6.5 Decline of the shogunate and pressure from foreign powers

The Tokugawa shogunate faced internal decline due to economic stagnation, social unrest, and political weakening. These issues, coupled with intellectual challenges to established norms, eroded the shogunate's authority and control over Japan.

Foreign pressure, especially from the United States, forced Japan to end its isolation policy. The arrival of Commodore Perry's Black Ships and subsequent treaties opened Japan to international trade and diplomacy, ultimately leading to the Meiji Restoration and the end of the Tokugawa era.

Internal Factors of Tokugawa Decline

Internal decline of Tokugawa shogunate

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• Economic stagnation hampered growth and prosperity
  • Agricultural productivity plateaued limiting food supply
  • Inflation and currency devaluation eroded purchasing power
  • Trade imbalances with foreign nations drained resources (Dutch, Chinese)
• Social unrest undermined stability and authority
  • Rising peasant rebellions challenged rural order (Rice Riots)
  • Samurai discontent grew due to loss of status and income
  • Emergence of merchant class challenged traditional social hierarchy
• Political weakening eroded central control
  • Corruption among bakufu officials undermined governance
  • Ineffective leadership of later shoguns weakened decision-making
  • Growing autonomy of daimyo domains fragmented power (Satsuma, Chōshū)
• Intellectual challenges questioned established norms
  • Spread of rangaku introduced Western ideas and technologies
  • Rise of kokugaku movement promoted native Japanese culture
  • Increasing criticism of Confucian ideology challenged social structure

Foreign Pressure and Shogunate's End

Foreign pressure on Japan

• Early foreign attempts at contact tested isolation policy
  • Russian expeditions under Adam Laxman and Nikolai Rezanov sought trade
  • British warship HMS Phaeton incident in Nagasaki exposed defensive weaknesses
• United States' initiatives forced diplomatic engagement
  • Commodore Matthew Perry's expeditions (1853 and 1854) demonstrated military superiority
  • Black Ships and gunboat diplomacy intimidated Japanese authorities
• Treaty of Kanagawa (1854) cracked open closed borders
  • Opening of Shimoda and Hakodate ports allowed limited foreign access
  • Establishment of U.S. consulate in Japan initiated diplomatic presence
• Convention of Kanagawa (1854) granted privileges to Americans
  • Most Favored Nation status for the United States ensured trade advantages
  • Extraterritoriality for American citizens in Japan exempted them from local laws
• Harris Treaty (1858) expanded foreign influence
  • Further opening of ports for trade increased economic exposure
  • Permanent diplomatic relations established normalized international interactions

Events of Meiji Restoration

• Sonnō jōi movement galvanized anti-foreign sentiment
  • "Revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians" ideology spread nationalist fervor
  • Anti-foreign sentiment and xenophobia fueled resistance to Western influence
• Ansei Purge (1858-1860) backfired on shogunate
  • Shogunate's crackdown on opposition intensified anti-bakufu sentiment
  • Execution of prominent anti-shogunate figures martyred reform advocates
• Sakuradamon Incident (1860) destabilized shogunate leadership
  • Assassination of Ii Naosuke, chief minister of the shogunate, created power vacuum
• Namamugi Incident (1862) provoked foreign retaliation
  • Attack on British merchants led to Anglo-Satsuma War, exposing military weakness
• Shimonoseki Campaign (1863-1864) demonstrated Western military superiority
  • Western powers' retaliation against Chōshū domain humiliated anti-foreign forces
• Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance (1866) united powerful anti-shogunate domains
  • Union of influential domains strengthened opposition to bakufu
• Boshin War (1868-1869) decided fate of shogunate
  • Civil war between imperial and shogunate forces resulted in bakufu defeat
• Emperor Meiji's ascension and the Charter Oath (1868) marked new era
  • Formal restoration of imperial rule ended Tokugawa shogunate
  • Charter Oath outlined principles for modernization and reform