 Hello dear learners, I welcome you to this program today where we will be discussing the topic Rise and Fall of the Shogunate from the paper History of Japan and China. This paper is meant for the learners of BA History Program who are in their third semester and have opted for major in this discipline. I am Dr. Sipmaya Lama, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Krishnakanta Handic State Open University. Before we move on to the main part of the discussion, let us have a look at the learning objectives for this particular topic. Now for the learning objectives, by the end of today's lecture we will be able to explain the historical background of the Shogunate rule, we will be able to discuss the society and economy in brief during this period and also be able to discuss the circumstances leading to the fall of the Shogunate rule. Known as the land of the rising sun, Japan today is amongst the advanced nations in the world. Japan has come a long way from the days of isolation to the opening of its gate for foreign powers and transitioning from a feudal state to a military power. In our previous lecture if you remember which was titled Opening of Japan, we tried to understand the circumstances that led to the arrival of foreign powers and we are basically here talking about America, England, Russia. Learning the Shogunate rule to Japan and how it resulted in ending the Japan's isolation policy. However, it was not without any consequences as we had earlier discussed and how the Shogunate had to face internal strife and conflict leading to its fall from power. In our session today, we will discuss the prequel to the event of Opening of Japan. What do I mean by that? In short, we will discuss how the isolation policy came into being, the form of government that implemented this policy and how it affected Japan and its people. Let us now look into the historical background of the Shogunate. Who were the Shoguns? What is the Shogunate? You must be definitely wondering about the meaning of these terms. Well, let us try to understand what these terms mean. Shogun means military dictator. Initially, the Shogun was the chief military officer under the Imperial King of Japan. They were appointed by the king. However, with the passing of time, the Shoguns became very powerful and started monopolizing their power over the territories to a point where the king became a nominal head. The office of the Shoguns or the administration under the Shogun is known as the Shogunate. In Japanese language, it is termed as Bakufu. The Imperial authority had little control over the administration run by Shogun officials. Yorutomo was the first Shogun and with him began the Shogunate rule. The Shoguns have been the de facto rulers in Japan since 1185 to 1868. Let us now talk about the Tokugua Shogunate or the Tokugua Bakufu. In the Battle of Sikigahara, which broke out between the allies of Toyotomi clan and Tokugua Leasu in the year 1600, we find that Tokugua Leasu, who was a Demio or feudal lord, won the battle. He was declared as Shogun in 1603 by the Emperor, hence began the long period of Tokugua Shogunate rule from 1603 to 1868. This period is also called the Ido period as the city Ido became the seat of power. The political arrangement during this period is called the Bakuhan by which the Shogun commanded national authority and the Demios or the feudal lord held regional authority. While the Emperor was provided with all the luxuries to live a dignified life, he held no actual political power. The Tokugua Shogunate established full control over the Imperial House. Who were the Demios? The Demios were the feudal lords and samurai were members belonging to the warrior class. They were an integral part of the Tokugua Shogunate. However, attempts were made to regulate their activities in order to prevent them from becoming powerful. The Tokugua Shogunate went to great lengths to control any potential threat to their power. Christianity was seen as threat and hence was restricted. Sakoko or closed country was implemented under the Tokugua Shogunate by which Japan followed an isolationist policy. Under this policy, Japanese people were not allowed to travel abroad, return from overseas travel or build ships and vessels. Have a little discussion on the society and economy under the Tokugua Shogunate. Let us first look into the social structure. The Edo society had an elaborate social structure in which everyone knew their place and level of prestige. At the top tier were the emperor and the court nobility, unbeatable in their prestige but very weak in power. Below them were the Shogun, the Demios and the lairs of feudal lords. A social order called the Four Division of Society was adopted based on the ideas of Confucianism to stabilize the country. These divisions comprised of samurai, farming peasants, artisans and merchants. The social order, however, cannot be considered as accurate as it leaves out many other classes like sweepers, clergy, etc. The family was the smallest legal entity and maintenance of the family status and privilege was of greatest importance at all levels of the society. The other interesting development in the society during the Tokugua Shogunate was the emergence of the merchant class, which gave a boost to the private education system or Terakoya. Let us have a quick look at the economic scenario during the Edo period or the Tokugua Shogunate. This period was marked by the growth of a vibrant commercial sector, expansion of the urban centers, productive agriculture, highly developed financial and marketing systems. Rice was the base of the economy. About 80% of the people were rice farmers. Rice production increased steadily, but population remained stable as a result of which there was prosperity. The peasants paid taxes in the form of goods, which was basically rice. In cities and towns, merchants formed gills, which met the public demands for goods and services. Coming on to the foreign policy or the isolationist policy that we were talking about earlier, let us talk, let us have a small discussion on it. Sakoku was the foreign relations policy of Japan, under which severe restrictions were placed on the entry of foreigners to Japan. Japanese people themselves were also forbidden to leave the country without special permissions. These policies laid strict regulations on commercial and foreign relations. The only European influence permitted was the Dutch factory at Dejima in Nagasaki. Their commercial contacts with China and Korea were restricted to the peripheral provinces. Trade with Chinese and Dutch traders in Nagasaki took place on an island called Dejima, separated from the city by a small strait. Foreigners could not enter Japan from Dejima nor could Japanese enter Dejima without special permission or authority. Now let us try to understand what led to the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate. The absence of a sound economic policy was one of the factors in the decline of Shogunate power. The government made no attempt in providing economic relief to its people during the period of crisis, which was basically food shortage. The peasants where the producers of rice were overburdened with taxes. The situation was aggravated by the wide gap between the elite and the peasant class in terms of wealth and goods. The rise of the merchant class destroyed the feudal fabric of Japan. The gaining of favorable treaties and concessions by foreign trading powers on the Japanese soil were not liked by the Japanese people. The patriotic Japanese people considered the Europeans as barbarians. This resulted in the growing unpopularity of the Shogunate. They saw the development as the failure on the part of the Shogun. The Demios and other powerful clans rose up against the Shogunate and in 1867, the Shogun was compelled to abdicate his position. Mutsuhito, a young boy of 14 years, was placed on the throne in 1868. With this, we have come to the end of today's session. For further references on the topic, please consult some of the books that are mentioned below here. Thank you.