmers increased production by irrigating
and growing two crops on the same piece of
land during one growing season
• Road improvements financed by the daimyo
helped increase trade
• The population increased in urban centres
• Silver and gold coins were introduced as
currency
6. What held the economy back?
• Minimal foreign trade
• Overtaxing of peasants
• Continued use of rice for payment in most
transactions
7. The Age of Culture
• Arts and culture were able to flourish because
of the period of peace in Japan
• Kabuki was the Japanese form of theatre
which continued to grow because of the
Japanese Isolation
• With the isolation came a unique Japanese
culture that was unaltered by western
influences
8. The Floating Worlds
• In these areas cultural activities like kabuki
and noh (a musical dance) took place
• The rules in this society were relaxed
• These districts of Japan were kept under close
surveillance by the shogun
– The shogun viewed this as a waste of time, and
they discouraged the samurai from taking part in
these activities, but the samurai did so anyway
9. The Strong Winds of Change
• Japan’s feudal system, which had been
established by the shogun in times of conflict and
poverty, was becoming outdated
• More merchants were gaining wealth and power
because more people needed their services
• Many daimyo were nearing bankruptcy because
of the alternate attendance system, and the
costly road repairs
• The people soon began to blame the shogun for
their hardships
10. Disaster and Hard Times
• In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Japan was
struck by many natural disasters that brought
about famines and took many lives
• 1/3 of the Japanese population died
of starvation
• Rice became a scarce resource, and
because of this the price increase drastically
• The people felt that the shoguns response to
these problems were ineffective
– This led to an uprising that brought about the Meiji
period
11. Expansionist threat from Outside
• By the early 1800s, many countries wanted to
trade with Japan, including:
– Russia, England, and the United States
• The reason the United states had an
interest in Japan was because of their
geography and economy
