Prior to U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's arrival, Japan was governed by a shogun, or military ruler, who was a descendant from the Tokugawa family. They were a a largely influential family in Japan's history due to the fact that they acted "in the name of a revered but powerless emperor." (page 578, Ways of the World) The expectation of this shogunate was to at all costs protect Japan from the return of civil war with 260 daimyos, or rival feudal lords.
The shoguns were able to provide Japan over two centuries of peace, thanks to their own military power and political skills. In order to stay colonized and control the daimyo, they placed strict regulations on internal travel and communication and "required the daimyo to spend alternate years in the capital of Edo, leaving their families behind as hostages during their absence." (page 578, Ways of the World) However, due to the fact that by default the daimyo were the more powerful ones, they began acting as if they were independent states. They built separate military forces, law codes, tax systems, and currencies. Tokugawa Japan had no national army, however, along with no uniform currency and hardly any central authority at the local level, meaning they were "pacified...but not really unified." (page 578, Ways of the World) In order to further colonize the country, the Tokugawa placed strict and detailed guidelines for governing the occupation, residence, dress, hairstyles, and behavior of the four status groups, ranked hierarchically. The Japanese social structure was divided into four groups:
1) samurai
2) peasants
3) artisans
4) merchants
As time went on, Japan needed to make sure that it could stay united and colonize its people. As the substantial burst of economic growth, commercialization, and urban development came to be, peace is what came along with it. Japan was becoming on of the world's most urbanized countries. Education was becoming of prime importance as well, with 40% of men and 5% of woman able to read and write, which was a huge improvement. The growth of importance of education was subconsciously building Japan a remarkable industrial foundation and in turn colonized the people and the future of Japan.
The samurai, who once lived only by the sword, were broadening their horizons as well. They discovered the importance of business and commerce and drifted from the long held tradition of honoring the warrior code. They still ranked highest on the social pyramid, however were not as educated in the business aspect of society. This led to some anarchy, for now the social status were experiencing some disorder. Peasants began moving to cities and taking the jobs of artisans or merchants. According to a decree of 1788, the peasants "have become accustomed to luxury and forgetful of their rain..." (page 579, Ways of the World) This led to the shogun declaring that all luxury items must be avoided by the peasants, which was, like many others decrees, ignored.
The attempt at colonizing Japan, some successful and others not, led to widespread corruption. Unfortunately, the shogunate were losing control.
However, this the shogun's downfall led to the Meiji restoration. At this time, "the country's new rulers claimed that they were restoring to power the young emperor, then a fifteen-year-old boy whose throne name was Meiji, or Enlightened Rule." (page 580, Ways of the World) Now that the shogunate were eliminated, the new patriotic leaders of the country made clear their goals-- "to save Japan from foreign domination, not by futile resistance, but by a thorough transformation of Japanese society, drawing upon all that the modern West had to offer." (page 580, Ways of the World) Knowledge became a greatly influential aspect to the countries transforming society, and was greatly motivated "so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule." (page 580, Ways of the World)
All in all, Japan underwent multiple changes throughout the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The shoguns held power for an extended amount of time, and were able to colonize the country for as long as they could. The social pyramid experienced a bit of a shaking up, if you may, and the samurai's lifestyle underwent a modernized makeover. Corruption was slowly taking over the Tokugawa regime, and Japan experienced a bit of a rough patch regarding a visit from Commodore Perry in hopes of opening more ports for trade. The Meiji restoration was soon after underway, slowly but steadily attempting to repair the areas needing mending in Japan. As a whole, Japan did a sufficient job in keeping itself colonized and the changes that took place did have both a positive and negative effect on society, however never posing a drastic transformation.
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