DOCSLIB.ORG

Alcock and Harris. Foreign Diplomacy in Bakumatsu Japan Author(S): John Mcmaster Reviewed Work(S): Source: Monumenta Nipponica, Vol

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Alcock and Harris. Foreign Diplomacy in Bakumatsu Japan Author(S): John Mcmaster Reviewed Work(S): Source: Monumenta Nipponica, Vol Alcock and Harris. Foreign Diplomacy in Bakumatsu Japan Author(s): John McMaster Reviewed work(s): Source: Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 22, No. 3/4 (1967), pp. 305-367 Published by: Sophia University Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2383072 . Accessed: 07/10/2012 12:01 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Sophia University is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Monumenta Nipponica. http://www.jstor.org Alcock and Harris FOREIGN DIPLOMACY IN BAKUMATSU JAPAN by JOHN MCMASTER T W ENTY-ONE timesthe guns shattered the noonday quiet of Edo Bay. As they roared, thered-ball flag ofJapan was hoisted to join what Japanese called the flowery flag of theAmericans. It wasJuly 29th, the year was i858and the warship was acknowl- edgingthat a commercialtreatyhadjust been signed on board. The roar, the smoke and the shudderthroughout the wooden ship was appropriate. The proximatecause of the treaty hadbeen cannon. Although theJapanese then had no ship to match the "Powhattan," the solitaryvessel was notas importantas thenews she had brought from Shanghai. Other foreignvessels were on theway to Japan, not alone but in fleets.A Britishsquadron was to be followedby a French,both fresh from forcing treaties upon China. A Russianfleet was expectedsoon. There had beenlittle discussion. The Americanenvoy, Townsend Harris,had said simply that to refuseto a singleforeigner what it wouldshortly have to giveup to mightyfleets would disgrace the Tokugawa bakufu, the military government ofJapan,in theeyes of its own people. Better to makethe best of the situation. The Japa- nesehad done so butit cannot have been a happygroup of bakufu officials who went ashore thatafternoon. Bycontrast the American must have been jubilant. The manwho had left New York an alcoholicfailure in I849 hadnow achieved a finediplomatic success for his country as well as hisown personal redemption. Duringten years of exile Harris had roamed the Pacific and Indian oceans possibly even as a remittanceman paid by his family to stay away. 1 That was over now. He hadachieved an honourableplace in thehistories. Moreover no manhad more reason to dislikeJapan thanHarris. The needlessprivations forced upon him by thebakufu at Shimodaand all theweary months of negotiation should have disgusted him with Japan and everything Japanese."The mendacityof these men passes all belief," runs a typicalentry in his Your- nal,". I amreally ill, yet I amforced day after day to listen to uselessdebates on points MTHE AUTHOR is gratefulto the staffsof the courtesyand assistance.The Dutch translations Anderson Room of the UniversityLibrary, would have been impossiblewithout the patient Cambridge,the Special CollectionsDepartment helpof Miss H. Walburghschmidt. at the City College of New York, the Public 1 Hyman Kublin, "A Salute to Townsend RecordOffice, the Ministeredes AffairesE1tran- Harris",7apan 6arterly, v, No. 3,July-September geres and the AlgemeenRijksarchief for their I958, pp. 2-5. 306 MonumentaNi.pponica, xm, 3-4 thathave been exhausted and are only varied by some new phase of falsehood."2 In spite ofit all he was enthusiasticabout "his belovedJapan and expatiatesupon her beauties withall theardour of an elderlylover contemplating the charms of a youthfulfiancee."3 "Evenmore eulogistic than the Dutch", wrote another foreigner who knew him at the time.4 Whatthis meant in practice was thatHarris would give the Japanese the benefit of the doubtin any matter arising between them and foreign nations. Unlike some later foreign- erswho also loved Japan, he hadno intentionof remaining there. An interest in helping to put histreaty into force was enough to hold him for a fewmonths but he was a tempo- rarydiplomat come to do a particularjob. Thatjob was done. A sincereChristian, Harris hoped to bringJapan into the comity of nations under more reputableconditions than India or China.This was nowpossible as histreaty provided fora verygradual opening of relations with