Modernization and Westernization

1. Modernization and Westernization By: Frank A., Kyle B., Josh C. Period 7 Modernization and Westernization By: Frank A., Kyle B., Josh C. Period

2. Westernization • The Japanese were very concerned about the West. • Japan really wanted to be a lot like the United States. • They idolized the way that the U.S was and wanted to replicate that. • Japanese people even started to dress the way that people in the West did. • The Japanese sent very educated samurais to America to find out the ways that made them more successful.

3. Modernization • The modernization of Japan happened very suddenly. • The Japanese went from primarily fighting with swords to going straight with huge and powerful machine guns. • All the weapons that they had came from the West and mostly America. • America basically forced the Japanese to buy weapons from them. • Japan just wanted to get caught up, while the United States saw it as a chance to make money.

4. Questions • 1.Why did the Japanese send educated samurai, official representatives, and students to the United States and Europe in the late 1800's? • 2. Do you think the movie The Last Samurai accurately depicted the role of the samurai in modernizing and westernizing Japan? Why or why not? • 3. From what countries did the Japanese hire consultants to help them organize and structure their imperial army, navy, banking systems, and constitution? • 4.Why do you think the movie The Last Samurai chose to create a storyline in which the Americans are brought over to train the emperor's troops? • 5. The movie The Last Samurai took place in the year 1876. Do you think the emperors troops would have been this unfamiliar with weapons such as guns after being exposed to the West for over twenty years? Why or why not? • 6. The character of Omura was loosely based on the real life Meiji reformer Okubo Toshimichi. What was Okubo's background? What was his relationship with the samurai? What happened to Okubo? • 7. What changes taking place in Japan during this time period do you think were most troubling to samurai like Katsumoto and the real life 'last samurai' SaigoTakamori? • 8. Why do you think the Katsumoto and his samurai felt that their rebellions were being fought in 'the service of the emperor? • 9. In what ways do you think Japan's ability to adapt, modernize, and 'westernize' prevented it from being taken over and 'carved up' by other countries like China had been?

6. 1.Why did the Japanese send educated samurai, official representatives, and students to the United States and Europe in the late 1800's? • 1. Answer= They sent educated samurais because the samurais probably made Japan look a little more threatening and they did it to make Japan seem somewhat modern. Japan was always worried about fitting in with the West, so they figured the samurais would make them look the best. Samurai were also one of the most of the educated groups in the Japanese culture.

7. 2. Do you think the movie The Last Samurai accurately depicted the role of the samurai in modernizing and westernizing Japan? Why or why not? • 2. Answer= There is both a yes side and a no side. I believe that it did actually do a good job of portraying the samurais roles. They did a good job because the samurais still used swords while the Imperial Army had guns, which was an actual history fact. They were defeated and the Japanese leaders probably felt a little bit of resent for eliminating the ways of how the country began. The no side consisted of they way that the movie showed that all of the samurais rebelled, and in reality, only a small group of them did.

8. 3. From what countries did the Japanese hire consultants to help them organize and structure their imperial army, navy, banking systems, and constitution?4.Why do you think the movie The Last Samurai chose to create a storyline in which the Americans are brought over to train the emperor's troops? • 3. The Japanese hired consultants from America and also some from Europe. The movie probably picked American’s as the ones to help the emporer because the film was made for and in America. They also probably idolized the way that the American’s were so technologically advanced. • (wikipedia)

9. 4. The movie The Last Samurai took place in the year 1876. Do you think the emperors troops would have been this unfamiliar with weapons such as guns after being exposed to the West for over twenty years? Why or why not? • 4. Answer: No because they would have learned many things in those twenty years. Especially how to use guns to defend themselves and their country from invaders such as rebel samurais. This also shows a stereotype of back in this time in the movie.

10. 5. The character of Omura was loosely based on the real life Meiji reformer Okubo Toshimichi. What was Okubo's background? What was his relationship with the samurai? What happened to Okubo? • 5. Answer: Okubo was a politician. He became a leading figure in the government of satsuma. He was also a skilled samurai as well. He was killed by seven fellow samurais.

11. 6. What changes taking place in Japan during this time period do you think were most troubling to samurai like Katsumoto and the real life 'last samurai' SaigoTakamori? • 6. I think the changes in weaponry and clothing would have been troubling to the samurai. I also think the change in fighting technique and strategy would have been very troubling.

12. 7. Why do you think the Katsumoto and his samurai felt that their rebellions were being fought in 'the service of the emperor? • 7. I believe that they thought that the emperor was being forced into making decisions that he did not believe in so the samurai felt it was their duty to back up the emperor.

13. 8. In what ways do you think Japan's ability to adapt, modernize, and 'westernize' prevented it from being taken over and 'carved up' by other countries like China had been? • It provided Japan the needs to defend themselves against other countries. This also allowed Japan to become stronger as a country and more developed. • (wikipedia)