Japan

“History and Stuff

Related to History”

Hey, there’s Samurai Jack! Is that a

glass of milk? Aw man, that stuff’s
real good for you!
 Ancient History
• Before 500 BC
• Small clans warring with
each other.
• Rice farming, pottery, art
emerge
• Periods of ruling elites
(up to 1185AD)
• Small tribal wars for power
• Lots of different groups
fighting for control.
• Pretty much isolated
from the rest of the
world.
 • Starting 1185,
Feudal Japan Samurai become
dominant
• Shoguns, ruling
governors over large
areas, rule with their
Samurai, the fighting
elite.
• Samurai are like
Knights, but there are
a lot of them…
• Sworn to keep the
Shogun’s peace and
justice, to protect the
land and people, and
to do whatever is
asked of them.
Way of the Samurai
• “Honor” becomes
important
• Doing the right thing
(what you are
required to do based
on your position in
life).
• Shame requires
“Seppuku”
• Ritualistic suicide where
the Samurai carves out
their own stomach to die
and reclaim their honor.
• Honor, Duty, Service
• More important than life.
Way of the Samurai
• Bushido: The Way of the Warrior
• Loyalty
• Frugality (living an inexpensive life)
• Mastery of Martial Arts
• Honor to the Death
• Honesty
• Respect
• Benevolence (charity)
• Courage
• Rectitude (righteousness)
• Did not change much over 700 years.
 • 1500s, Emperor
Isolation Hideyoshi unified Japan
into one Shogunate.
• Samurai, Shoguns, and
Emperors existed for
hundreds of years
without the rest of the
world becoming
involved.
• Jesuit Missionaries
arrived from Portugal in
1600s, first time
outsiders saw Japan.

Missionary being beheaded.

• Emperors worried that outsiders would ruin their culture and
take their land.
• Started “sakoku” or isolation from the rest of the world.

Isolation
 1854- Commodore Perry of USA forces Japan to open up or die!
Japan forced to see how far behind they are compared to everyone else. No guns, no ships,
very poor without trade, no industry.
Meiji Restoration
• Tokugawa ends • Within 50 years, Japan
Shogunate, begins a goes from the least
period of advanced nations in
modernization. the world to one of the
• Moves capital from most modern.
Kyoto to Tokyo • Industry and trade
• Abolishes Shoguns, thrives
Samurais. • Build exceptional
• Establishes a modern military weapons…
government with a • And now just itching to
legislative branch and try them out…
a constitution.
Russo-Japanese War 1905
• Japan and Russia
debating over mutual
land off Chinese coast.
• Russia (world’s largest
empire, thought to be
greatest power)
declares war on little
Japan.
• War assumed would
be a landslide victory
for Russia.
Big MISTAKE!
• Japan totally
dominates Russia
• Land and at sea.
• Russia seen as
incompetent, Japan
considered a global
power.
• Sets stage for Japan
to start becoming a
major empire.
Before WWII
• Japan aggressive in
building an empire
• China, Korea, Vietnam
are all areas that Japan
has its fingers in.
• Want to control all of
the Pacific.
• Rape of Nanking 1937-
38
• 250,000+ murdered in
China
• “Forgotten WWII
Holocaust”
World War II
• America as “neutral”
• Refused to sell oil to
Japan
• Pearl Harbor Attack
• Dec 7th, 1941
• Japan assaults
American ships off
coast of Hawaii
• “Awakens a sleeping
giant”
World War TOOOOO
• America vs. Japan for
the Pacific.
• Japan a tremendous
enemy
• No surrender, no mercy
• Most of Japanese navy
destroyed at Midway,
Japan continues to
fight without arms or
ammunition.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• America develops • Japan refused.
Atomic Bomb • Hiroshima, a civilian
• Strongest weapon in the city, bombed.
world.
• 75,000+ dead instantly
• 100,000+ tons of
dynamite • Next day, Japan asked
• Only made 2 to surrender, they
• Asks Japan to refuse.
surrender or be • Nagasaki, civilian city,
bombed. bombed.
• 75,000+ dead instantly
Hiroshima Nagasaki
Japan Surrenders, Review
• How was early Japan • What was the Meiji
ruled? Restoration?
• What was the purpose of • What did the Russo-
the Bushido code? What Japanese War show the
were some of the ideas? world?
• Why did Japan start • Why did Japan attack
trading with the rest of America at Pearl Harbor?
the world? • What would you have
done if you were Truman
and the “go or no go”
bombing order came
across your desk?