the West. It was as muchas he coulddo. To put possibilityinto practice was beyondthe power of Townsend Harris or anyother American. Wanderingsthat had touched Calcutta, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai had taughtHarris that British merchants formed the majority of the foreigners in Asia anddid the bulk of its foreign trade. As soonas Japan was opened to trade,Britain would inevitablybecome the chief arbiter of its foreignrelations. Harris's importance would end withthe arrival of the first British representative. It hadto be so.Even before the outbreak of its civil war in the spring of i86o the United Stateshad littleinterest in thecommercial prospects of Japan and an almostcomplete indifferenceto the welfare of Harris.5 Its tradewas smalland its desire to back up a diplo- matwith warships even smaller. In contrastto Palmerston'ssupport of tenuous claims to Britishcitizenship with a navalbombardment, American policy reckoned that its citizenswho dared foreign adventures in hopesof profit should face the penalties when thosehopes went sour. Although the bakufu feared colonization, most Western nations had as littleinterest in Japan as theAmericans. NapoleonII hadinstructed his diplomats to cooperatewith Britain precisely because Frenchinterest in the area was so small.The Emperorhoped that British good will earned inChina andJapan might be usefulin somearea of genuine French interest.6 Russian con- cernwas confinedto buyingprovisions for her Siberian colonies and thewarm-water anchorageat Nagasakifor her fleet in winter.She would nibble tentatively at islandsto thenorth and west but seems to have had little interest in thethree most populatedJapa- neseislands. Aside from the hope that the old relations of the East-India Company would 2 Townsend Harris, Complete7ournal, New ElginsMission to Chinaand 7apan,2 vols., New York,I930, p. 327. York,i86o, p. 345. 3 E. B. Fonblanque,Ni.ppon and Pe-chi-li,Lon- 5 Kublin,pp. 3, 7. don,I862, p. Io5. 6 AlexanderMichie, The Englishmanin China, 4 LaurenceOliphant, Narrative of theEarl of 2 vols.,London, I900,i, io6. MCMASTER. "... ForeignDiplomacy in BakumatsuJapan" 307 givethem a specialbusiness advantage in Japan,the Netherlands was almostentirely involvedin Indonesia.Of all theWestern powers only Britain combined a sufficientin- terestin theJapan trade with the power to enforce it. As longestresident diplomat, Harris would have the honoraryposition of doyen. Whenthe diplomatic corps as a groupdealt with the bakufu, he would be itsspokesman. It was a ceremonialhonour. In practicethe arrival of a Britishrepresentative would rel- egateHarris to beingmerely the minister of a second-ratepower. Personality or persua- sionmight help him to influence events but the major decisions must lie with the British ambassador.Pending his arrival,Harris had littleto do but caretakingchores. These hadtheir importance. During the next eleven months the bakufu would decide howbest to deal with the unwanted foreign trade. Much that it didin thisinterim period woulddetermine the later history ofJapan. As Donker Curtius stayed on at Nagasaki in his traditionalposition as Netherlandsbusiness agent, Harris was theonly knowledgeable foreignerdealing directly with the bakufu. Unlike later foreigners, he was toohumble to write.Not a wealthyman and hardly lazy with his pen, he yet turned down a publisher's offer,7writing to a friend"We havequite enough of error relating to thiscountry in the shapeof books, and I earnestlyhope that we shallhave no more inflicted on us untilsome manfitted for the work by havingfully learned the language... shallgive us an honest, truthfulwork on Japan."8 Others were not to be so modest. Chiefamongst these and the only one to sharea knowledgeof diplomatic matters was RutherfordAlcock, the first British ambassador. In i86i-62,he wrotea bookThe Capital ofthe Tycoon, from which almost all laterhistorical writing derives. So muchso thatit is scarcelyrealized that Harris remained in Japan more than four years after the last entry inhis Yournal on February 27th, i858. Alcock wrote a bookand burned his private papers. Harrisrefused to write but left his private papers. These are worth study because he was betterqualified to writeon Japan than Alcock. For many months they are also the only Westernevidence coming out ofJapan. Giventhe