How Europeans Tried to End Japanese Isolation - Colonialism DOCUMENTARY

Kings and Generals animated historical documentary series on the history of Japan continues with an episode on how the Europeans tried to end the isolation of Japan during the late Age of Colonialism. We'll see how the Russians, French, Dutch and others attempted to open the country to trade, before the Americans under commodore Matthew Perry did it in 1854.

More videos on the history of Japan:
Japanese Warrior Women - Female Samurai: Japanese Warrior Women - Female Samurai


#Documentary #Japan #Isolation

[deadby]

Fun Fact:
Mr. Tanaka, who reverse-engineered a steam engine and built one for himself was a genius clockmaker.
After the Meiji Restoration, he founded Toshiba Inc.

[mikotagayuna]

Matthew Perry forcing Japan to end its isolation at gunpoint was literally the worst episode of Friends.

[darklord_ing]

this is absolutely details and mindblown.. i was taught that Japan remained isolanist for 200 years. But not only u guys revealed everything with the main storyline of video, but also put the details within the storyline. I can feel the experience and atmosphere around 1800 when u told the detail in 13:00 until the end..
keep it up, next video please make video of Boshin War

[pseudonomenclature]

"open the country. stop having it be closed."
- Commodore Matthew Perry

[maapaa]

Japan is really such an interesting country. It is so curious they were so organised and strong. This is what prevented them becoming like China during the colonial era..

[Lidon]

Japan's lack of key resources must also be reminded. Japan was quite lucky to end up where it did, since China showed how terrible a goalless isolationism is.

[diogosousa]

"Evolved in a trading relationship between the Iberian Union and Japan"

It is not the full story as the relationship already existed when Portugal was independent before the Union.

In 1557, Macau became Portuguese, that increased the commerce volume

In 1579 (one year before the Union) there were 400 houses, where Portuguese lived, in Nagasaki

Not only that, the Nagasaki donation, was in August 15th 1580. That was 10 days before the the War of the Portuguese Succession.

[kaltaron]

Fun fact: As some may have gleamed from the mon, the Daimyou at Matsumae was a side branch of the famous Takeda clan.

[Z]

The most amusing part when this was covered in school is how our teachers had to clarify that it wasn't Chandler Bing that blockaded Edo Bay.

[GhostCountries]

Very interesting video once again. This whole isolation is actually still pretty popular in some Asian countries where you can see similar instruments being used against "foreign ideas". Of course not only there but I find it especially interesting in Asia! Who knows how Japan would look like now without isolation
!

[ModernEphemera]

Catholics: “Alas, I cannot tread o’er this image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Queen of Heaven.”

Dutch Protestant traders: “i dont know this b*tch, where the trade goods at”

[Primetiime]

I studied this part of history very intensely.

[giorgiociaravolol]

I hope you'll do a video on Matthew Perry and his successful expedition. Btw, you failed to mention that the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was the second ever european nation to establish relationships with the Japanese by trading gifts. Through italian Jesuits, the grand Duchy wanted to open a new trade route but ultimately failed because of internal disorders. You can find the whole story on the museum of exotic goods of Florence.

[yshio_fps]

To those who don't know why Hideyoshi banned Christianity.
Christianity was first tolerated in Japan during the reign of Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
Nobunaga allowed Christianity to be spread, and the number of Christians in Kyushu area grew rapidly. This was because the Jesuits, who propagated Christianity, appealed to both Christianity and trade at the same time. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Nobunaga as ruler of Japan, also initially tolerated Christianity, but profit of trade was a factor. What triggered Hideyoshi change his mind was his pacification of Kyushu from July 1586 to April of the following year.

The battle was to defeat Shimazu Yoshihisa of Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture), who opposed Hideyoshi, in order to unify all of Japan and unify Kyushu. Not only he saw the number of Christians increase rapidly, but the Christian lords of Kyushu donated land to the Jesuits.
Juntada Omura, lord of the Omura domain in Hizen Province (Saga and Nagasaki prefectures), donated Nagasaki and other areas to the Jesuits. Harunobu Arima of the Hinoe domain in Hizen Province (Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture) also donated Urakami.
The fact that Japanese land belonged to the Jesuits was like the colonization of Japan by a Christian nation.

In addition, Christians suppressed other religions by destroying temples and shrines. In some cases, Christian feudal lords forcibly converted their subjects, and in other cases, Christians exported Japanese people overseas as slaves. According to one theory, 50, 000 Japanese were exported as slaves. Hideyoshi was shocked and outraged to learn of these conditions.

One of a key figure in the banning of Christianity was Gaspar Coelho, a Jesuit missionary from Portugal. Coelho had an audience with Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a representative of the Jesuits in Japan and received permission from Hideyoshi to proselytize and was active in political affairs. He also offered Hideyoshi military assistance in the conquest of Kyushu.

In addition, Coelho guided Hideyoshi, who arrived at Hakozaki in Chikuzen Province, to a Fusta ship loaded with cannons. As they toured Hakata Bay, he showed off Spain's military saying, "I can move the Spanish fleet anytime I want." This alarmed Hideyoshi that the Spanish might overrun Japan. Incidentally, Coelho's actions were criticized by missionaries of the time as an obstacle to missionary work in Japan.

Before the Christian ban was issued, Hideyoshi sent an envoy to Coelho to ask for an explanation of the current situation. Hideyoshi asked Coelho three questions.
(1) the reason for forcing the Japanese to become Christians, (2) the reason why the missionaries were eating horses and cows, valuable animals, for labor, (3) the reason for the purchase of Japanese people and their transportation to Portugal.

However, Hideyoshi not only questioned the Jesuits on these three points, but also made suggestions to them. (1) If the Jesuits did not practice soft missionary work such as Shintoism and Buddhism, they would be expelled from Japan, but Japanese government would pay for their return. (2) The government suggests eating wild boar and deer as an alternative. If they cannot stop eating horses and cows, they will have to leave the country. (3) The Japanese who were sold and went abroad must be returned, and the Japanese who are currently being sold must be released, and if they are retuned and released, the Japanese government will pay for it.

Coelho ignored the proposal and gave an excuse. (1) He denied forced conversions to missionary work and insisted on continuing missionary activities in various regions.
(2) the missionaries do not eat aggressively.
(3) He said, "The Portuguese buy Japanese because the Japanese sell their people. We have prevented human trafficking and the enslavement of our subjects, and the damage has been limited to Kyushu. We need strict supervision and a system of prohibition by the various feudal lords of Japan, " he replied, since the Japanese were responsible for the slave trade.

Hideyoshi, perhaps angered by this, sent a messenger again to ask a follow-up question, but he received the same answer. In response, Hideyoshi issued a decree banning Christianity.

[ItinerantIntrovert]

Watching this video from my room overlooking the nightscape of Nagasaki, I can't help but be awed by time and humanity. The Japanese are very lucky to have such a beautiful country here. I'm sure they didnt need any of us westerners

[Chris-uteq]

Great video which links events so we can understand a process not memorize facts or be left with many questions. I'm sure there are many more details, but this is a good summary.

[bebinca]

Last night I saw a documentary on Japan's royalty and how it was forced to open up for foreign trade by the British. But I stopped just till that. So now I watch this to get a complete picture.
I loved your documentary on how China was forced to open up. It was so well done. Thanks you guys

[brokenbridge]

A nicely informative video. I didn't know about these other attempts to open Japan to trade. my compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

[misfortunemate]

Europeans: Hi
Japanese:
It's the nature of time that the old ways must give in
It's the nature of time that the new ways comes in sin

[orktv]

OPEN THE COUNTRY
STOP HAVING IT BE CLOSED