Effects of Exploration in Asia

Age of Exploration

This era in history brought Europeans into contact with people all over the globe

Lands that Europeans traded in included Africa, the Americas, & Asia

The reaction of Asians to Europeans differed greatly than Africans and Native Americans

EQ: What was the political and social structure in Japan when Europeans arrived?

Key Terms: Sengoku, shogun, daimyo, samurai, bushido, seppuku, Oda Nobunaga

Japanese Society

Feudalism developed in Japan, similar to the social/political system that developed in medieval Europe

Feudalism was based on controlling and protecting land; it involved land being granted in exchange for the vow to protect that land from invaders

Japanese Feudalism

Shogun—landowner, grants land in exchange for loyalty; held most power in Japan

Daimyo—military warlords who vowed to protect the land granted by the shogun

Samurai—Japanese knights; followed strict code of chivalry called bushido & would commit ritual suicide, seppuku, if honor was lost

http://streaming.factsonfile.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=42735#

There was an emperor in Japan, but throughout the history of the land the emperors were just figureheads

Figurehead—person who holds a title of prominence but has no actual power

Europeans Arrive

European exploration coincides with the Japanese Sengoku—the Warring States Period, 1467 – 1568

Rogue samurai began fighting for control of land, attempting to overthrow their warlords and become daimyo themselves

Japanese welcomed initial contact with Europeans. WHY????????

Guns

Oda Nobunaga Powerful daimyo

who ended the Sengoku when he took over the capital at Kyoto in 1568

Oda’s goal was to control the entire land

His motto was “Rule the empire by force”

1575, crushed all rivals with army of 3,000 samurai equipped with muskets (1st time firearms used successfully in battle in Japan)

Did not reach goal of unifying Japan Committed seppuku when his own

general turned on him

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Powerful daimyo, 1st to unify Japan

Became shogun in 1603, moved capital to Edo (modern-day Tokyo)