widespread popularity of Alcock's book, it is a healthycorrective to look at Japaneseaffairs through the eyes of Townsend Harris. Unlike Rutherford Alcock, he was nota careerdiplomat looking to future promotion and a pension.Harris had done his work, recoveredhis reputation, and wanted only to returnto hisbeloved Manhattan. With a deeplove of Japan and its people, and no professionalambitions to colourhis vision, he was perhapsthe most disinterested observer of the scene. Backfrom treaty-making, Harris settled into familiar surroundings at Shimodaand awaitedthe British fleet. A longletter to Secretary of State Cass in Washington explained varioussections of his treaty.9 7 HarrisPapers, City College of New York, Edo,22 AugustI895. Book4, No. 20, to Childs & Peterson,Shimoda, 9
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Westernization in Japan: America’S Arrival
    International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-3, Issue-8, Aug.-2017 http://iraj.in WESTERNIZATION IN JAPAN: AMERICA’S ARRIVAL TANRIO SOPHIA VIRGINIA English Literature Department BINUS UNIVERSITY Indonesia E-mail: [email protected] Abstract- As America arrived with westernization during late Edo period also known as Bakumatsu period, Japan unwelcomed it. The arrival of America in Japan had initiated the ‘wind of change’ to new era towards Japan culture albeit its contribution to Japan proffers other values at all cost. The study aims to emphasize the importance of history in globalization era by learning Japan's process in accepting western culture. By learning historical occurrences, cultural conflicts can be avoided or minimized in global setting. The importance of awareness has accentuated an understanding of forbearance in cultural diversity perspectives and the significance of diplomatic relation for peace. Systematic literature review is applied as the method to analyze the advent of America, forming of treaty, Sakoku Policy, Diplomatic relationship, and Jesuit- Franciscans conflict. The treaty formed between Japan and America served as the bridge for Japan to enter westernization. Keywords- Westernization, Japan, America, Sakoku Policy, Jesuit-Franciscans Conflict, Treaty, Culture, Edo Period. I. INTRODUCTION Analysing from the advent of America leads to Japan’s Sakoku Policy which took roots from a Bakumatsu period or also known as Edo period, dispute caused by westerners when Japan was an specifically in the year of 1854 in Capital of Kyoto, open country. This paper provides educational values Japan, was when the conflict between Pro-Shogunate from historical occurrences.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Has Always Held an Important Place in Modern World Affairs, Switching Sides From
    Japan has always held an important place in modern world affairs, switching sides from WWI to WWII and always being at the forefront of technology. Yet, Japan never came up as much as China, Mongolia, and other East Asian kingdoms as we studied history at school. Why was that? Delving into Japanese history we found the reason; much of Japan’s history was comprised of sakoku, a barrier between it and the Western world, which wrote most of its history. How did this barrier break and Japan leap to power? This was the question we set out on an expedition to answer. With preliminary knowledge on Matthew Perry, we began research on sakoku’s history. We worked towards a middle; researching sakoku’s implementation, the West’s attempt to break it, and the impacts of Japan’s globalization. These three topics converged at the pivotal moment when Commodore Perry arrived in Japan and opened two of its ports through the Convention of Kanagawa. To further our knowledge on Perry’s arrival and the fall of the Tokugawa in particular, we borrowed several books from our local library and reached out to several professors. Rhoda Blumberg’s Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun presented rich detail ​ ​ into Perry’s arrival in Japan, while Professor Emi Foulk Bushelle of WWU answered several of our queries and gave us a valuable document with letters written by two Japanese officials. Professor John W. Dower’s website on MIT Visualizing Cultures offered analysis of several primary sources, including images and illustrations that represented the US and Japan’s perceptions of each other.
