H381MODERN JAPAN

THE PATTERN OF JAPAN'S PAST

 

1. Pre-history

 

 

Jomon ca. 10,000-300 bc
 

Yayoi ca. 300 bc-300 ad
 

Kofun or Tomb Pd. 300-700 ad

 

2. Recorded History: 3 Principal Strata

The Kojiki appears in 712 AD

 

Classical Era 710-1160s =

Aristocratic Bureaucracy
 

Medieval Era 1160s-1600 =

Feudal Fluidity
 

Early Modern 1600-1868 =

Integral Bureaucracy

 

4. Establishing the Integral Bureacracy

 

A. Wars of Unification

The 3 Great Unifiers:
 

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582)
 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598)
 

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1615)

On the Battle of Sekigahara:

A "heads inspection" was performed at Lord Tokugawa's final encampment just north of Sekigahara along the Hokkoku Road, where he viewed the nearly 4,000 enemy heads taken in battle. Within three days, Lord Ishida Mitsunari was captured in the area of Mount Ibuki and taken to Kyoto with other captive leaders of the Western Army. All were executed on the river bed within a matter of days. Having
cleared the path to become the next shogun, Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu sat back on his stool and mused to those in his presence,"After victory, tighten the cords of your helmet."

originally adapted from: http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Ket/Idx/KETIndex1304.htm

Two sayings, one in poetic form, are useful to recall here:

I. A poem about the "hototogisu" or cuckoo:

Nobunaga: Nakanakuba, koroshite shimau--Hototogisu: "If the hototogisu doesn't sing, I will kill it."

 

Hideyoshi: Nakanakuba, nakasete miseyou --Hototogisu: "If the hototogisu doens't sing, I will make him!"

 

Ieyasu: "Nakanakuba, naku made matou--Hototogisu: "If the hototogisu doesn't sing, we'll wait until he does." Suggesting Ieyasu possessed patience and cunning.

 

II. A saying drawing upon the making of Rice cakes: "Nobunaga pounded the mochi to make the rice cake. Hideyoshi kneaded it and baked it. Ieyasu was the one who got to sit dwon and eat it."

5. Pax Tokugawa: the bakuhan-taisei