A Historical Look on the Myth of Japan's Isolation in Modern History

Despite the term "isolation" being synonymous with Japan before the fall of Tokugawa, complete isolation was never truly a part of Japanese history. In fact, Japan had actually been host to a great many foreign visitors even before Ieyasu Tokugawa took up power as shogun. While foreigners did become a source a persecution due to the spread of Christianity, and Shogunal opposition to it, there were several nations that were allowed to stay and trade with Japan during the Tokugawa period.

Before Ieyasu Tokugawa even took power in Japan, trade with such countries as Portugal, England, Holland, Spain, and Italy was already a fairly common event. While these foreigners often came as missionaries (that would later be on the receiving end of significant persecution by Toyatomi Hideyoshi, and to a greater extent, the Tokugawa shogun), they also came to develop lucrative trade relations with Japan. Port cities such as Yokohama and Nagasaki saw an influx in foreign trade ships, thus offering the Japanese elite, or others who could afford the rarities offered, a selection of foreign goods. According to McClain (2002), the Japanese "came to enjoy unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and sweet potatoes" (pp 43). Furthermore, Western knowledge attracted both scholars and daimyo, of later of which was also intensely interested in the artillery offered which would satisfy the need for an upper hand in the defense of their territory (McClain, 2002. pp 43).

However, as Ieysu Tokugawa came to power, and the spread of Christianity was seen as a threat to the power of the Tokugawa and the traditions of Japan, foreign trade and entrance into Japan was limited to a select few. One of the most well known of these groups were the Dutch who, unlike their Portuguese counterparts, were allowed to reside on an island in the Nagasaki Bay and remain as trading partners with the Japanese. The Chinese and Koreans were also allowed to remain as partners of trade. Others, Ieyasu forbade entrance to. Perhaps it is this strict foreign policy that won the Edo period the notoriety of being a period of isolation. This is also why the entrance of the West in 1853 by Commodore Mathew Perry was such a huge historical development, and a catalyst for change.

Another form of foreign relations maintained by the so-called isolated Japan, was the overseas travel and trade by Japanese nationals to such countries as Cambodia, Siam, and the Philippines (McClain, 2002. pp 43). Furthermore, military ventures in Korea by Hideyoshi expanded on Japan's international interests. However, this ambition for expansion or power by Hideyoshi also disrupted the ages of peace previously experienced between Japan, Korea, and China; three continental neighbors who'd managed to learn and trade equitably and peacefully up until Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea. One can trace back such influences of the Chinese to the Kanji character (called Hanzi in Chinese), the Chinese pictograph borrowed in order to develop a writing system before a Japanese one was available. The influence of Buddhism, among other things, is also attributed to the Korean influence on Japan (McClain, 2002. pp 40). Art forms from both China and Korea were also greeted with enthusiasm and greatly enjoyed by the Japanese aristocracy, another symbols of the ties between each country.

While Japan was and remains a geographically isolated nation, it has not always experienced the true isolation it is credited with. Even into the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, contact with outside countries remained. Granted, that contact was tighter and generally in government control, but it was present and made a significant impact on the expanding Japanese community.

McClain, J. (2002). Japan: A Modern History. New York, NY. Norton and Company Inc.