THE WORLD CIVILIZATIONS AND INDIA , PART- 41

DECLINE OF THE SHOGUNATE DURING EDO PERIOD OF JAPAN

Despite the fact that the EDO PERIOD OF JAPAN saw enormous growth of agriculture during the period , but the early nineteenth century also witnessed how badly the government handled the devastating TENPO FAMINES leading to the decline and ultimately the fall of the SHOGUNATE . The peasants unrest grew . The government revenue declined . It compelled the government to cut the salaries of the already financially distressed SAMURAI . They now had to work part-time elsewhere to maintain their way of life . All these developments including financial conditions of SAMURAI played a major role in the downfall of the TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE . Apart from that , due to the spread of RANGAKU ( DUTCH LEARNING ) stimulated among the JAPANESE people , the interest in the western learning grew among them considerably . SUGITA GENPAKU , a local physician , for example , tried to introduce the western concept of medicine into the JAPANESE human autonomy as such which brought about awareness among the JAPANESE people and the society alike about the western learnings . Simultaneously , KOKUGAKU , literally means ‘national study’ , an academic movement , or shall I say , a school of JAPANESE philosophy , developed by scholars like MOTOORI NORINAGA and HIRATA ATSUTANE , promoted the JAPANESE values dithering away from then prevailing dominant study of CHINESE philosophy , CONFUCIANISM and BUDDHISM among the JAPANESE people . Now focus of the study among the JAPANESE people was on the early JAPANESE Classics as such .

In the mean time , a fleet of the AMERICAN ships , commanded by Commodore MATTHEW C. PERRY , arrived on the JAPANESE port in 1853 AD with his demand that the AMERICAN ships be permitted to acquire provisions and trade at the JAPANESE ports as such . It threw JAPAN into turmoil as the US government aimed to end the age long JAPAN’S isolationist policies as such . The SHOGUNATE had no defense against PERRY’S gunboats except to accept his proposals . In this way JAPAN was imposed by the western powers with what was known in the JAPANESE history as ‘unequal treatises’ whereby JAPAN was compelled to allow citizens of these countries 1. to visit and even to reside in the territory of JAPAN , 2. must not levy tariffs on their imports , and 3. must not be tried in the JAPANESE courts as such .

BOSHIN WAR AND THE FALL OF THE SHOGUNATE

The failure of the SHOGUNATE to oppose the western powers led to the anger of the JAPANESE people . Especially the southern domains of CHOSHU and SATSUMA opposed tooth and nail such unequal treatises with the western powers . Inspired by the JAPANESE nationalist doctrine like KOKUGAKU , many powerful SAMURAI adopted the slogan of SOMNO JOI which meant ‘ reverse the emperor, expel the barbarians ‘. In view of such developments those two southern domains executed a treaty of alliance . And in 1868 AD , they virtually convinced the young Emperor MEJI and his advisors to issue a rescript meant for the end of TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE . And at last , the joint armies of the two southern domains i.e CHOSHU and SATSUMA marched towards EDO leading to BOSHIN WAR ascertaining the fall of the SHOGUNATE as such .