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Meiji Period, also known as Meiji restoration, was a turning point for Japan as it created equality amongst all Japanese people. The new Japanese government (after the failure of the Tokugawa government) successfully broke down the boundaries between the social classes, established human rights such as the religious freedom, and took all the land that belonged to the former feudal lords (daimyo) and returned it to the government. With an effort to expand to acquire Western skills in all fields of technology, legislation and science, Japan sought all aspects of western culture and education. While receiving the skills and knowledge, Japan also received its first European style constitution in 1889. In order to carry out the expansion effort to turn Japan into an Industrial country, exchanges of educators and students within the Western and Eastern countries frequently took place. Foreign experts entered Japan to teach the Western culture, while some Japanese students migrated to the West to learn what the West had to offer.
In 1880, 140 Japanese lived in the United States. Within ten years time, the number of Japanese living in the United States increased to 2038. This alarming figure triggered the United States government, which led to the implementation of the Immigration Act in 1924, targeting directly to Japanese Immigrants in the United States. While seeking westernization of all parts of society and culture, Japanese brought back the "Western style methods in painting, print-making, carving and architecture made their way. " Just like the Bauhaus School in the United States, art schools were being founded in Japan and teachers from countries like Italy were brought in. Art movements were brought into Japan and modified according to the cultural preferences. Prior to the Meiji era, Japanese paintings called Ukiyo-e were made by the techniques of woodblock printing, which mainly involved the development of the artists in designing, engraving, and printing their own works.
Woodblock paintings were the earliest attempt to create commercial graphics to the mass audience. Katsushinka Hokusai's work, 'Kisoji no of Amida ga taki' (1832), is featured here as a sample of the Ukiyo-e painting. With the western influences, Shin-hand and Sosaku-hand were developed as the new art movements that combined the traditional Japanese skills with the new Western style. Shin-hand concentrated on the lighting of traditional subjects like beautiful women, actors, and landscapes, very much inspired by the European Impressionism. Sosaku-hand, also known as creative art, adopted the Western style of freedom and creativity, allowing them to craft work that is similar to abstract art. Shin-hand and Sosaku-hand artists also successfully transformed a cheap commercial woodblock printing product to an expensive product of art enthusiasts overseas.
As for drama and literature, San " Yutei Encho was a comic oral storyteller in the Meiji era. Standard literary language was of fundamental importance and was "put into practice with linguistic theories formulated by intellectuals of the time. " Encho was a leading figure for the development of modern literature in the Meiji era. While commercialized art works were transported overseas and literatures were being standardized, Japan revitalized its religious beliefs internally. "Shinto was revived as the dominant religion, largely to re-establish the cult of the emperor, while Buddhism was suppressed. " This was known as State Shinto, which was a period of extreme nationalism where traditional values of loyalty were qualities that all Japanese sought. With all the costs of expansion, Japan came to a financial crisis in the middle of 1880. However, Japan gradually took over Asia's market for manufacturers, beginning with textiles. It also funded "zaibatsu" (conglomerate) like Mitsubishi and Mitsui for their commercialistic structure, hoping that they would bring in the funds from other countries. "The economic structure became very mercantilistic, importing raw materials and exporting finished products. " The textile industry remain the largest Japanese industry until World War II.
As Japan was seen as more of a threat to the West, Europeans forced Japan to have its first European style constitution in 1889. A parliament was established to prevent the emperor's supremacy of authority. However, the emperors had a close knitted group of advisors whom often deterred the parliament. The parliament was created because of the Sino-Japanese war in 1895 and the Russo-Japanese war in 1904.
At the end of both wars, Japan has risen to be the most powerful nation in the East. When Japan and Europe opened their doors in the 1880 s, no one thought it would have been harmful to any countries. Though after years of westernization and learning the secrets to Western's technology, legislation, and science, the West regretted the permit tance of Japan's entry. The deterioration of relations between the countries for the next few decades induced the formation of World World II.
Bibliography Conroy, Hilary. Japan in Transition: Thought and Action in the Meiji Era, 1868 - 1912. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Pr, 1984. Mastrangelo, Matilda. "The Meiji Kurabe of Sanyutei Encho: An Original Approach to Western Drama in Japan. " Japanese American Newsletter (2000): 14. Uhlenbeck, Chris and Amy Newland. Ukiyo-E to Shin Hand: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Prints.
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