Important People of Japan Before, During, and After Japanese Isolation
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu was born in 1604. His grandfather was Japanese Tokugawa Ieyasu. A Tokugawa is a military leader that ruled a small section of Japan prior to the Isolation. But, Ieyasu did not wanted to rule a small part of Japan, he wanted to united Japan. In attempts to do this, he conquered several other Tokugawas. The royal court of Japan gave Ieyasu the title of shogun for defeating these Tokugawas. Ieyasu took land away from other Tokugawas and began to gain more and more power. He died in 1616, after which is son took power. His son ruled for seven years and, in 1623, Iemitsu became the shogun. With even more power than his grandfather, Iemitsu began ruling the court system, religion, and contact with other nations. He formed a force of samurais, Japanese soldiers, that were loyal to him and his followers. Iemitsu was afraid that other nations might try to take over Japan. He closed off Japan from trade and contact with all nations except for China, Korea, and the Netherlands. He forced Christian missionaries out of Japan and if they refused to leave, he killed them. He forced the Japanese to all become Buddhist. Iemitsu began a period of stability and self-sufficiency in Japan known as the Isolation. Iemitsu died in 1651, leaving behind a very powerful nation and a very famous legacy. (1)
United States Commodore Matthew C. Perry
Matthew Calbraith Perry was born 10 April 1894. The Rhode Island native was destined to join the navy, as it ran in his family. Matthew Perry rose to Commodore in a very short amount of time, after joining the navy in 1809 as a fifteen year old. (2) He is a very important component in Japanese history. He led four ships, two of which were powered by steam, to Japan to deliver a letter from U.S. President Millard Fillmore to the Tokugawa shogun. Since the Japanese did not know that the Commodore was only delivering a letter peacefully in an attempt to open Japan up for trade, they assembled thousands of their best samurais to fight the United States Navy ships. But, the American ships had modern weaponry, such as rifles, so the Tokugawa shogun received the letter against his better judgement to keep his warriors safe. (3) On 4 March 1858 in New York City, Matthew Perry died. (2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BON9nkpbg5w
For more information on Commodore Matthew C. Perry, go to http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/perry_mc.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BON9nkpbg5w
For more information on Commodore Matthew C. Perry, go to http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/perry_mc.htm
United States President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States of America. He was born on 7 January 1800 in what is now Summerhill, New York. He was born to a farmer and was mostly self-taught. He was the apprentice of a cloth maker and eventually taught in Buffalo, New York. At the same time, he was studying law. He first began practicing law in 1823 and was elected to the Twenty-third Congress on 4 March 1833 as a Whig. The Whig party was the party that opposed the Democratic party before the Republican party. (5) He was a member of the Twenty-third Congress, the Twenty-fifth Congress, the Twenty-sixth Congress, and the Twenty-seventh Congress. He was elected Vice President, headed by Zachary Taylor. Fillmore began his term as President on 10 July 1850 after Zachary Taylor's death. He was President until early March 1853. (4) During his presidency, he sent Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan in 1853 to bring the Tokugawa shogun a letter suggesting that Japan opens ports to the United States for trade. Japan eventually would thanks to this letter. (3) He ran for a second term as President in 1852 and again in 1856 but lost both times. Millard Fillmore died on 8 March 1874 in Buffalo, New York. (4)
Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito)
Emperor Meiji was born on 3 November 1852 as Prince Mutsuhito. He was born to Emperor Komei and Nakayama Yoshiko as the 122nd emperor of Japan. (6) As Japan ended it's Isolation, he began gaining political power as the Tokugawa shogun gave up his position. Mutsuhito began to actually rule Japan in 1867 as a fifteen year old. He took the name Meiji, which means "enlightened rule." During his Meiji era, he established a strong government that was an oligarchy, like that of Germany. He also modernized the Japanese military. He replaced samurais with a more modern army. The Meiji era brought Japan a public education system for all Japanese children to attend. Changes in the production of silk and coal came about during this time, as well as the making of thousands of miles of railroads. Emperor Meiji started an era of modernization in Japan that allowed it to become a large world power. (3)
Sources
1. "Iemitsu, Tokugawa (1604–1651)." Teacher Genius. TCI, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
2. "Biography - Commodore Matthew C. Perry." Naval History and Heritage. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
3. "Japan Modernizes." World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, n.d. 720-23. Print.
4. "FILLMORE, Millard, (1800 - 1874)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
5. "The Whig Party." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
6. Nosotro, Rit. "Emperor Meiji." HyperHistory.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
2. "Biography - Commodore Matthew C. Perry." Naval History and Heritage. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
3. "Japan Modernizes." World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, n.d. 720-23. Print.
4. "FILLMORE, Millard, (1800 - 1874)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
5. "The Whig Party." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
6. Nosotro, Rit. "Emperor Meiji." HyperHistory.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.