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| - refers to the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867 Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and changed from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government. The major ideological-political divide during this period was between the pro-imperial nationalists called ishin shishi and the shogunate forces, which included the elite shinsengumi swordsmen.
- The Bakumatsu (幕末), literally translated without historical context as "Curtain Call", refers to the radical social movement which occurred at the end of the Edo period. Often translated as "the end of the Tokugawa shogunate", the Bakumatsu brought the end of the samurai caste's established dominance in the political world. It has no specific dates, but historians generally agree the rough time frame is 1853~1869.
- The Bakumatsu (幕末, "Late Tokugawa Shogunate"), literally "end of the curtain", are the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end. It is characterized by major events occurring between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and transitioned from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government. The major ideological/political divide during this period was between the pro-imperialist Ishin Shishi (nationalist patriots) and the shogunate forces, including the elite Shinsengumi (newly selected corps) swordsmen.
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| abstract
| - refers to the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867 Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and changed from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government. The major ideological-political divide during this period was between the pro-imperial nationalists called ishin shishi and the shogunate forces, which included the elite shinsengumi swordsmen. Although these two groups were the most visible powers, many other factions attempted to use the chaos of Bakumatsu to seize personal power. Furthermore there were two other main driving forces for dissent: first, growing resentment on the part of the tozama daimyo (or outside lords), and second, growing anti-western sentiment following the arrival of Matthew C. Perry. The first related to those lords who had fought against Tokugawa forces at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and had from that point on been excluded permanently from all powerful positions within the shogunate. The second was to be expressed in the phrase sonnō jōi, or "revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians". The turning point of the Bakumatsu was during the Boshin War and the Battle of Toba-Fushimi when pro-shogunate forces were defeated.
- The Bakumatsu (幕末, "Late Tokugawa Shogunate"), literally "end of the curtain", are the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end. It is characterized by major events occurring between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and transitioned from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government. The major ideological/political divide during this period was between the pro-imperialist Ishin Shishi (nationalist patriots) and the shogunate forces, including the elite Shinsengumi (newly selected corps) swordsmen. Although these two groups were the most visible powers, many other factions attempted to use the chaos of Bakumatsu to seize personal power. Furthermore there were two other main driving forces for dissent: first, growing resentment on the part of the tozama daimyo (or outside lords), and second, growing anti-western sentiment following the arrival of Matthew C. Perry. The first related to those lords who had fought against Tokugawa forces at the Battle of Sekigahara (in 1600) and had from that point on been excluded permanently from all powerful positions within the shogunate. The second was to be expressed in the phrase sonnō jōi, or "revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians". The turning point of the Bakumatsu was during the Boshin War and the Battle of Toba-Fushimi when pro-shogunate forces were defeated.
- The Bakumatsu (幕末), literally translated without historical context as "Curtain Call", refers to the radical social movement which occurred at the end of the Edo period. Often translated as "the end of the Tokugawa shogunate", the Bakumatsu brought the end of the samurai caste's established dominance in the political world. It has no specific dates, but historians generally agree the rough time frame is 1853~1869. Prior to these years, Japan had largely remained in political isolation for over a century and the Tokugawa shogunate remained the supreme military regime. Foreign trade was strict, only allowed at specific checkpoints beyond the main islands. Due to the brutal Christian war and suspicions of foreign traders, it was illegal to study Western thought or practices —besides ancient texts or Confucianism from China— because they were considered a "threat to society". Scholars who were caught teaching or practicing them could have been incarcerated, striped of their wealth, banished, or executed. As more intrepid scholars were persecuted —even with these laws in place— the shogunate and politicians were discretely seeking to somehow exploit European practices. They approached anything European with mild interest, many believing the rest of the world to be a curious but unwanted venture. Their interests were piqued when the treasured teachings of China lost in the First Opium War, and a cry for reform began to echo with a handful of politicians. Many incidents of foreign sailors docking on Japan's shores were swiftly dealt with by the shogunate, asking travelers to answer the imperial court's questions before being dismissed from the island nation. However, Western ideologies and culture went beyond the discreet interest of scholars and politicians once American "black ships" docked near Edo. Matthew Perry and his crew drew the attention of the nation when his ships lingered in the south. People were shaken by the foreign visit and the shogunate's apparent ineptitude to deal with them, causing a radical spark of nationalism to rivet throughout the country. Political ideologies and activists emerged as a result, and groups became severely divided to protect their ideals. The main focus of these ideals strongly compared ancient Japanese customs with the dilemma of accepting European practices. Ultimately, the violent outbreak of ideals resulted in bloody and deadly riots and wars. The shogunate exhausted its resources to deal with them, and the Emperor Meiji's ascension to the throne allowed the formal acceptance of Harry Parkes and European technology, giving the government's suppression forces a severe advantage over any other insurgents. As the samurai caste were being modernized, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, a lover of the Western world himself, was convinced by this and other reasons to step down as the ruling power and rule as shogun in name only. With the shogun weakened, the emperor was no longer a puppet figure head and the Meiji period was established. The final violent conflict against the imperial government ended with the Battle of Hakodate.
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