2015-09-06
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Many samurai were desperate with their situation and the loss of their former status.
They gathered under Takamori Saigo and fought the battle of Satsuma In 1877. It was a clash of traditional samurai weapons against a modern army.
60,000 government troops faced 40,000 rebels. The battle was a short one. The samurai rebels were completely defeated in a bloody battle.
Takamori Saigo was wounded and committed suicide in samurai tradition. He became a hero for the Japanese.
... Satsuma Rebellion – 1877:
Reaction to too much modernization
Saigō Takamori: a Meiji Oligarch
• Saw too much change
• Feared Japan was losing its soul
• Angered by Korea’s refusal (1873) to recognize Emperor (they called him a king)
• Wanted war with Korea
– (got unequal treaty with Korea, 1874)
• Oligarchy saw war with Korea as a distraction – would not attack
• Saigo stormed out
... Satsuma Rebellion: 1877
• Saigo leads failed attack against the too-modern Meiji government
• Tries to reinstitute special role of Samurai
• Failed last throe
of traditional Japan
Basis for “The Last Samurai” movie with Tom Cruise
... Changes During The Meiji Restoration
Abolished feudalism
Eliminated samurai armies
Reformed education
Created a centralized gov’t and encouraged loyalty to the emperor
Created Japan's first Western-style constitution (1889), followed the next year by the country's first elected Diet.
Adopted Western technology
Opened up trade (ended isolation)
... Fukoku Kyohei: “Enrich the country and strengthen the military”
Emperor promises to institute political and social reforms and work to strengthen the nation.
.... Meiji Program
• Following the Iwakura Mission
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– Japanese Business largely borrows American and British models
– Japanese Government patterns itself after Germany
• Sovereign monarch (Germany’s Kaiser)
• Weak legislative branch (Germany’s Diet)
• Constitution as a gift from the Emperor
• Powerful, professional, prestigious bureaucracy
..... Meiji’s Economic Plan
Government supported rapid development
• Market-based economy
• Former Daimyo stripped of land but paid compensation
– Daimyo fortunes become source of Capital for new manufacturing firms
– Merchant fortunes also fund new manufacturing
• Government plays strong role in directing investment
... Governmental Reforms
• Diet – Japan’s bicameral legislature
– First convened – 1889
• Meiji (Imperial) Constitution
– Adopted – 1890
– Followed until the end of World War II
... Economic Reforms
Abolition of feudalism
Currency (yen) adopted, 1872
Encouragement of foreign trade
Expansion and encouragement of industrialization
Growth of factories
First large factories manufactured textiles
First textile factory workers were girls and women
Land reform
Zaibatsu (large conglomerates) built and expanded
... Military Reforms
Before the Meiji era: Armies were run by local daimyo and thus not subservient to a central government
Meiji era: Modern army and navy established which were loyal to the Japanese government
Used Prussia (Germany) as primary model
Firm belief that if Japan was to be taken seriously by Western powers, and was to avoid China’s
fate, Japan would have to compete militarily
Conscription (1873) – all men had to serve for three years after turning twenty-one
... How Did The Change In Military Impact Japan?
What characteristics of the old way, the Bushido code, do you think continued?