    [Show full text]
  • The Quest for Civilization
    The Quest for Civilization <UN> Simon Vissering (1818–1888). Collection of Universiteit Leiden. The Quest for Civilization Encounters with Dutch Jurisprudence, Political Economy, and Statistics at the Dawn of Modern Japan By Ōkubo Takeharu Translated by David Noble LEIDEN | BOSTON <UN> Cover illustration: Leyden (Breestraat), ca. 1850, by Bruining, T.C., Bos, G.J. and Trap, P.W.M. Collection of Regionaal Archief Leiden. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Takeharu, Okubo. [Kindai Nihon no seiji koso to Oranda. English] The quest for civilization : encounters with Dutch jurisprudence, political economy, and statistics at the dawn of modern Japan / by Okubo Takeharu ; translated by David Noble. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-24536-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Political science--Japan--History--19th century. 2. Japan--Civilization--Dutch influences. I. Title. JA84.J3O38713 2014 320.0952’09034--dc23 2014020024 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. isbn 978-90-04-24536-5 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-24537-2 (e-book) Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Analyse Du Système Des Ports De Traité Japonais Et Des Relations Entre Le
    Analyse du système des ports de traité japonais et des relations entre le Japon, les États-Unis et le Royaume-Uni à travers la naissance du port de traité de Yokohama et la vie de ses marchands pendant la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle par Sandrine Lavoie-Demers Mémoire présentée à l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi en vue de l’obtention du grade de Maître ès Arts (M.A.) en Maîtrise en études et interventions régionales (MEIR) volet recherche Québec, Canada © Sandrine Lavoie-Demers, 2019 RÉSUMÉ Le 29 juillet 1858, le Japon signe malgré lui avec les États-Unis le traité Harris, le premier d’une longue série de traités inégaux avec les puissances occidentales. Dans les clauses de ce traité, il y a l’ouverture de sept ports japonais aux Américains qui pourraient venir y commercer et y habiter, communément appelés des ports de traité que l’on retrouve déjà à l’époque en Chine. Les Européens acquirent ensuite cette même clause, ce qui mena à la création de véritables petites colonies portuaires occidentales sur le territoire japonais. Le sujet de ce mémoire est le port de traité de Yokohama, qui fut ouvert de 1859 à 1899 et de la communauté américaine et britannique qui y vécut. Nous avons cherché à savoir quel a été et comment s’est articulé le système des ports de traité japonais tel qu’il fut négocié avec le traité Harris. Nous avons également cherché à voir comment les Anglo-américains ont vécu dans ce système et quelles ont été leurs relations avec leurs voisins japonais.
    [Show full text]
  • Download (1MB)
    THE BANSHO SHIRABESHO: A TRANSITIONAL INSTITUTION IN BAKUMATSU JAPAN by James Mitchell Hommes Bachelor of Arts, Calvin College, 1993 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The College of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Interdisciplinary Master of Arts (IDMA) in East Asian Studies University of Pittsburgh 2004 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This thesis was presented by James Mitchell Hommes It was defended on December 8, 2004 and approved by Thomas Rimer, Professor, East Asian Languages and Literature David O. Mills, Professor, East Asian Languages and Literature Richard Smethurst, Professor, History ii THE BANSHO SHIRABESHO: A TRANSITIONAL INSTITUTION IN BAKUMATSU JAPAN James M. Hommes, MA University of Pittsburgh, 2004 In the Bakumatsu period (1853-1868), Japan experienced many changes and challenges. One of these challenges was regarding how to learn from the West and how to use that knowledge in the building of Japan. One of the most important institutions for such Western learning was the Bansho Shirabesho, an institution created by the Tokugawa government in 1856 to translate Western materials, provide a school for Japanese scholars, and to censor the translations of Western works. This institution eventually gave language instruction in Dutch, English, French, German, and Russian and it also gave instruction in many other practical subjects such as military science and production. This thesis examines in detail how the Shirabesho was founded, what some of the initial difficulties were and how successful it was in accomplishing the tasks it was given. It also assesses the legacy of the Shirabesho in helping to bridge the transition between the Tokugawa period’s emphasis on feudal rank and the Meiji’s emphasis on merit.
