A New Line of Sh Ō guns

1. A New Line of ShŌguns • Iyeyasu was put in charge of Hideyoshi’s son and appointed to a board of regents who were to govern Japan until he was grown. Instead, Iyeyasu made himself sole master of Japan by winning a great battle against all his confederated rivals. • His line of Tokugawa ShŌguns remained in power for the next 265 years.

2. A New Capital • Hideyoshi, before he died, had suggested to Iyeyasu what a good fortress Edo would make. Edo means “door of the bay”, and was a town in northeastern Japan near Kamakura, where the ShŌgunate was originally established. • Edo was an ideal location, it was situated in the middle of a wide plain, with the sea in front and the hills behind. • Iyeyasu remembered this episode after he vanquished his rivals in battle.

3. Construction in Edo • Iyeyasu soon set 300,000 of his soldiers to work leveling the hills of Edo, reclaiming swamps, grading streets, digging canals, and building houses. • The new city was centered on a huge castle, whose cost of construction impoverished his vanquished foes. • Iyeyasu also constructed a road that stretched from Edo to Kyoto, with 52 well-equipped rest-houses along the way. • The population of Edo grew like wildfire.

4. The Great March • Iyeyasu and his son, Hidetada, marched in a triumphal procession from Edo to Kyoto, escorted by 170,000 soldiers. • He camped outside Kyoto and marched them in, 10,000 at a time, for 17 days. • The “purpose” of the trip was to pay homage to the emperor, but Iyeyasu took advantage of this display of force to have his son appointed to succeed him as ShŌgun. • The march became an annual event.

5. Hostages in Edo • A garrison of soldiers was stationed in Kyoto to “protect” the emperor and and imperial prince was “invited” to reside in Edo as lord abbot of the Uyeno temple. • The daimyŌs were also “invited” to make their homes in Edo, spending half the time there and half the time at their home district, leaving their wives and families in Edo. • They seemed to be on the move constantly, which lessen their threat.

6. Kill Them With Kindness? • Iyeyasu spared no effort to show his respect to the emperor, where the previous shŌguns had treated him with arrogance and neglect. • The Fujiwara family was a powerful family close to the emperor, Iyeyasu recognized two separate branches of the family as entitled to imperial honors, effectively dividing them against themselves. • Iyeyasu was also kind to the merchants & peasants who made up 90% of society.

7. Education System • Iyeyasu provided Japan with a school system where every child had to learn to read and write. • Confucianism was taught, with an emphasis on conservatism, filial piety, and loyalty. • This system ensure a cohesive society with the prevention of change as an overarching goal. • Over every group of 5 families was a group-chief who reported to the daimyŌ, who in turn reported to theshŌgun.

8. School Curriculum • Girls had to learn the details of the tea ceremony, and girls of high standing learned how to commit suicide using jigai, or “throat-piercing”. • Boys learned archery, fencing, swords-manship, military stratagem, wrestling, and jujutsu, in addition to hara-kiri, or “bowel-cutting”. • One thing that Iyeyasu discouraged was junishi, the “follow-death”, a custom where the servants of a deceased lord would willingly follow him to the grave.

9. Hierarchal Society • Japan under Iyeyasu was divided into a strict hierarchy. The shŌgun ruled over about 300 daimyŌs, who in turn ruled the 2 million samurai. These ruled over the 20-35 million commoners, who were divided into 3 ranks: • farmers- produced the food, top rank • artisans- produced beautiful and useful items, both being of equal importance • merchants, bankers, & brokers- only manipulated the products of others

10. Regulations for Living • A farmer with an income of $50/year may live in a house 30 feet long, and, upon the birth of a grandchild, may give them 1 toy spear (for a boy) or 1 paper or mud doll (for a girl). If his income surpasses $500/year, the house may be 60 feet long and the number of gifts may increase to 4. • Rudeness was defined as “behaving in a manner other than expected” and was punishable by death.

11. William Adams • The year the Iyeyasu began his rule (1600), a Dutch ship with an English captain, Will Adams, ship-wrecked on the island of Kyushu. The Dutch and English both wanted to establish trade with Japan as well. When the Jesuits that remained in Nagasaki warned Iyeyasu that Adams’ crew were pirates and outlaws and that they deserved death (they didn’t want Iyeyasu to hear of the Reformation).

12. Meeting with the ShŌgun • The Jesuits’ plan backfired when Iyeyasu became curious and invited Adams to meet with him. He met with him until midnight and asked him, among other things, about wars England had been in. • Adams told him about wars with Spain and Portugal. He also told the ShŌgun of these countries’ desires to annex non-Christian countries and that he should take their mariners’ surveying of his coasts as and act of hostility.

