"Japan in Transformation, 1853-1945" is one of the eight breadth studies in change on Paper 2, Section B. You only study one of them, so use these lessons only if it is one of your chosen options. A breadth study is about change over time, so as you read, ask: what changed, and what stayed the same?
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Unlock This CourseFrom 1603 Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa family. Their leader was the shogun, who governed from the city of Edo (now Tokyo). The emperor lived in Kyoto and was greatly respected, but he had little real power. The country was divided into regions run by lords called daimyo, who obeyed the shogun. Japanese society had four classes: warriors called samurai at the top, then farmers, craftworkers and merchants.
In the 1630s the shoguns adopted a policy of seclusion. Christianity was banned, Japanese people were not allowed to leave, and foreign ships were kept out. Only a few Dutch and Chinese traders were allowed, and only at the port of Nagasaki. The shoguns wanted peace and control, and they feared foreign religion and foreign armies. For over 200 years this worked, and Japan stayed peaceful. But it also meant that Japan did not share in Western advances in industry and weapons.
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By the 1850s the United States wanted Japan opened up. American whaling ships crossed the Pacific, and their crews needed ports for coal, food and water. Sailors wrecked on the Japanese coast were often badly treated. The USA also wanted new trade, because it already traded with China.
In July 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry of the US Navy sailed into Edo Bay with four warships. Two were steamships, and the Japanese called them the "black ships" because of their dark hulls and smoke. Perry carried a letter from President Fillmore asking for trade and for kind treatment of shipwrecked sailors. He refused to go to Nagasaki, where foreigners were normally dealt with. Perry left a message that he would return for an answer.
The Japanese could not match steam power and modern guns. They also knew that Britain had beaten China in the First Opium War and forced it to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. They feared the same would happen to them. The shogun's government even asked the daimyo for advice, which was unusual.
When Perry returned in February 1854 with a larger fleet, he brought gifts that showed off Western technology, including a small working steam train and a telegraph. Many Japanese were amazed. For the first time, large numbers saw how far behind Japan's technology had fallen.
Under pressure, Japan signed the Treaty of Kanagawa on 31 March 1854. It said:
It did not allow full trade. But it ended the seclusion policy, and Britain, Russia and the Netherlands soon won similar treaties.
In 1856 the American Townsend Harris arrived as the first US consul. He pushed for a full trade treaty and warned that Britain and France might attack Japan if it refused. In 1858 the shogun's chief minister, Ii Naosuke, signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the USA, without waiting for the emperor's approval. Britain, France, Russia and the Netherlands soon signed similar treaties.
These are called unequal treaties because they favoured the foreign powers:
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What changed: an isolated country of over 200 years was forced open by outside pressure. This is the first example of the theme of external influences on Japan. What stayed the same: in 1854 the Tokugawa shogun still ruled, the emperor still had little power, and the samurai were still the top class. The treaties showed that the shogun's government was weak, but it was not yet overthrown.
Explain TWO causes of the opening of Japan's ports to foreign ships and trade in the 1850s. [8 marks]
Remember: if you give only one cause, you cannot score more than half marks.
One cause was the pressure the USA put on Japan. In July 1853 Commodore Perry arrived in Edo Bay with four warships, two of them steamships, carrying a letter from President Fillmore asking for trade and help for shipwrecked sailors. When he returned in 1854 with a bigger fleet, the shogun's government feared an attack and signed the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened Shimoda and Hakodate. In 1856 Townsend Harris threatened that Britain and France might attack, and this pushed Japan into the 1858 treaties that opened more ports. So American force and threats directly led to the ports being opened.
A second cause was Japan's military weakness and its knowledge of what had happened in China. Japan had stayed secluded for over 200 years and had no steamships or modern guns to match the American fleet. Japanese leaders also knew that Britain had defeated China in the First Opium War and forced it to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. They feared the same fate, so they gave way and opened the ports rather than risk a war they could not win.
What lifts this to the top level: each cause is backed by precise facts (dates, names, ships, treaties) and explains how it led to the ports opening.
For each cause, use the pattern: cause, precise evidence, then a sentence starting "This led to the ports opening because..."