    [Show full text]
  • Adachi, 39 Aizu, 39 Alcock, Sir Rutherford: and Nishu Coin, 22
    77 INDEX Adachi, 39 dorogin, 24, 25, 26, 35, 37.Seealso Aizu, 39 ichibu; Silver Alcock, Sir Rutherford: and nishu coin, doza. See Copper 22;.and coinage exchange problem, Dutch trade, with Japan, 1, 2, 16, 18, 26, 23, 25, 28-32, 34, 35; and paper 29,35,38 currency, 38; on prices, 42 Antiforeignism, 2, 14, 16, 30, 42, 43, East India and China Trading Association, 44 29 . Arbuthnot, Lord, 38, 42; 43, 44 Edo, 4, 29, 31, 41; burning of bakufu Armaments, imports of, 41 castle in, 26, 28; exchange houses in, 27,38,42 Barter, 2, 6 Eldredge, J.C., 13, 14, 15 Bills of exchange, 4 Emperor of Japan, 1, 29, 31, 41 Boyle, J. H., 33 Eskrigge, Thomas, 28 Brass coins, 6, 38 Exchange houses, 4, 32, 38, 42 bu. See Denominational units Exchange rate: negotiations over, 2, 12, Bullion distribution monopolies, 3 13-24, 25, 28-33, 35, 44-45, 46; be­ fore 1842, 8-9 Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London, and China, 32 Feudal attitudes. See Antiforeignism Chinese cash, 6, 13, 25 Fillmore, President Millard, 1, 19 Chinese trade, with Japan, 1, 2, 16, 23, Foreign affairs commissioners, 21, 22, 35 26, 39-40 Formosa,49 chogin. See Denominational units France, 35 City magistrates, 3 Free trade, Western ideas of, 1 Coal, 15, 30, 49 French treaties, 20 Coinage debasement, 6-10, 11, 20, 21, fukiwake-za. See Bullion distribution 30, 33, 35, 36-38, 41, 43, 45. monopolies See also Man'en Currency Reform Fukuzawa Yukichi, 27 Coinage exchange. See Exchange rate Coinage speculation, 25-34, 35, 45 gaiko~u bugyo.
    [Show full text]
  • Aa 2010/2011
    Dottorato di ricerca in Lingue, Culture e Società Scuola di Dottorato in Lingue, Culture e Società XXVI Ciclo (A.A. 2010/2011―A.A. 2012/2013) The termination of the Ryukyuan embassies to Edo: an investigation of the bakumatsu period through the lens of a tripartite power relationship and its world SETTORE SCIENTIFICO DISCIPLINARE DI AFFERENZA:[L-OR/23] Tesi di Dottorato di Tinello Marco, 955866 Coordinatore del Dottorato Tutore del Dottorando Prof. SQUARCINI Federico Prof. CAROLI Rosa Co-tutore del Dottorando Prof. SMITS Gregory 1 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 6 Introduction Chapter 1-The Ryukyuan embassies to Edo: history of a three partners’ power relation in the context of the taikun diplomacy 31 1.1. Foundation of the taikun diplomacy and the beginning of the Ryukyuan embassies 34 1.2. The Ryukyuan embassies of the Hōei and Shōtoku eras 63 1.3. Ryukyuan embassies in the nineteenth century 90 Chapter 2-Changes in East Asia and Ryukyu in the first half of the nineteenth century: counter-measures of Shuri, Kagoshima and Edo to the pressures on Ryukyu by the Western powers 117 2.1. Western powers in Ryukyu after the Opium War and the Treaty of Nanjing 119 2.2. Countermeasures of the Shuri government to the Gaikantorai jiken 137 2.3. Countermeasures of Kagoshima and Edo after the arrival of Westerners in Ryukyu 152 Chapter 3-Responses of Edo, Kagoshima and Shuri to the conclusion of international treaties: were Ryukyuan embassies compatible with the stipulations of the treaties? 177 3.1. Responses of Edo and Kagoshima to the Ansei Treaties 179 3.2.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes to the Introduction Robert Gilpin, the Political Economy Of
