then continued the fight against the remaining daimyos. Throughout his reign he was able to unify the Japanese military and put an end to the Sengoku period, or the “Age of Warring States.” Feeling ambitious to accomplish more, Hideyoshi attempted to launch two attacks on Korea which ultimately killed him during the second battle. After his death one of Hideyoshi’s chief subjects named Ieyasu Tokugawa. This was the start of the Tokugawa Dynasty, also known as the Edo Period, which lasted for centuries. When Tokugawa gained power, he closed all boarders in order to prevent foreign affairs and trade. While this act kept foreigners out, it also kept the citizens of Japan in, which allowed the country to create a great, homogeneous culture and national identity. National identity is a sense of belonging to a nation represented by distinguishing cultures, languages, and traditions.
The idea of having a national identity overlaps with the ideology of nationalism, which is the belief in the well-being of a nation-state as an entity is considered foremost. There are multiple kinds of nationalism such as military nationalism, cultural nationalism, and ethnic nationalism. Before the Tokugawa rulers, the main four religions of Japan were Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Shintoism. One of the previous rulers, Nobunga, was interested in the religion and had tried to get the entire country to convert. This created scrutiny throughout the regions, which some groups began to disobey their overlords. However, in fear of the religion influencing and starting rebellions, Tokugawa made Christianity illegal. At the time some foreigner traders were allowed into certain cities, but by the year of 1630, all Japanese ships were forbidden from sailing overseas. Finally, in the year 1649, all boarders were closed, which meant no foreigners in and no citizens …show more content…
out. During the self-imposed isolation, or Sakoku (鎖国), “Japan entered a long period of economic and social prosperity (The Sakoku Policy).” Without outside interference the country was able to work on strengthening their agriculture, self-administration, and commerce such as transportation and highways. Since Christianity was outlawed, intellectuals began to refocus their attentions towards the teachings of Confucianism. Buddhism and Shintoism were also revived, but studying Confucianism was the primary focus. The studying of native languages and classics (music, literature, etc.) were reinstated as well. All these elements helped contribute to the start of nationalism in Japan. After years of economic prosperity, the country’s economy and Tokugawa Dynasty eventually started to decline. Those of the samurai class turned into bureaucrats and the government started to hold the country back because they refused to break tradition and modernize. Finally, in the year 1867, the Tokugawa Dynasty came to an end. A year after the end of the Edo period, the Meiji Restoration period began. During this time, emperor Mutsuhito restored Japan’s economy while also helping to modernize or industrialize the country. Throughout the restoration period and in order to prevent imperialism, nationalist reformers began to rise. Those reformers believed that the land should be industrialized, and the government should abandon the militaristic shogunate government and adopt western ideas. When Mustuhito issued a constitution similar to the United States, it allowed Japan to enter into the market to compete with European nations.
The Meiji Constitution impacted Japanese politics and government by limiting voting rights, setting a principle stating that citizens are equal before the law, establishing a western style bureaucracy, and strengthening the military. It also established a Diet, which is the Japanese form of legislature where the emperor appoints all members. Another way the Constitution impacted the country was socially by adopting the concept of educating the entire population from the West as important. Mutsuhito during this time helped established an educated and unified Japan which helped reinforce the ideology of nationalism. The Meiji Restoration period lasted from 1868 through 1912 when Emperor Mutsuhito passed away from uremia. After his death and the end of the Meiji Restoration, the modernization of the country left Japan with a centralized government, a constitution with an elected parliament, a developed commerce system, a highly educated population, a growing industrial sector with the latest technology, and a powerful military.
Ultra-nationalism and militarism in Japan continued to rise as the country entered the second World War in 1940 when Hirohito signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, forming the Axis Powers. When Hirohito assumed the throne, the Japanese military became one of the most powerful armies in the world. The previous prime ministers were either fired or assassinated, therefore Hirohito made sure that the succeeding ministers were all from the military to ensure their survival probabilities. This act transformed Japan into a militaristic government which created a strong sense of patriotism in the people. One of the ways that aided the citizens towards feeling patriotic towards their country was by using propaganda promote their emperor and war tactics. For example, during the time of the samurai, Bushido was the honor code and principles they used while serving, and propaganda artists used the imagery of the samurai to encourage the people. Even though the samurai have been gone for a while, the Japanese people still cherished the history and morals that came from them, so it was a perfect way to promote patriotism. Another example of what was being promoted is the use of the war tactic called kamikaze. Kamikaze is when pilots would use themselves and their planes to divebomb into enemies’ ships. This created the mindset to those serving in the military that it was honorable to willingly commit suicide for the emperor and the country. The use of propaganda was not just to promote nationalism but also to get the people of Japan to hate others such as the Allied Powers like China and the United States.
On December 7, 1941, Japan’s Imperial Navy attacked and bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and a day later the United States declared war on Japan.
After a few years of war, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which resulted in Japan’s surrender on September 2, 1945. Because of their surrender, nationalists felt that they have lost everything, and Japan has been stripped of its power in the world. Japan lost its sovereignty and did not reclaim it until 1952. Today, Japan is one of the most technologically and developed countries in the world. In 2012, the current prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was elected and is a nationalist with revisionist ideas. A revisionist is someone who wants to alter or re-interpret history to make one’s country appear to be in the right or better. If Abe’s revisionist narrative were to be approved, this would boost Japan’s nationalism and patriotism in the generations to come. Elders and current generations, however, would more than likely be unmoved by such a feat. Some previous revisionists have been successful in rewriting Japanese history textbooks and integrating them into schools. For example, according to Vox’s Johnny Harris, the Nanking Massacre is “referred to as the Nanking “Incident,” and the only attention it gets in this book is basically disputing the fact. There’s no mention of the hundreds of thousands of Korean women who were forcibly brought over to serve in brothels on the frontline of the Japanese wars
(Harris).”
In the heart of Tokyo, there is a shrine surrounded by controversy. The Yasukuni Shrine is a memorial that enshrines the bodies of thousands of Japanese war criminals. It shrouded by controversies because it glorifies Japan’s militaristic history and does not own up to the fact that those who are buried there are criminals who have committed horrendous acts. Strong nationalist believers go to the shrine and pray to the spirits to commemorate those who have “died for their country.” In recent years, Abe visited the shrine in order to pay his respect, which sparked an outcry from China and Korea. China and Korea were victims of the criminal acts committed by those buried there. The visit has left the three countries’ alliance on the rocks, which creates an issue in the States because they want to keep Japan and South Korea on good terms due to the troubles caused by North Korea. Along with Abe, other nationalist parties have been seen visiting the shrine and driving around in vans promoting their ideologies and opinions on how the country should be.
Nationalism in Japan is going to continue to rise because that is how it has been for hundreds, upon thousands of years. However, thanks to it, the idea has created the country that is known today for its homogeneous culture and technological advancements.