History of japan

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Japan

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History History

In the myth of the construction of Japan, the country dates back to the emperor Jinmu (660 BC), descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu Ômikami. The reality is obviously different. What we call Japan today was first born from Yamato, when, in the 3rd century, a strong and organized political structure was set up around Nara, cradle of the country. The name of Japan, Nihon, literally "the origin of the sun", goes back to a letter sent to China by Prince Shotoku Taishi (574-622), which began with these words: "From the celestial emperor of the rising sun to the celestial emperor of the setting sun". Coming from a very small country, Yamato, and addressed to the largest empire in the region, the missive was not lacking in audacity and marked the sovereignty of Japan. It aroused the ire of China, but had the advantage of baptizing for a long time an archipelago with an eventful history.

12000-1000 av.J.-C

The Neolithic period is named in Japan after the corded pottery that was used for semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer cultures, the "Jōmon." During this long period, humans evolved into sedentary agricultural societies. In recent years, the Japanese look back on the Jōmon era with a certain nostalgia, that of a lost paradise, since the island would then have lived 10,000 years of relative peace, and developed an advanced culture, particularly in terms of culinary.

1000 av.J.-C.-300 ap.J.-C

During the Yayoi period, named after the archaeological site of Yayoi-chō, the islands of Kyushu and Honshu evolved towards a sedentary lifestyle. Irrigated rice cultivation developed, as well as metallurgy and innovations such as the potter's wheel were introduced. This is the period of the first known relations with the mainland, notably by the arrival of new populations.

300-710

Powerful clans of four countries emerge in the era of the "great tombs", the kofun, monumental keyhole-shaped tombs. The Yamato dynasty extended its power over the south of the archipelago. It was also during this period that Chinese culture and Buddhism were introduced to Japan through links with kingdoms in southern Korea. At the end of the Kofun period, the four countries were federated by a single state built around the capital Asuka, in the heart of the present Nara prefecture. Prince Shotoku Taishi (574-622) chose Buddhism as the national religion and issued a 17-article constitution.

Kofun © Yusuke Ide - iStockphoto.com.jpg

712-1192

The state centralization is reinforced, on the Chinese model. The capital, Nara, was laid out according to the chequered plan of the Tang capital in China. Cultural exchanges with the latter developed. This Nara period (710-794) is considered as the first golden age of Japanese art. In order to avoid the influence of the Buddhist clergy of Nara, however, the emperor Kammu decided in 794 to move his capital to Heian, now Kyoto. Buddhism experienced a great expansion. Two monks, Saichō and Kūkai, founded the two great sects Tendai and Shingon upon their return from China. Kūkai decided to establish the first monastery of Kongōbu-ji in 816 at Kōya-san, which became the center of the Shingon sect, followers of esoteric Buddhism. As for the Tendai school, its center is the Enryaku-ji temple.

1192

After a war between the Minamoto and Taira clans, Minamoto no Yoritomo is given the title of "Sei- tai-shōgun," generalissimo for the subjugation of the barbarians, by the court. A new regime called "bakufu", tent administration, is established in Kamakura and eclipses the Heian Court. During the Kamakura period, which lasted until about 1333, a warrior class developed, with warriors from the peasant world. The Zen Buddhist doctrine appeared in the country. It is characterized by a sober aesthetic, self-control and a personal quest for salvation.

1281

The powerful army of the Mongolian emperor Kubilai tried to invade Japan, but was struck down by a typhoon, the "kamikaze" or divine wind. The word will know a new destiny a few centuries later.

1333-1568

Emperor Go-daigo wanted to oust the bakufu of Kamakura with the help of the soldier-monks of Mount Hiei, but Ashikaga Takauji, a former ally of the emperor, was appointed shōgun and settled in the Muromachi district of Kyoto, which thus gave its name to this turbulent period. Power was divided between the court loyal to the emperor Go-daigo and that of Ashikaga. The latter had less and less control over the group of warriors who were gaining in power. Numerous conflicts took place, culminating in the "Sengoku" wars, wars that lasted for about 150 years, during which anarchy reigned and lords fought for the control of entire regions.

1573-1598

This short period is called "Momoyama", from the name of the hill where Toyotomi Hideyoshi built his last castle. During this period, three essential figures emerge who will pacify Japan by imposing their power. Oda Nobunaga helped by his two generals Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ieyasu Tokugawa, and new weapons of war like muskets, controlled the center of Japan. After Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide in 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued his unifying work, but he failed in his attempt to attack Korea and died in 1598.

1600-1868

Tokugawa Ieyasu and the allied clans win the battle of Sekigahara. He became shōgun and set up his capital in Edo. During the following years, he put in place reforms to ensure the pre-eminence of the Tokugawa. They will also stabilize the country and allow to establish a peace that will last until the middle of the 19th century.

1615

During the 16th century, Jesuit missionaries settled in Japan and began a work of conversion. They were quickly perceived as a threat to the unified power that Ieyasu was trying to establish and were expelled or persecuted in 1615. From 1635, Japan closed its borders to foreigners, particularly Westerners, and controlled the movement of its citizens. Portuguese and Spaniards were expelled, but Dutch ships continued to dock at Dejima, a small island off Nagasaki.

1635

Tokugawa Ieyasu reorganized the fiefs and established the sankin kôtai system. The lords, called daimyō, had to spend every other year in Edo, and part of their families were held hostage there. This is an effective way to ensure peace by controlling and impoverishing the regional lords. Edo, which was a simple village at the beginning of the 17th century, grew to become one of the largest cities in the world in the 18th century. The society was progressively organized into four categories. The warriors, who became estate administrators, the merchants, who were favored by the period of peace when the lords of the domains became indebted to them, the artisans and the peasants. There is also a whole category of "outcastes", who take care of the so-called impure trades such as leather work or burials.

1716-1736

Kyōhō era reforms. At the turn of the 18th century, the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune attempted to breathe new life into an aging administration. He encouraged Confucian and Dutch studies, instituted a merit-based selection system for officials, and other reforms to make his administration more efficient. The petition box system(meyasu bako) to encourage the population to express their complaints or suggestions was quickly adopted by the lords of the domains.

1853

Commodore Perry landed on the Japanese coast and demanded that Japan open its ports to American ships.

1868

After the forced opening of the country, two factions were formed, between samurais loyal to the Tokugawa and those who asked for the return of the emperor. The latter won during the Boshin war. Once in power, they established a new regime, called the "Meiji Restoration", headed by the emperor, and implemented a program of reform of the country inspired by Western models.