History of Japan: Difference between revisions
Added stuff to Pax Tokugawa: 1675–1754 period.
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{{Infobox historical era|name=''Geba Shogun'' period|start=1651|end=1675|image=File:Portuguese ship arriving in Japan painting, 17th century.jpg}}
The combined tenures of shoguns [[Tokugawa Ieçuna]] and [[Tokugawa Çunaxige|Çunaxige]] were dominated by the Senior Council, an executive institution composed of several high-ranking feudal lords,
First established in 1636, the Senior Council initially functioned as an advisory council to the shogun. Under the auspices of three Grand Councillors from the [[Sakai clan]], the power of the shogun gradually declined in favor of the Council and the ''fudai'' families. In order to cement their power, the Sakai clan formed an alliance with the scholarly Hayashi clan, creating an alliance between the aristocracy and the ''Teixu'' school (程朱理学) of Neo-Confucianism.
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==== Meireki era: 1655–1658 ====
Since the Japanese silver boom of 1550–1645, silver had become increasingly rare in Japan. In Meireki 1 (1655), the ''itowappu'' system, which provided that Japanese merchants buy Chinese silk at set prices, was abolished. In 1666, the state banned silver exports altogether, instead encouraging the export of copper, gold, and marine products to [[China]] and the [[Dutch East India Company]] (VOC). Despite their labor, these policies did not prevent the illegal smuggling of silver out of Japan by Asian vagabonds, a practice which was discreetly encouraged by the VOC.
The threat posed by the rise of the VOC led the Japanese government to take drastic measures which conflicted with its previous ''kaikin'' (海禁, maritime prohibition) policies. Shortly before the ascension of Ieçuna in 1651, Tokugawa Iemiçu consented to establishing a formal relationship with the anti-Qing vagabond [[Zeng clan]], led by the half-Japanese half-Chinese warlord [[Koxinga]]. Later, in 1654, the government proposed the formation of an anti-Qing, anti-Dutch alliance. The offer was only accepted by Koxinga in 1656, after a Dutch embassy to Beiging established the two-century-long [[Dutch-Mexican War|Dutch]]-[[Qing]]-[[Corea]] alliance, threatening the economic security of both the Zeng and the Japanese state.
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Soon after, the VOC, Neo-Confucian scholars, and others strongly voiced their opposition to this decision. This in turn led to a revival of anti-Christian persecution, with many lords and stewards opening regional investigations in order to eliminate secret Catholic communities that had survived the Shimabara Rebellion of 1638. In 1661, the Oomura Bay Revolt erupted in southwestern Kyushu. Numerous ''confraria'' (underground Catholic brotherhoods), disgruntled peasants, Portuguese merchants, Ming loyalists, and other disaffected communities rose up against the shogunate.
Despite being a heterogenous rebellion, it was widely viewed by the government as a Christian one. Confucian scholars described the evil of the 'wicked religion' (''zahoo'' 邪法) which sought to dupe Japanese peasants (''genin'' 下人) with the promise of riches (''ri'' 利). Eventually, the Revolt was suppressed in Manzi 4 (1662) with 2,000 casualties, soon followed by the establishment of local offices of religious inquisition.
==== Kanbun era: 1663–1675 ====
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The VOC, frustrated by Japan's embargoes on Dutch commerce, petitioned for the Kingdom of Scotland to be granted a small trading outpost in Hirado. In 1669, the Royal Company of Scotland successfully received permission to construct said outpost on Hirado Island with the same terms and conditions as the Dutch were operating under in Desjima. This settlement would eventually be dissolved in the mid-1710s due to lack of profit and diplomatic pressure from the shogunate to do so.
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{{Infobox historical era|name=Late Edo period|start=1675|end=1754|image=File:Beauty looking back.jpg}}
The last eighty years of Tokugawa hegemony over Japan is often referred to as the Late Edo period. It is characterized by the development of an indigenous Japanese nationalism driven by the ''kokugaku'' (國學) movement, which in turn informed a growing sense of distrust in the shogunate's institutions as the country was forced to face foreign threats, economic instability, and internal social discord.
The first half of this era was dominated by the shogun [[Tokugawa Çunajoxi]] and the strengthening of shogunal authority paired with the blossoming of urban culture, the dissipation of the class hierarchy, and the centralization of administration at the expense of local lords. After 1718, Japan both internal and external aggression towards the shogunate led to the disintegration of the feudal system and the untimely collapse of the Edo government.
==== The Benevolent Autocrats: 1675–1726 ====
{{Main|Tokugawa Çunajoxi|Tokugawa Ienaga}}
Tokugawa Çunajoxi rose to the position of shogun after the sad yet predictable death of his sickly brother [[Tokugawa Çunaxige|Çunaxige]]. He made efforts to diminish the power of the Senior Council by exercising authority through other government officials such as the Grand Chamberlain and dismissing key rivals such as [[Sakai Tadakijo]], replacing them with close allies such as [[Hotta Masatoxi]]. Çunajoxi ultimately aimed to sideline the military-based feudal system of his predecessors, replacing it with a centralized Confucian patrimonial state. His son Tokugawa Ienaga, who succeeded him upon his death in 1718, largely continued his father's vision until his own premature demise in 1726.
The Genzi & Genroku (1691–1720) eras have been noted as periods of heightened individualism, cultural expression, and population growth.
==== Rule of the Owari house: 1726–1748 ====
{{Main|Tokugawa Naritaka|Tokugawa Ieharu}}
==== Dutch and Russian aggression ====
==== Disintegration of the feudal system ====
The collapse of the ''bakufu''–''han'' feudal system is usually attributed to three overarching factors: the inability of the government to properly regulate its commerce and its borders, internal conflicts between the country's various classes, as well as an economic downturn brought on by the depletion of silver.
From 1675–1725, the shogunal government repeatedly issued currency debasements in order to save on bullion. By ignoring the fiscal authority of regional lords over their subjects, the central government consistently violated ''daimjoo'' autonomy in pursuit of a centrally directed financial policy. Soon after, fixed exchange rates for gold and silver were established throughout the country, furthering the objective of economic centralization.
== Maruoka-Odawara period: 1754–1809 ==
== Kumohama period: 1809–1895 ==
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