8131123, 648 PM Sakoku | Japan, Edt, History, Facts, & lolation | Britannica
sakoku, (Japanese: “closed country”) a Japanese policy consisting of a series of
directives implemented over several years during the Edo period (also known as the
Tokugawa period; 16031867) that enforced self-isolation from foreign powers in the early
1th century. The directives included banning the religion of Christianity and prohibiting
Japanese people from making or returning from trips overseas. There were also directives
that restricted foreign trade with various countries. The concept of sakoku largely stemmed
from Japan’s mistrust of foreigners. Foreign powers were almost entirely banned from any
diplomatic and trade relations with Japan in the early years of the Edo period, with the
exception of the Dutch and the Chinese, and they were kept out until the mid-1800s, when
Japan was forcibly reopened.
‘The Tokugawa period is often remembered as a time of lasting internal peace for Japan.
However, Christianity had been propagated throughout Japan since the Jesuit Franci
Xavier's visit to Japan in 1549, and the Tokugawa shogunate viewed this as a threat to the
stability of its rule. Japan’s persecution of Christians started in the late 1500s, and the
‘ians continued to
religion was ultimately banned in 1614, though some Japanese Chri
practice their religion in secret. In efforts to further stamp out Christian and foreign
influence, in 1635 Tokugawa Iemitsu banned Japanese people from making overseas
voyages or returning to Japan from overseas. This religious persecution resulted in
the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-38), an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics that
deepened the shogunate’s distrust of foreign influence. When the rebellion was put down
by the shogunate, all Japanese people were required to register with a Buddhist temple, a
measure intended to completely eradicate Christianity in Japan. The final sakoku order
was completed in 1639, when Portuguese ships were forbidden to trade with or visit Japan
—Spain had been expelled in 1624—adding to the list of Western countries that had been
expelled.
Despite the sakoku policy that was in place, Japan remained in limited contact with foreign
powers. For instance, the Dutch were allowed to remain in Japan, although after the
Christian rebellion their presence was limited to a small artificial island in
the Nagasaki harbour called Dejima (also known as Deshima). In addition, Dejima was
walled and guarded at night. As a result, the number of Dutch ships sailing to Japan
annually vastly decreased. Regardless, Japan was still influenced by the Western country,
as “Dutch studies” (known as rangaku; the study of Western medicine and military
science) became an important field of scholarship after the study of Western books
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resumed in 1716 under Tokugawa Yoshimune. The field was so important that the
Tokugawa shogunate itself created an agency to translate Dutch works in order
to facilitate learning of Western technology, medicine, and military science, though
Japanese traditionalists continued to criticize Western studies.
In addition to maintaining some contact with the West, Japan was heavily influenced
by China. Students in higher education were expected to achieve mastery of the Chinese
language and have an understanding of classic literature. Confucianism gained influence in
Japan, and Tokugawa Ieyasu himself founded a Confucian school. Seeking to set an
example for the people, the samurai developed the Bushido code, which was heavily
influenced by Confucian values. At the same time, there was a reaction against the growing
Chinese influence in the form nationalist thought. The school of National Learning was
founded to help students gain a better understanding of Japanese history and to promote a
purely Japanese culture.
The policy of sakoku started to be threatened in the 18th century as other countries, most
notably Russia, attempted to establish contact with Japan. The foreign powers were often
driven away by force, and in 1825 the shogunate implemented the Edict to Repel Foreign
Vessels, which increased the armed defense of the Japanese coastline. It was China’s defeat
in the first Opium War in 1842 and the subsequent massive Western presence in China
that made the Western threat more immediate for Japan. China’s opening up to the West
also signified the beginning of the end of the sakoku policy.
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Sakoku | Japan, Edt, History, Facts, & lolation | Britannica
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