Isolation of Japan: 7th Grade Finals Review

The Isolation of Japan

• Missionaries of Christianity, mostly Catholics, led to fear of European ideas and loss of Japanese traditions
• 300,000 Japanese had converted to Christianity between 1467 and 1568, during the Sengoku or “Warring States” period
• Oda Nobunaga seized control of old feudal estates and used firearms effectively
• Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan in 1600 and became the shogun in 1603, changing the capital's name from Edo to Tokyo
• Ieyasu centralized his power by holding families of daimyo hostage and created a structured society (patriarchal)

Tokugawa Shogunate Rule (1616-1867)

• Created stability after centuries of war, chaos, death, and destruction
• Peasants suffered and paid high taxes, while merchants and the rich thrived
• The Emperor was the figurehead, but the Shogun was the true ruler
• The land-holding Samurai (daimyo), the Samurai warriors, the peasants and artisans (4/5ths of the population), and the merchants

Japanese Culture

• Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century, followed by Confucianism
• Haiku (5-7-5 poem) and Kabuki (elaborate costumes, music, dance, and mime)
• Farmers were considered the best citizens, not merchants
• Portuguese traders arrived in the 1500s, introducing guns and cannons
• Christianity was banned, and Christians were persecuted, punished, and driven out of Japan
• All Japanese were forced to demonstrate faithfulness to some branch of Buddhism
• The “Closed country policy” was created in 1639, lasting for over 200 years

Exploration of the Americas

• Christopher Columbus, funded by Spain, explored the Americas in 1492
• Many sought their fortunes or a new life in the Americas, without considering the indigenous peoples' wishes
• 90% of indigenous people were wiped out by diseases brought by Europeans
• Columbus called the inhabitants "Indians," thinking he had found India or the East Indies
• Later, he returned as an Empire builder with 17 ships and over 1,000 men

European Exploration and Colonization

• Pedro Álvares Cabral sent by Portugal, discovered Brazil in 1500
• Amerigo Vespucci believed these lands were a New World, a new continent, not Asia
• Ferdinand Magellan, a Spanish explorer, circumnavigated the world in 1522
• Conquistadors sought riches, like mercenaries, and wiped out many indigenous people

North American Exploration

• Leif Erikson, the First European Explorer, around 1000 CE
• Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jacques Cartier, and Samuel Champlain explored and established colonies in North America
• New France population in 1760 was about 65,000, with most being Catholic priests and fur traders
• The French wanted to make money, while the British wanted to increase their empire