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Unlock This CourseBy the 1860s the Tokugawa shogun was still in power, but his government was in trouble. The government of the shogun is called the bakufu, which means "tent government", because it began as the headquarters of a military ruler. The Tokugawa family had ruled Japan since 1603.
Many Japanese now thought the bakufu was both incompetent and corrupt. It had promised the emperor that foreigners would be expelled, yet it could not do it. It had signed treaties that people hated, and it had to pay large sums of money to foreign powers after attacks on foreigners. Critics said that the best jobs went to men from the right families rather than to the most able, and that officials looked after themselves while ordinary people struggled with high prices. Whether or not every charge was fair, the belief itself mattered: fewer and fewer people trusted the shogun to lead Japan through a crisis.
Key terms:
The spec calls Choshu and Satsuma the "other" Japanese. They were large, rich domains a long way from Edo. Both had been on the losing side at the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which had made the Tokugawa rulers of Japan. For over 250 years they had been kept away from the top jobs in the bakufu, and they had not forgotten it. They also kept large numbers of samurai, and they had money and ships of their own.
In the 1860s both took up the slogan "revere the emperor, expel the barbarians". Many angry samurai in these domains also hated the shogun for giving way to foreigners.
In 1863 Choshu's forts fired on American, French and Dutch ships passing through the Shimonoseki Strait. American and French warships hit back. In 1864 a fleet of British, French, Dutch and American ships destroyed the Choshu forts and forced the domain to give way.
After Satsuma samurai killed Charles Richardson in 1862, Britain demanded payment and punishment. When Satsuma held back, British warships bombarded its capital, Kagoshima, in August 1863. Parts of the town were burned.
These clashes taught both domains a hard lesson. Foreign guns and ships were far stronger than their own, so "expel the barbarians" could not work by force. The leaders of Satsuma and Choshu changed their plan. They did not give up their hatred of the shogun, but they decided that Japan must learn the West's methods before it could stand up to the West. Satsuma made peace with Britain and bought modern weapons and ships. Choshu rebuilt its army with Western-style rifles and drill. The "other" Japanese were becoming strong enough to challenge the bakufu itself.
In 1864 Choshu troops had attacked Kyoto to seize control of the emperor's court. They were beaten, and the shogun's army then forced Choshu to back down. But Choshu recovered, and the shogun planned a second attack on it in 1866.
By then Satsuma and Choshu, once rivals, had decided to work together. In 1866 they made a secret alliance, helped by Sakamoto Ryoma, a samurai from another domain. They agreed to support each other against the bakufu. The alliance joined the two strongest domains in the south-west.
The second attack on Choshu in 1866 went badly for the shogun. Satsuma refused to send troops, and Choshu's smaller army, with modern rifles and good training, beat the shogun's forces. The shogun died during the campaign and the army pulled back. It was a disaster for the bakufu. A single domain had defeated the shogun's army, and the Tokugawa no longer looked unbeatable.
The new shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, tried to reform the government. But in early 1867 Emperor Komei died and was followed by his teenage son, the future Emperor Meiji. The Satsuma and Choshu leaders now had a young emperor and a court that favoured them. In October 1867 Yoshinobu offered to give up his powers to the emperor, hoping to keep a leading place in the new order. In January 1868 the emperor's court announced that rule had returned to the emperor, and Yoshinobu was shut out of power. Fighting broke out near Kyoto, and the forces of Satsuma and Choshu defeated the shogun's army. Edo was handed over without a fight in 1868. After more than 260 years, the Tokugawa shogunate was over.
In 1853 Japan was closed to the West and had no treaties. By 1867 foreigners traded in the open ports under unequal treaties. In 1853 the shogun's authority was unquestioned. By 1867 a domain had defeated his army and the emperor was the centre of opposition.
Even in 1867 the emperor still lived in Kyoto and had little power of his own. The daimyo's domains still existed, the samurai were still the top class and most people were still farmers. The shogunate had only just ended, and what would replace it was not yet clear.
Explain TWO ways in which Japan in 1867 was different from Japan in 1853. [6 marks]
Remember: each way must say something about BOTH years. One way alone scores no more than 3.
One difference was Japan's relationship with the West. In 1853 Japan was still in seclusion: only Dutch and Chinese traders were allowed at Nagasaki and there were no treaties with Western powers. By 1867 Japan had signed the Treaty of Kanagawa and the 1858 trade treaties, and foreign merchants lived and traded in the open ports under unequal treaties.
A second difference was the power of the shogun. In 1853 the Tokugawa shogun ruled Japan and no domain had challenged him for over 200 years. By 1867 the bakufu had lost respect, its army had been beaten by Choshu in 1866, and Satsuma and Choshu had allied against it, so the shogun was about to give up power to the emperor.
What lifts this to the top level: each difference describes both 1853 and 1867 with precise facts, and the two are clearly contrasted.
Use a "In 1853... but by 1867..." pattern in each paragraph. It reminds you to write about both dates every time.