TABLE OF CONTENTS: -
❍ Personal information
❍ Assignment Details
❍ Abstract
❍ Keywords
❍ Introduction
❍ "Meiji Restoration"
❍ Westernization influence in Japan during the Meiji Restoration period
✤ Political influence
✤ Economic influence
✤ Education influence
✤ Military influence
✤ Arts influence
❍ Educational system in Japan during the Meiji Restoration period
✤ School system Reform
✤ Universities established
✤ Primary school
❍ Conclusion
❍ Work cited
PERSONAL INFORMATION: -
Name: - Priyanshiba Kanaksinh Gohil
Batch No: M.A. Sem 1 (2023-2025)
Enrollment Number: - 5108230018
Roll Number: - 25
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS: -
Topic: - Challenges to Foster a National Identity during the "Meiji Restoration Period"
Paper & subject code: - 105A - History of English Literature – From 1350 to 1900 & 22396
Submitted to: - Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar.
Date of Submission: - 01st December 2023
About Assignment: - In this Assignment, I try to explore Challenges to Foster a National Identity during the "Meiji Restoration Period".
Abstract:
Meiji Restoration, Overthrow of Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate (see Tokugawa period) and restoration of direct imperial rule (through the Meiji emperor) in 1868. In the 19th century the shogunate’s policy of isolation was challenged by Russia, England, and the U.S., making Japanese feudal leaders aware of Japan’s vulnerability to superior Western firepower. After the visit of Commodore Matthew Perry, the country was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties, which, as in China, gave Western nations special privileges in Japan. In response, young samurai from feudal domains historically hostile to the Tokugawa regime took up arms against the government. In January 1868 they announced the restoration of the emperor to power, and in May 1869 the last Tokugawa forces surrendered. The revolutionaries had the emperor issue the Charter Oath, which promised a break with the feudal class restrictions of the past and a search for knowledge that could transform Japan into a “rich country with a strong military.” The restoration ushered in the Meiji period, a time of rapid modernization and Westernization.
Keywords:
Japan, Militarism, Imperialism, Meiji oligarchy, History of Japan, Identity, Restoration.
Introduction:
In the middle of the 1800’s Japan had been a closed country for hundreds of years. There was a governmental
policy which essentially stated that Japanese people would be killed if leaving the country and anyone
entering would also be killed. There was a small island in the south of Japan where the Japanese imported
goods from the Dutch, Chinese, and Korean nations, but there was little or no trade with any other country. Thus, the country of Japan was closed to outside influences, partly to maintain political domination control
and to prevent the foreigners from stealing their gunpowder. In the mid 1860’s an American diplomatic fleet
of steam powered battleships arrived and insisted upon the opening of Japanese trade with the US. The
feudal Shogun government, however apprehensive of the threat to their control over the people of Japan, had
no choice but to allow trade with the US. This opened the door for international trade and relations with the
world beyond Japan for the first time in hundreds of years. I 1868, the shogun (the military leader) was
forced to step down and the sixteen-year-old Emperor Meiji was “restored,” so that Japan might catch up
military with the West. Essentially Meiji was the heir son of the imperial family and so those who stood to benefit from him being
placed in as leader of the country helped to make it happen. The leadership of the Shogunate in Edo was
handed over rather effortlessly as the Shogunate was apparently duped by Meiji and his supporters. Meiji’s
primary supporters, of course, were leaders of some of the primary opposition to the Shogunate. This
assertion of the leadership of an imperialistic family was known as the “Meiji Restoration”, yet it was not
really a restoration as there had apparently never been a truly united Japan ruled in such a way before.
Suddenly Meiji took over and any Samurai opposition to the changes was essentially stopped with force
until the Samurai class was finally outlawed.
The Meiji constitution was written as part of this “restoration” and basically fabricated a national identity for
Japan. It also conveniently fabricated a nationalistic mythology which attempted to falsely present Meiji and
his family as Shinto divinity. The result was a fanatical religious theocracy with a false history and deluded
national patriotism. This ultimately led to the sad events of WWII and the immense disgrace of the Japanese
people. It was essentially a nation-wide cult fabricated by politicians.
"Meiji Restoration":
Meiji Restoration, in Japanese history, the political revolution in 1868 that brought about the final demise of the Tokugawa shogunate (military government) thus ending the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867) and, at least nominally, returned control of the country to direct imperial rule under Mutsuhito (the emperor Meiji). In a wider context, however, the Meiji Restoration of 1868 came to be identified with the subsequent era of major political, economic, and social change the Meiji period (1868–1912) that brought about the modernization and Westernization of the country. The restoration event itself consisted of a coup d’état in the ancient imperial capital of Kyōto on January 3, 1868. The perpetrators announced the ouster of Tokugawa Yoshinobu (the last shogun) who by late 1867 was no longer effectively in power and proclaimed the young Meiji emperor to be ruler of Japan. Yoshinobu mounted a brief civil war that ended with his surrender to imperial forces in June 1869.
Westernization influence in Japan during the Meiji Restoration period :
✤ Political influence
In 1889, a constitution was promulgated which established a parliamentary government but left it
accountable to the emperor rather than to the people. Administrative power was centralized in a national
bureaucracy, which also ruled in the name of the emperor. There as a change in the feudal system. The
classes were declared equal, so that samurai and their lords lost their feudal privileges, while the role of
merchants began to be respected.
