Transcript Feudal Japan: The Tokugawa & Samurai

Feudal Japan: The
Tokugawa & Samurai
Global History I: Spiconardi
The Samurai
 Bushido  The way of the warrior
 Code of conduct for the samurai

Any samurai who violated this code was expected to
commit seppuku
 Seppuku  ritual suicide in which a samurai
disembowels himself (a.k.a. hara-kiri)
Bushido
Read the excerpt from
“A Samurai Instructs His
Son.” What qualities
should a samurai
possess?
The Tokugawa Shogunate
 Comes to power in 1603 and reigns over a 265
year period of peace

Forced all the warring daimyo to live in the
capital city of Edo (Tokyo)

Any daimyo who left Edo was required to have their
family remain
Toku-GO-AWAY!
 Isolation

Tokugawa distrusted foreigners


Banned all western merchants
Prohibited Japanese from traveling abroad
 Caused increase in internal trade
 Merchants gradually gain influence in feudal society
Tokugawa Highway System
...Perhaps the most crucial use of the road was for governmental
communication with the provinces. Official messengers traveled by foot,
horseback (in wartime), and palanquin. The government used a system of
relays for messengers, with reliefs at every seven li [3.9 km]. Government
messengers had priority over any other type of traveler. They had first access
to ferries at river crossings along the way, and could freely pass government
road barriers at all times of the day or night. Private citizens were not allowed to
travel at night; a series of barriers and checkpoints along the road kept them
from doing so….
According to Patricia J. Graham, what were two ways the Tokugawa
controlled the use of the Tōkaidō Road?
Tokugawa Shogunate
 Cultural Developments

Kabuki Form of theatre in
which actors wore bright &
colorful costumes

Originally only women
performed
 Became so popular men wanted
in and banned women

Haiku Form of poetry in
which the verse usually contains
a 17-mora verse

Tōkyō (to-o-kyo-o とうきょう),