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Prehistory | Kofun
Period | Nara Period
| Heian Period | Muromachi
Period |
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Azuchi Momoyama
Period | Edo Period
| Meiji Restoration
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20th
Century: Pre World War II | 20th
Century: Post World War II |
The first
traces of human activity on the Japanese islands dates from
about 100,000 BC with a simple paleolithic (stone-using)
culture that made the usual arrowheads, stone axes and such
like. The first shards of pottery discovered seem to date from
about 10,000 BC when the Jomon period begins. In this period,
clay images were made and by around 3,000 BC large communities
were in existence.
From 300 BC
the Jomon period gives way to the Yayoi (300 BC to 300 AD), a
culture that has its roots in the northern parts of Kyushu and
which began cultivating rice. The knowledge and seeds seem to
have come from China through Korea; the cultivation of rice
requires stable communities and hence is a highly socialising
force.
During this
period, ties with China are apparent as King Na of the kingdom
of Wa (Japan, although at that time probably just the area
around northern Kyushu) sends tribute to the Chinese empire.
In return, he is sent a gold seal (on display in the Fukuoka
Prefectural Museum). Emissaries are again sent in teh third
centuray AD, by which time the first large burial mounds (kofun)
had been constructed in the western part of Japan.
The Kofun
Period is named after the large, keyhole-shaped burial mounds
in which the nobles of the time were interred. The first part
of the period is sometimes termed Yamato (300 AD to 592 AD).
The kings of this time regularly paid tribute to the Chinese
court, and the first iron swords made in Japan date from the
fifth century AD.
The second
part of the Kofun Period is called the Asuka Period (592 AD to
710 AD). The period is marked by Asuka Bijitsu, a particularly
elegant yet simple form of pottery. In this time, Buddhism was
introduced from the Korean peninsula (mid-sixth century AD),
and the first constitution was drafted. Emissaries were sent
to the Chinese court several times, and troops that had been
sent to Korea were defeated by local and Chinese forces.
The Nara
Period begins with the location of the capital of Japan in
Heijokyo (Nara). Many temples were built, and the first
Daibutsu (Great Buddha) was constructed in Todaiji Temple
(Nara).
The Heian
Period begins with the move from Nara to Heiankyo (Kyoto). At
this time, the arts and culture of Japan flourish, and
Murasaki Shikibu writes the tale of Genji, the world's first
novel. The emperor stops sending tribute to the Chinese court,
perhaps indicating a new sense of security in Japan.
Kamakura
Period (1185-1333)
In 1180,
Minamoto Yoritomo established his headquarters in Kamakura, on
the coast near present-day Tokyo. Concentrating power in his
own hands, the Imperial family becomes a figurehead while the
country (although as yet not entirely united) is largely under
the control of the Shogun. Buddhism spreads rapidly throughout
the country, and many new sects are founded. In 1333, the
Kamakura Shogunate comes to an end in the midst of war.
With the
end of the Kamakura Shogunate, the Ashikaga family rose to
prominence. Ashikaga Takauji became the first Muromachi
Shogun. After a period of Japanese pirate raids on the Chinese
coast, the Shogunate reestablished relations with the Chinese
court. In 1422, after a long conflict, Sho Hashi united the
whole of Okinawa under his control and became the King of the
Ryukyus. Kyoto experiences significant instability, with the
Onin war (1467 to 1477). Many temples and palaces were
destroyed at this time, and many lives lost.
The Daimyo
system was established in 1536 (basically a feudal system
where a lord has control over a particular domain). Shortly
afterwards, the Portuguese arrive in Japan for the first time,
bringing guns and western science and learning (and disease).
Francis Xavier arrived in 1549 and starts missionary work,
which initially is tolerated.
In 1573,
the Ashikaga Shogunate ended. There followed a period of
instability, where various factions struggled for power. In
1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeded in unifying the entire
country of Japan under his control, with the support of
Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1592, Hideyoshi sent forces to Korea, who
returned unvictorious.
After
the death of Hideyoshi, more maneuvering saw Tokugawa Ieyasu
victorious at the battle of Sekigahara. He united
the entire country under his command and established
his capital in Edo (later Tokyo). Under the Tokugawa Shogunate,
Japan experiences a long period of peace, allowing development
in the arts and culture - but stagnation in many other ways.
Overseas travel is banned, trade is banned.
Local
daimyo are required to spend alternate years in Edo and their
home town. This requires them to have two homes, and to worry
about their position in their own region - meaning that no
group is sufficiently powerful to challenge the shogunate. Edo
grows to be the biggest city in the world. In 1641 a Dutch
Trading post is established in Nagasaki, the only contact
between Japan and the outside world.
Tokugawa
Japan continued for many generations, slowly stagnating, but
largely stable despite occasional famines and rebellions.
Russian traders begin links with the Ainu of Hokkaido and
Sakhalin, an area still largely beyond the control of the
Shogunate. In 1853, Commodore Perry of the United States
arrived in his "black ships" and demanded that Japan
open to the outside world. International pressure lead to
increased exposure to foreign cultures, and may have helped
bring internal stresses to the fore.
In 1868,
these pressures spilled over and a rebellion took place.
Imperial forces routed the Shogunate's armies and took
control. The Meiji Restoration of the imperial family to the
centre of Japanese political life had taken place.
The
newly-restored Emperor Meiji moved to Edo and renamed it Tokyo
(eastern capital). The Ryukyu islands, under control of the
Satsuma family from Shikoku, became fully incorporated into
Japan as Okinawa Prefecture, and the constitution of the
Empire of Japan was written. In 1904-05, Japan was victorious
in the Russo-Japanese War, a sign of how quickly the country
had managed to develop and arm. In 1910, Korea was colonised.
 In
1912, the Taisho Emperor inherited a country that was growing
in wealth and confidence. In 1915, Japan expanded into
Manchuria in northern China, and issued a list of demands that
the weakened Chinese Empire could not refuse. In 1931, the
Japanese engineered the Liutaochu Incident, which gave them a
pretext for expanding into northern China in order to gain
access to raw materials for burgeoning industries.
One thing
lead to another, and as the military gained more and more
influence in Japan, democracy faltered. Japan became more and
more expansionist, attacking and taking over British, Dutch,
French and other countries' colonies in the Asia Pacific.
Finally, this lead to the bombing of Pearl Harbour, one of the
most devastating attacks of the Second World War that finally
brought the United States into the conflict. With much loss of
life on all sides, the war was finally won by the allied
forces and Japan surrendered after two atomic weapons were
dropped on her cities - Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan was
defeated and occupied by allied forces - that is, the United
States of America. A new constitution was written, and land
reforms enacted to try and establish democracy in the country
and ensure that the formerly ruling elite were not able to
concentrate control of all resources in their hands as before.
In 1951, a
peace treaty was signed in San Francisco, ending the
occupation (although a huge US presence remained and remains
today). Japan experienced miraculous growth (helped by US
spending on the Korean and Vietnam wars), and shot from a
basket-case economy at the end of the war to the second
economy in the world in the space of a few decades. The
modernisation of the Japanese economy has been a model for
other nations in Asia and around the world, but few have been
able to reproduce its success.
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