13. Trading with the Dutch • Not to be outdone, a Spanish envoy told Iyeyasu that the Dutch should be banished from the land since they were rebels against their king and were probably dealing in stolen goods anyway. • Instead, with the help of Adams, Iyeyasu granted the Dutch a license to trade with Japan from their bases in Java and the Spice Islands. They set up a trading base in Hirado, north of Nagasaki.

14. Trading with the English • Four years after the Dutch set up shop, the English also established a trading base at Hirado, lead by Captain John Saris. • Adams urged Saris to come to Edo to meet the ShŌgun, but, because he didn’t like Adams, Saris stayed in Hirado. • After 10 years, the English succumbed to the Dutch competition and withdrew.

15. Hideyoshi’s Heir • When Iyeyasu had taken control of Japan, he gave one of his grand-daughters to the 7 year old Hideyori in marriage. • Hideyori had a number of huge gold war horses that his father had given him. Iyeyasu, through Hideyori’s ladies-in-waiting, convinced him to trade them for bronze in order to rebuild his father’s shattered Dai-Butsu at Kyoto. Hideyori also made a huge bronze bell for the enshrining temple.

16. For Whom the Bell Tolls • Hideyori inscribed the following on the bell: “May the state be peaceful and prosperous; In the East it greets the pale moon, and in the West bids farewell to the setting sun”. • At the dedication ceremony, the police arrived, saying that Hideyori had committed treason by insulting the ShŌgun. • Hideyori was forced to flee, shutting himself in Osaka castle.

17. Siege of Osaka • A siege of the castle followed, to which the stronghold proved impregnable. • It was not until his ladies-in-waiting convinced him to let Iyeyasu’s troops into his outer defenses in exchange for “lifting” the siege, that its protection failed. • Soon enemy troops had surrounded the castle itself and the siege continued.

18. Rallying the Troops • The Catholics, who had been falling farther from the graces of the ShŌgun, decided to rally behind Hideyori. • They fought Iyeyasu’s troops under banners emblazoned with golden crosses and images of Christ. • The only thing that concerned Iyeyasu was that Hideyori would ride forth from the castle, leading his troops on a glorious last stand, so he had his ladies-in-waiting talk him out of such a bold move.

19. Death of Hideyori & Iyeyasu • Iyeyasu finally moved in great force against his rival. His granddaughter made her way to his tent and begged him to spare her husband’s life. • Unmoved, Iyeyasu commanded Hideyori to commit hara-kiri. He also had his mother and 6-year old son executed. • Iyeyasu then razed the temple that had been built in Hideyoshi’s honor and moved his tomb to a remote corner. • Iyeyasu died the following year, in 1616, the same year that Shakespeare died.

20. Hidetada • Iyeyasu’s son, Hidetada, succeeded him as shŌgun. He adopted a policy of persecution against Catholics as soon as he came to power. • It seemed that, no matter how many missionaries were killed, more kept arriving. In 1622, he had 9 foreign priests and 19 native Christians burned at the stake.

21. Iyemitsu • When Iyemitsu succeeded his father in 1623, he took the persecution of Christians to another extreme. • The first year he was in power, he had 500 Christians executed, and persecuted 250,000 during his entire reign. • In 1624, Iyemitsu proclaimed that no more foreign ships would be allowed to come to Japan, an “edict of isolation” that remained in force for 230 years.

22. Christians’ Last Stand • The struggle with Christians culminated in 1638, in the Shimabara Rebellion. • The Shimabara Peninsula is directly east of Nagasaki and was one of the most fertile grounds for Christianity. • The revolt may not have taken place at all, if not for the burdensome taxation that had been levied upon the people. • Christian samurai, in command of 20,000 troops and accompanied by 13,000 women and children, revolted.

23. Hara Castle • The Christians barricaded themselves in Hara, a dilapidated castle surrounded on three sides by water and approachable only through bogs. • They were besieged for 4 months, until food and ammunition ran short. • A Dutch ship was called upon to shell Hara castle, who obliged, as a Protestant insult to Catholicism. • The Catholics finally were defeated, and the 33,000 rebels were promptly beheaded.

24. Attempts at Trade • In spite of Japan’s declared isolation, the Portuguese were not prepared to give up trade with Japan. • Four of the most respected citizens of Macao were dispatched to Nagasaki in a ship laden with gifts for the ShŌgun. • Upon arrival, the ship and its company were seized and a courier was rushed to Edo for instructions from Iyemitsu. • Two commissioners returned from Edo, along with a squad of executioners.

25. Diplomatic Mission? • The Portuguese “ambassadors” were asked how they dared enter Japan against the ShŌgun’s edict. • They replied that trade and diplomatic missions were different and that ambassadors were protected by international law. • The Japanese officials declared that their mission was “nothing but a pure lie” and sentenced them to death.

