The Jerky Progression of Japan

Through the course of history, few countries have made as much comparative progress as Japan. As recently as 1250AD Japan had almost no contact with the outside world. In contrast, the rest of the Eurasian landmass had consistent contact for thousands of years. By 1900, just 650 years later, Japan had become one of the most progressive and industrialized countries in the world. These changes did not happen overnight but through a series of key changes and by the consequential Japanese reactions. These changes are the attempted invasion of the Mongols and resulting creation of the Ashikaga Shogunate, the gradual change from the Ashikaga Shogunate to the Tokagawa Shogunate, and the arrival of Commodore Mathew Perry and the following changes in the Japanese way of life.

For much of Japan's early history it was governed by the stable, decentralized, civilian run Kamakura Shogunate. The Mongols' rise to power in the thirteenth century was the biggest disruption to Japanese life up to that point and was the start of huge changes. Thanks to violent marine conditions and advanced knowledge and preparedness, the Kamakura Shogunate was able to ward off the Mongols until the Mongol leaders lost interest in the inconsequential islands of Japan. The military unity that was so essential in stopping the Mongols could not be overlooked in the political era to come. The newfound importance of the warrior class forced the Kamakura leaders to politically recognize warlords. This change was the fundamental discrepancy between the rule of the Kamakura Shogunate and the new Ashikaga Shogunate. The Ashikaga government was still decentralized but throughout its reign lost more and more power to the warlords.

Around 1500 the Ashikaga Shogunate lost all power. After that there was a period of around one hundred years of civil wars among the fragmented warrior kingdoms. Around 1600 the Tokugawa was declared victorious and became the next Shogunate of Japan. Under the Tokugawa decentralized military states dominated. The states were less responsive to the government the further away they were from the Tokugawa capital. In the military states a new breed of warrior developed: the samurai. At first aggressive, the samurai adopted new job descriptions after warfare died down and a collective rule emerged. The samurai started meditating and perfecting their soles. The lack of military preparedness by the warriors left Japan wide open to invasion.

By 1900 the Japanese had largely forgotten the only invading force in Japan's history: the Mongols. This is when the United States Navy entered, led by Commodore Mathew Perry. The United States weighed heavily on Japan with its military might to allow trade between the two countries that would be preferable to the Americans. However, after Japan agreed to the unfair treaty, the U.S. navy backed out to fight the U.S. civil war and left only a small brigade to guard the trading camp. Following America's use of military to achieve trade, the Japanese conquered the American trading port. This was Japan's first expansion in history. After the success, the Japanese started industrialization and westernization. They became Asia's most modern country and took over part of eastern Russia. In less than fifty years, Japan emerged from an isolated island to a dominating empire.

Bibliography

Diamond, Jared ( 1998). "Japanese Roots". Discover Magazine Vol. 19 No. 6.
Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan: 1334-1615. Stanford.
Totman, Conrad. (2002). A History of Japan.