Intellectual Developments In 18th Century Japan And Europe

The Japanese were not unknown to attempts to have them enter the consumerist world of the 19th century. Michael R. Austin bring this up in his book Negotiating with Imperialism, “The boundary’s physical manifestation was the trading complex at Nagasaki, on the southern island of Kyushu…Nagasaki first and foremost was closed to whom the bakufu wished to keep out of Japan.” The bakufu was basically the government of the time that was command by the Emperor. He later describes how Japan slowly rolled out their trade to other countries prior to the west that were mostly in Asian. He later describes how that the Japanese were uneasy to open to the west due to cultural boundaries instead of the aforementioned physical

Each strove to maintain a centralized government. For Japan the leader was to be called an emperor or empress who could only be a part of the royal family if they were related to the Shinto sun goddess. As for Europe, the leader was to be called a king or a queen. Like Japan, not just anybody could become royalty. Kings and queens came from a long descent of an Imperial family. Tradition was that the first born son of the king would become the next ruler following the kings death. However, if no legitimate son were born then the daughter would become queen. In Europe, the royal family and institution was usually

China and Japan had similar but different experiences with the Western civilization. China and Japan reacted differently to the Western nations and it was China’s reactions to the West that would break the Chinese’s isolation leaving their traditions behind. The Industrial trade in Europe and the United States had created a gap between Asia and the West, This left china and Japan far behind technologically and they were not able to stand up against the western nations and although at different times China and Japan both ended up having to sign unequal treaties, and to open their ports for merchants.

Commercially and culturally, Western Europe had many global interactions with regions surrounding them. In this era, Europeans expanded and built many new empires. They established more trading companies, like the Dutch East Trading Company, for instance. This company flourished and survived for two centuries and succeeded in bringing trade between Asia and Europe. Also, empires like the British Empire provided new trading posts and slave laborers. Overall, Europe was busy making advancements in trans-regional and global trade networks, which resulted in spreading of religion, migration of people, and other elements of culture. This is a vast difference from Tokugawa Japan of this time period. Japan began its self-imposed isolation around the

Japan emerged from the Tokugawa-Meiji transition as the first Asian industrialized nation. Domestic commercial activities and limited foreign trade had met the demands for material culture in the Tokugawa period, but the modernized Meiji era had radically different requirements. From the beginning, the Meiji rulers embraced the concept of a market economy and adopted British and North American forms of free enterprise capitalism. The private sector — in a nation blessed with an abundance of aggressive entrepreneurs — welcomed such change.

In 1543, three Portuguese travelers aboard a Chinese ship accidentally drifted ashore on Tanegashima, a Japanese Island. Within a few short years, a myriad of Portuguese merchants, missionaries, and settlers began to arrive in the country and ushered in almost a century of Portuguese imperial presence in Japan. This time period was a unique era in the history of European imperialism, and it is important to evaluate it from multiple points of view. This comparison is easily done with records such as, Captain Alexander Hamilton’s A New Account of the East Indies: Descriptions of Japan and Engelbert Kaempfer’s History of Japan. These two works are both first-hand accounts of the European interactions with the Japanese people. Indeed, these two

The Victorian Era shaped many countries by providing a Western and English philosophy and backbone, one nation of which was heavily influenced by England was Japan. In between the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II, the queen of “Keep Calm and Carry On” there was the Victorian Era, a time of industrial and global progression and possession for the British Empire. The Era brought Western influence to the rest of the world and especially affected one very important country today, Japan. From isolation to global power, the Japan rose to be known for their unique culture, praised for their amazing artwork, and was renowned by the British whom augmented the economy pressed by backside of revolution. Japanese culture in the Victorian

They were in awed by the new ideas and technologies that reached Japan, which had created impact on many levels of the Japanese society. The Japanese went by a motto “Western sciences, Japanese essence.” After opening their doors, Japan rapidly reinvigorated itself and quickly grew into one of the wealthiest and most

Westernization, which primarily spread in the mid to late 19th century, brought forth a profound change of ideas and cultures across the world. Both Japan and India were affected greatly as Western practices and ideologies seeped into the minds of individuals throughout various societies. Influential individuals, such as Thomas Babington Macaulay and Fukuzawa Yukichi wished to reform India and Japan by introducing Western ideas into these countries. Artists such as Honda Kinkachiro and Werner Forman showed the effects of Westernization on Japan. Through the writings and artwork of Macaulay, Yukichi, Kinkachiro, and Forman, we are able to understand that Europe’s colonizing mentality, as well as Asia’s acceptance of new ideas, were both supported by the belief that the West is superior.

Japanese art has a rich history stretching back tens of thousands of years. This long history has been divided into many different periods. The Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods cover the Modern Era-- 1868-present-- of Japanese art. Katsuhika Hokusai, Takahashi Yuichi, and Claude Monet are all famous artists of modern Japanese art history. Westernization is the term that describes the influence of the West in Japan. Japonisme refers to the period of time in which European artists looked to the East in order to emulate its style in their art. The West was very important to modern Japanese art history because if was influential and influenced by Japan.

Following the opening of Japan to the world in the mid-1800’s Japans economy boomed. Rapidly industrializing, Japan’s economic infrastructure transformed from agricultural to industrial one by taking a sort of world tour and then applying what was seen abroad at home. “That Japan has been enabled to [industrialize] is a boon conferred on her by foreign intercourse, and it may be said that the nation has succeeded in this grand metamorphosis through the promptings and the influence of foreign civilization…We have welcomed Occidental civilization while preserving their

Portrait of an Arhat (Rakan) was created in Edo period of the Japanese art culture. This period started in 1615-1868 when culture expression started to really blossom for the Japanese culture (Singer). From statues, lavish paintings, and religion the art speaks vibrant vibrations. This culturally diverse period gets its name from the city of Edo, known as Tokyo modern day. Which became the headquarters of the government when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) unified the country (Department of Asian Art). The Tokugawa regime was started in 1603, when the emperor, in “recognition of Ieyasu’s supremacy on the battlefield”, appointed him shogun. Shogun is the highest military position you can carry in Japan (Singer). After this Japan had strict laws on not using motor vehicles were put into place. Going into the 1630s, contact with the outside world was stopped through “official prohibition of foreigners” (Department of Asian Art). Around 1720 Edo had a population of “more than one million residents having more population than London or Paris at the time” (Singer). According to Art of Edo Japan Kyoto, was city of temples and shrines. It was the leading center of arts and crafts production with a population of close to 400,000 (Singer).

Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economical and social differences as a result of the western involvement. The involvement was initiated by the Japanese themselves, beginning during the Meiji Period1 through current times.

As Europe begins to make tremendous impacts on the New World through colonization, the Old World also began to feel the effects of this new world order. With Europe creeping into South East Asia, it was only a matter of time before they would be right on China and Japan’s doorstep. Zen Buddhist Japan has remained untouched by the Europeans, and Daimyo’s, Samurais, and Emperors continued to dominate the Japanese system. Confucian dominant China, like Japan, still did not feel the true effects of a new European order and remained virtually unaffected. However, the old order of China and Japan were about to change with the arrival of Europeans and their missionaries, who brought Christianity with them.

The Great Enlightenment caused a great influx of independent thinkers and progressive ideas in the Western world. Through new philosophies coined by Locke, Voltaire, Descartes, Montesquieu, and many others, a new age in society was jumpstarted. Through the Age of Enlightenment, many revolutions were sparked in several areas of life. Enlightenment was a loose revolution made of scattered “philosophes” that caused a change in life as it was known. The Age of Enlightenment could easily be defined as the most pivotal event in history due to its mass effects on education, individuality, and theoretical advancements.