Japan received its first European style constitution in 1889. A parliament, the Diet was established while the
emperor kept sovereignty: he stood at the top of the army, navy, executive and legislative power. The ruling
clique, however, kept on holding the actual power, and the able and intelligent emperor Meiji agreed with
most of their actions. Political parties did not yet gain real power due to the lack of unity among their
members.
✤ Economic influence
In order to transform the agrarian economy of Tokugawa Japan into a developed industrial one, many
Japanese scholars were sent abroad to study Western science and languages and businesses, while foreign
experts taught in Japan. The progression and improvements in education would boost the economy because
of the increase in knowledge and skills. Industrialization created more importance on businesses and the
prospering of them, than the farming and agrarian economy. After means of large governmental investments,
the transportation and communication network in Japan were improved. The government also directly
supported the prospering of businesses and industries, especially the large and powerful family businesses
called zaibatsu.
The large expenditures led to a financial crisis in the middle of the 1880s which was followed by a reform of
the currency system and the establishment of the Bank of Japan. Thus, Japan’s economic grew tremendously
during the Meiji restoration period.
✤ Education influence
A universal education was implemented. The education system was reformed after the French and later after
the German system. Among those reforms was the introduction of compulsory education. Compulsory
public education was introduced both to teach the skills needed for the new nation and to inculcate values of
citizenship in all Japanese. This means that the money is going towards education, which goes to the people,
and creates more capital, because of more knowledge.
✤ Military influence
There was a high priority for Japan in an era of European and American imperialism. Universal conscription
was introduced, and a new national army modelled after the Prussian force was established, and a navy after
the British force was established.
✤ Arts influence
In 1876, the government opened the Technical Fine Arts School (Kobu Bijutsu Gakko) and invited the
architect Giovanni Cappelletti (d. ca. 1885), the sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa (1841–1928), and the painter
Antonio Fontanesi (1818–1882), who was deeply influenced by the Barbizon school, to teach its students in
Western techniques and media. Fontanesi’s students Yamamoto Hosui (1850–1906), Kuroda Seiki
(1866–1924), and Asai Chu (1856–1907) all later travelled to Europe to study academic painting and are
looked upon today as the Meiji period’s greatest producers of Western style paintings (yoga). On the other
hand, the government took the acquisition of Western art techniques as a means of fostering industrial
development, as opposed to promoting an appreciation of Western aesthetics or art theory. This was to let
the young Japanese gain appreciation for the potentially important role of the museum in society, and the
establishment of Japan’s first public museum at Yushima Seido Confucian shrine. Conder taught at the
University of Technology (Kobu Daigakko). His students Tatsuno Kingo (1854–1911), Katayama Tokuma
(1853–1917), and Sone Tatsuzo (1853–1937) were responsible for many of the major architectural
monuments during the Meiji period.
Educational system in Japan during the Meiji Restoration period
✤ School system Reform
The reform of the school system has contributed the most to the enlightenment of the Japanese people. By
the 1906, the school attendance was as high as 95%, which Japan boosted the one of the highest literacy
rates in the world. The resorted Imperial government immediately realized the importance of universal
education to the nation’s pursuit of modernization and progress of Japan. Gakusei, a education system was
implemented in the 1872 and the promulgation of the Imperial Rescript on education in the 1890, these laid
the foundation for modern education system in Japan. The school system was then modelled after the westernization.
✤Universities established
Universities as well as technical and professional schools were established to promote higher education to
meet the demands of a labor force. Except for the terakoya, small regional schools providing basic
education, most traditional schools from the Edo period were almost exclusively reserved to boys belonging
to the samurai class. Despite this, the level of literacy in the late Edo period was remarkably high, which no
doubt paved the way for the Meiji educational reforms.
✤ Primary school
The nationalization of the education system made primary school compulsory for both boys and girls. At
first, the attendance was very low. However, after tuition was abolished for elementary schools in 1900, then
there was an increase in attendance. Many things in the school were influenced by the westerners. Firstly, the
school was furnished western style were built throughout Japan. Secondly, the school curriculum was
also based on western models. This includes history, science, geography and arithmetic. Schools also
continued to give moral instruction based on Confucian tradition, which encouraged patriotic loyalty and
filial piety. Games like sugoroku, the New Year’s game, were used to introduce young children to the scripts
in a fun way. The sugoroku board shown here illustrates the different steps a student must follow before
earning a degree.
Education in the Empire of Japan was a high priority for the government, as the leadership of the early Meiji
government realized the critical need for universal public education in its drive to modernize and westernize
Japan. Overseas missions such as the Iwakura mission were sent abroad to study the education systems of
leading Western countries.
Conclusion:
The Meiji Restoration era in Japan faced formidable hurdles in cultivating a cohesive national identity. Social fragmentation, stemming from centuries-old societal structures, regional diversity, and class divides, posed significant challenges. The clash between embracing Western influences for modernization and preserving traditional values added complexity. Resistance to rapid change from traditionalists further hindered unity. Educational reforms aimed at instilling loyalty encountered difficulties in creating a standardized national curriculum. Despite these obstacles, the era laid crucial groundwork for Japan's modernization. Over time, strategic efforts to bridge societal gaps, promote a sense of shared identity, and navigate cultural diversity contributed to Japan's eventual emergence as a unified and formidable nation on the global stage. The Meiji Restoration period's challenges were formidable, yet the enduring efforts to overcome them laid the foundation for Japan's cohesive national identity and remarkable transformation.
Work cited.:
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