    Notes Notes to the Introduction 1. Frederick L. Shiels, Tokyo and Washington (Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books, 1980) p. 55. 2. Robert Gilpin, The Political Economy of International Relations (Princeton, N. 1.: Princeton University Press, 1987) pp. 391-2. 3. Quoted in Akira Iriye, Pacific Estrangement: Japanese and American Es­ trangement, 1897-1911 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1972) p.9. 4. See James Fallows, More like Us: An American Plan for American Recov­ ery (New York: Pantheon, 1990). 5. Roger Pineau, The Japan Expedition, 1852-1854: The Personal Journal of Commodore Matthew Perry (Washington. D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1968) pp. 211. 214. 6. Henry Kissinger, Years of Upheaval (Boston. Mass.: Little, Brown, 1982) pp.737-8. 7. Richard Neustadt, Alliance Politics (New York: Columbia University Press, 1970) p. 66. 8. Akira lriye, Pacific Estrangement. p. 1. Notes to Chapter 1: Pacific Patron, 1853-94 1. Cecil Crabb, Policy-makers and Critics: Conflicting Theories of American Foreing Policy (New York: Praeger, 1976) p. 1. 2. William Seward, Works, vol. 4, p. 319. 3. James Thompson et al., Sentimental Imperialists: The American Experience in East Asia (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1981) pp. 35-6. 4. John Witney Hall, Japan: From Prehistory to Modem Times (Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1971) p. 218. 5. John Foster Dulles, Yankees and Samurai: America's Role in the Emergence of Modem Japan, 1791-1900 (New York: Harper & Row, 1965) pp. 1-6. 6. Ibid., p. 9. 7. Ibid., p. 12. 8. Ibid., p. 29. 9. Akira lriye, Pacific Estrangement: Japanese and American Expansion, 1897- 1911 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1972) p.
    [Show full text]
  • Hashimoto Sanai: a Japanese
    HASHIMOTO SANAI: A JAPANESE Frederick Welden, a Rutgers graduate of the class of iç34> taught in the Oita College of Commerce in Japan during the years IQ36 to içjç and is now a graduate student in the Department of Chinese and Japanese at Columbia University. He has been given a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies to catalogue the Far Eastern Section of the Griffis collection in the Rutgers Library. In the following article he discusses a Japanese manuscript in the possession of the Library and gives a translation of parts of it which have an interesting bearing on the rise of modern Japan. IS commonly known, the modernization of Japan and her subsequent rise as a world power have been com- paratively recent developments. From 1603 until 1868, the so-called Tokugawa period, the political, social, and eco- nomic structure of that country was of a distinctly feudal nature, and during most of this era all intercourse with West- ern traders, missionaries, and governments was repeatedly forbidden by Japanese law. Dutch traders alone—more spe- cifically, traders in the employ of the Dutch East India Com- pany—were exempted, but only under such numerous and unfair conditions as to leave them with little or no voice in the actual conduct and control of trade. During these two and a half centuries government took the form of an hereditary military dictatorship dominated by the powerful Tokugawa clan, whose headquarters was in Edo, site of the present-day Tokyo.1 The imperial family, dwelling in the ancient capital of Kyoto in central Japan, retained certain traditional functions of minor importance, but was to all intents and purposes at the mercy of the Tokugawa.