26. End of the Mission • The four envoys, along with 57 of their companions, were beheaded, after refusing to renounce Christianity to save themselves. 13 were spared to witness their deaths, along with the burning of their ship, and report back to Macao. • They were further asked to report that “the Japanese wish to receive from them neither gold not silver, not any kind of presents or merchandise; in a word, absolutely nothing”.

27. The Japanese continued, “Let them think no more of us; just as if we were no longer in the world”. • The heads of the envoys were arranged on planks with an inscribed tablet which read: “So long as the sun warms the earth, let no Christian be so bold as to come to Japan, and let all know that if King Philip himself, or even the very God of the Christians, or the great Buddha shall contravene this prohibition, they shall pay for it with their heads”.

28. Further Attempts • Despite the serious nature of the decree, the Portuguese would not give up. • Seven years later, two vessels arrived from Macao with an ambassador from Lisbon, bearing a message from the King himself. • They were asked to surrender their rudders, arms, and ammunition but they refused. They soon found themselves blockaded by 50,000 men and were forced to withdraw.

29. Dutch Traders • The Dutch were allowed to remain at Hirado, but they were watched more closely than ever. Officials nosed through the goods in all the warehouses, looking for religious objects. Finding none, they complained that the warehouses were marked with Christian dates and needed to be torn down. The Dutch obliged. • The Dutch were then forced to live on the artificial island of Dejima, 200 yards long by 80 yards wide, which had been designed to hold Portuguese prisoners.

30. Dejima

31. Prisoners to Trade? • A small bridge connected Dejima to the mainland; a guard was posted at one end. No women except prostitutes could enter the island, and no Dutchman could leave without a good reason. • A high fence with a projecting roof over it surrounded Dejima. • The Dutch were not allowed to observe the Sabbath, reckon time in A.D., or be buried in Japanese soil. • The Dutch endured this in order to trade.

32. Humiliating Conditions • At first 10 ships a year were allowed into Nagasaki, then this was reduced to 1 per year. Each ship was carefully inspected, while the crew was beat with sticks. • Once a year, each Dutch resident had to appear before the ShŌgun, bearing gifts. There, they endure abject humiliation. When they left, they had to swear that they would have no contact with Christ- ians and that they would report on any that they encountered.

33. One-Sided Trade • Between 1609 and 1858, >40 million lbs of gold and silver, as well as 200,000 tons of copper were exported from Japan to Europe. In exchange, the Dutch brought toys, mirrors, jewelry, and pet birds and animals. The Dutch usually made 100% profit on any ship load. • It has been suggested that Japan would have become industrialized sooner if not for the wealth that flowed out of the country during this time.

34. Tai Kun (The Great Prince) Shortly after his father’s death, Iyemitsu summoned the daimyŌs and said that, while his grandfather owed much to their assistance while establishing the new line of shŌguns and had treated them as guests- he, Iyemitsu, was born to rule and would henceforth treat them as subjects. He called each one in separately, had them examine the blade of a sword, and asked them to choose if they could live with this type of arrangement. They all decided they could.

35. Entombed in Nikko When Iyemitsu died, he was buried in Nikko in a tomb near his grandfather’s. Iyeyasu’s tomb Iyemitsu’s tomb

36. Tsunayoshi • Iyemitsu’s oldest son, Iyetsuna, succeeded his father, but had a fairly indistinctive reign. • His brother, Tsunayoshi, ruled after him. He gave the name “Genroku” to the period between 1688 and 1703. The arts of Japan flourished during this time as never before, as did extravagance. • Tsunayoshi outdid all the other shŌguns in his patronage of the arts.

37. The Dog ShŌgun • Tsunayoshi is known as the “Dog ShŌgun” because of his kindness to stray dogs. • He built immense kennels, covering 138 acres of valuable land in the suburbs of Edo. He levied high taxes to support his pets’ extravagant lifestyle. • Two more shŌguns, Iyenobu and Iyetsugu, came and went without many notable contributions. After this, Yoshimune became the 8th shŌgun of his line.

38. The Rice ShŌgun • Yoshimune is known as the Rice ShŌgun because of his interest in agriculture. He had been born in the countryside to a concubine and was only called to Edo when the Tokugawa line ran out. • He replaced the fences which surrounded the Edo castle with pine trees, which are still growing around the imperial palace. • Yoshimune also planted some of the cherry-groves and plum orchards found in Tokyo.

39. Imperial Palace Walls Today

40. Love of Learning • Yoshimune took a deep interest in learning, he made use of an astronomical observatory, revived the study of native literature, and even repealed Iyemitsu’s ban on the importation of foreign books. • Study of the native literature, however, gave rise to a widespread suspicion that the Tokugawa line were actually usurpers of the imperial rights. The importation of scientific books from Holland began to expose people to Western progress.