Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 9, Lesson 4, Japan: Unified Yet Isolated (pp. 237-241)
I. An All-Powerful Shogunate
B. In 1568, Nobunaga, using muskets, was able to unite a third of the country. After his death, his general Hideyoshi completed reunification. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu subdued his opponents and established the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo, now Tokyo, which lasted for more than 250 years.
C. The Tokugawa saw foreigners as a threat and set a policy of strict isolation from European influences.
B. Below the shogun and daimyo were four classes: samurai warriors, artisans, peasants, and merchants.
C. Despite their position at the bottom of the social scale, merchants prospered under the Tokugawa as trade within Japan increased.
B. Theaters, teahouses, gambling houses, wrestling places, and public baths sprang up in the cities.
C. Plays for Kabuki theater and haikus--new forms of literature which developed during the Tokugawa period--continue to be popular today.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. In the mid 1500s, toward the end of the Ashikaga shogunate, chaos erupted as warring nobles began to fight for power.
II. Control of the Classes
A. The Tokugawa shogunate enforced a strict social system with special restrictions on each class.
III. A New and Different Culture
A. As the merchants grew wealthy, they sought out new forms of entertainment, which later won over the upper classes.
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