    [Show full text]
  • Displaying Authority: Guns, Political Legitimacy, and Martial Pageantry in Tokugawa Japan, 1600-1868
    DISPLAYING AUTHORITY: GUNS, POLITICAL LEGITIMACY, AND MARTIAL PAGEANTRY IN TOKUGAWA JAPAN, 1600-1868. Daniele Lauro A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History Chapel Hill 2012 Approved by: Dr. Morgan Pitelka Dr. William M. Fletcher Dr. Wayne Lee © 2012 Daniele Lauro ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT DANIELE LAURO: Displaying authority: guns, political legitimacy, and martial pageantry in Tokugawa Japan, 1600-1868. (Under the direction of Morgan Pitelka) From the end of the sixteenth century on, firearms in Japan are increasingly found in contexts other than the battlefield. A perusal of the Records of the Tokugawa Family (Tokugawa Jikki) - the military clan that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 - reveals, for instance, that guns were often involved in ritual practices performed by the warrior elite, such as weddings, funerals, hunting parades, and celebrations of the New Year. Moreover, it was common for both the shogun and the domainal lords (daimyô) to display firearms and other weapons during public audiences and military parades. By considering different ritual practices that involved the display of military power such as daimyo processions to Edo, shogunal pilgrimages to Nikko, military reviews, large-scale hunts and other pageants, this paper argues that during the Tokugawa period guns were often used by the warrior elite as tools to shore up authority, legitimize the political order, and reinforce ideals of warrior identity. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter I. Local authority on the move: daimyo processions (daimyô gyôretsu) and the system of alternate attendance (sankin kôtai)……………………………….11 II.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Looking at the World Looking at Japan : European Expansion Into
    Japan Looking at the World Looking at Japan European Expansion into East Asia, the Formation of the Japanese Concept and Perception of Colonial Rule as well as European Responses c. 19001 Harald Kleinschmidt, Tokyo An Interactionist Approach to the History of International Relations On 8 February 1868, the newly installed Meiji Government of Japan issued its proclamation nr 5. In this proclamation, it declared that it would honor the treaties that had been concluded between Japan and states in Europe and North America since 1854, but that it would also seek their revision in ac- cordance with ‘universal public law’ 宇内の公法 (udai no kōhō). On behalf of the government, Higashikuze Michitomi 東久世通禧, then in office as Director General Agency for Foreign Affairs 外国事務総督 (Gaikoku Jimu Sōtoku), communicated the contents of the proclamation to foreign diplo- matic envoys then accredited in Japan.2 The proclamation thus articulated the perception that there was a hierarchy of two legal frameworks that could be addressed for different, if not mutually exclusive purposes. Within this 1 Paper read to the Historical Institute of the University of Greifswald, 24 April 2017. 2 GENERAL AGENCY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS 外国事務総督 (Gaikoku Jimu Sōtoku): “Gaikō ni kan suru Fukokusho 外交に関スル布告書” (Government Proclamation Relating to Diplomacy [dated 8 February 1868 = 15th day of the first month of year Keio 4, concerning the treaties between Japan and other states, written by ŌKUBO Toshimichi 大 久保利道 and MUTSU Munemitsu 陸奥宗光]), Dai Nihon gaikō monjo 大日本外交文書 (Diplomatic Records of Japan), nr 97, vol. 1, Nihon Kokusai Kyōkai 日本国際協会 1938: 227–28. HIGASHIKUZE Michitomi: Nikki 日記 (Diary), vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Document Resume
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 380 367 SO 024 584 AUTHOR Harris, Laurie Lanzen, Ed. TITLE Biography Today: Profiles of People of Interest to Young Readers, 1994. REPORT NO ISSN-1058-2347 PUB DATE 94 NOTE 444p.; For volumes 1-2, see ED 363 546. AVAILABLE FROM Omnigraphics, Inc., Penobscot Building, Detroit, Michigan 48226. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Instructional Materials (For Learner) (051) Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Biography Today; v3 n1-3 1994 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC18 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Artists; Authors; *Biographies; Elementary Secondary Education; *Popular Culture; Profiles; Recreational Reading; *Role Models; *Student Interests; Supplementary Reading Materials ABSTRACT This document is the third volume of a series designed and written for the young reader aged 9 and above. It contains three issues and covers individuals that young people want to know about most: entertainers, athletes, writers, illustrators, cartoonists, and political leaders. The publication was created to appeal to young readers in a format they can enjoy reading and readily understand. Each issue contains approximately 20 sketches arranged alphabetically. Each entry combines at least one picture of the individual profiled, and bold-faced rubrics lead the reader to information on birth, youth, early memories, education, first jobs, marriage and family, career highlights, memorable experiences, hobbies, and honors and awards. Each of the entries ends with a list of easily accessible sources to lead the student to further reading on the individual and a current address. Obituary entries also are included, written to prcvide a perspective on an individual's entire career. Beginning with this volume, the magazine includes brief entries of approximately two pages each.
    [Show full text]