Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568-1600)
The years 1560-1590AD were characterized by national unity under the renowned military leaders, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Oda Nobunaga was a minor daimyo from central Honshu. He, however, rose to fame an dpower through his military brilliance. He and a group of a few thousand ruthless warriors defeated armies sometimes ten times their size. He, like Napoleon, could recognize good men and was generous in rewards. He was also impossibly brutal with his punishment. If someone displeased him, he would slaughter their family before their very eyes before killing them, most often punsihment done by himself. However, he was an able administrator and created a land survey, a census and a universal system of taxation. He improved roads and set up a profitable Chinese silk trade with the Portuguese.
One's of Nobunaga's most apt pupils was Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga after Nobunaga committed suicide to avoid death by a vengeful general of his. At the time, Hideyoshi was under orders to go after the poewrful Mori family but instead, made peace with the Mori and turned against Nobunaga's killer and killed him. Hideyoshi was also ruthless like his predecessor but was more willing to compromise. (However, he is still known for crucifying 26 Christians.) He set up a strict social order to keep the people in check. The warriors were at the top followed by the peasants, crafts people and merchants in that order. Hideyoshi also raise dan immense army which he used to try and conquer Korea. He never conquered Korea but hundreds of thousands of Koreans died in his attempts.
Tokugawa
Tokugawa Ieyasu created the Tokugawa shogunate, a government that lasted 250 years. He was originally recognized in 1600 after the battle of Sekigahara and was also a partner to Hideyoshi and Nobunaga. Three years after the battle, he became the Shogun. The capital moved to Edo, the city that will eventually become known as Tokyo. Tokugawa completely isolated Japan. No missionaries,foreigners or traders may come and the citizens of Japan are not permitted to leave. However, during this time, the ban on foreign books is lifted and the first Japanese dictionary is written. Japanese scholars also study books on Dutch science and medicine.
The Tokugawa period was a period of unprecedented peace. So of course, the samurai had little to do with no wars to fight, and so they suffered with very little money. Soon, the merchants, usually the lowest class in Japanese caste systesm, were very powerful, especially witht he start of a monetary system.
Many countries tried and failed to 'open' Japan during this time. On July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry set foot upon Japan. The United States was determined to open Japan for a number of reasons. First, they had just acquired the land known as California and if they hoped to make a profitable trade with China, they would have to first be on friendly terms wtih Japan, which stood directly between the two would-be trading partners. The US also considered their presence highly beneficial to the Japanese since they would bring Free Trade and Christianity to Japan. So Perry made his infamous visit to Japan in what the frightened Japanese (who had never seen foreigners) described as his 'black ships.' Perry laid down his demands and left, promising to come back for answers withint a year. The second time that Perry came to Japan, he brought gifts and twice as many ships as the previous time in order to seem more formidable to the Japanese. He returned to America with a signed treaty. Initially, the treaty was just a treaty of friendship. Later, the treaty was enlarged with other Western Powers into trade agreements where the Westerners had rights to residence and property, would be tried for criminal offences on their own courts and which prevented the Japanese from making protective tariffs to protect their own industries.
Worse than the fact that the treaty favored the West more than Japan, was the cowardice that was witnessed in the Tokugawa shogunate in dealing with the treaty and the foreigners. The Tokugawa were regarded as 'barbarian-subduing' men. For this treaty, however, the would-be barbarian-killers had to consult the daimyo and the emperor before signing the treaty. The Tokugawa also admitted that they didn't think that the Japanese could defeat Perry and his ships. This was such meekness, such a stark contrast to the pride that the Japanese usually have that it marked the beginning of the end of the people's loyalty and respect for the Tokugawa family.
The Tokugawa's enemies, the clans of Satsuma and Choshu, led the resistance against the shogunate. The Satsuma and Choshu were in favor or modernising Japan's military and industry. In 1866, Tokugawa sent an army to go up against the army of their rivals but lost. Then the shogun of that time, Iemochi, died and his successor, Yoshinobu, decided not to risk more fighting and took the advice of the Lord of Tosa and resigned. Yoshinobu still expected a place in government but Tosa doublecrossed him. The armies united under Choshu, Satsuma and now Tosa took Edo without resitance and the Tokugawa shogunate was effectively overthrown. Imperial Rule (direct rule by the emperor) was installed during this Meiji Restoration.