Posted: September 1st, 2014
Japans extreme xenophobia of all things foreign heavily influenced the development of the social values that upheld the shogunate.
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Japans extreme xenophobia of all things foreign heavily influenced the development of the social values that upheld the shogunate. By not making contact with any countries other than China, Korea and the Netherlands, the shoguns that reigned over the time of the seclusion laws (or Sakoku) were able to exercise more control over the people and make the social classes stricter. The art and Japans written language also suffered, as there was a more selected foreign influence. Japans fear of ‘gaijin’, or foreigners, also influenced trade, disallowing anyone to enter or leave Japan for the duration of the Sakoku, and thus making trade almost nonexistent, other than with the three countries that Japan chose to trust. But all of this was because of the tightening of the shoguns grip.
The shoguns that had power during the times of Sakoku were able to tighten the social systems through brainwashing the people into thinking that the foreigners were corrupting their rich culture.
The xenophobia that Japan practiced also manipulated the way that the Japanese wrote, built and painted, by narrowing the intake of inspiration in these key areas. The main language that the Japanese spoke then, and still speak today, is kanji. It is a direct representation of the Chinese language, both written and spoken. With many borrowed words from Korean. If there were more countries that Japan trusted to influence their culture, or if there had been no Sakoku at all, then the written language of Japan today would undoubtedly be drastically different. Like the written language, the three countries that Japan trusted, especially China, heavily influenced art. The style of Japanese painting called ‘Ukiyo-e’ originated from China, as did Byōbu (the art of painting folding screens) as did the idea of sculptured or themed gardens that promoted the idea of Zen. China, although only one of three countries that Japan trusted, was the main source of inspiration that Japan followed, as is obvious from the large influence that it found in Japanese culture during the Shogunate. Along with art and the written language, the Sakoku laws of the Shogunate heavily affected trade.
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