Hist 381 Modern Japan:

Totman on the Meiji Restoration

From his book, The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu

What is his opening salvo?

"The fundamental nature of the bakumatsu crisis is apparent in hindsight. It involved an assault on basic values and structures of both the polity narrowly defined and of the society more broadly conceived."

What were these "basic values and structures"?

-- isolation

-- hereditary status stratification

-- structural decentralization (hybrid polity!)

-- putative agrarian based polity

-- a Confucian educated ruling elite

-- a ruler-ruled cleavage; and

-- an involved-uninvolved cleavage, both of which became obsolete.

And, of course, the structure that gave form to all these ideals, the bakuhan system itself, also became obsolete.

So what did Japan need to replace it with?

Part of the answer is reflected in Charter Oath:

1. An assembly consisting of daimyo shall be established and all matters of state shall be decided by open discussion.

2. The high and the low shall unite in carrying out the administration of economic and financial affairs.

3. It is requested that a system be established under which not only civil and military officials, but also the common people may be permitted to pursue their respective callings so that there may be no discontent.

4. Evil practices from the past shall be discarded and all our actions shall follow the accepted practices of the world.

5. Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to broaden and strengthen the foundation of imperial rule.

So, they were looking for new ideals and structures that were compatible with making Japan a country that was part of an emerging global system of interacting societies, each one of which had

-- a unified polity,

-- a highly integrated, politically mobilized society, and industrial economy,

-- and a secular, science-oriented nationalist education system for all.

These demands, Totman asserts were, quite obviously, "revolutionary."

Therefore, they were placing immense stresses throughout the polity and society.

That is why we see all the violence, destruction, disarray, confusion, millenarian and religious responses to what is going on...

That led to demoralization, paralysis, scapegoating, peculation, unsanctioned strong-arm tactics, wild gyrations of policy, etc.

Military ineptness, inadequacy of administration system, and failures of the police system were common.

The bakufu lacked the income to carry out reforms that were needed. Especially with all the built in costs.

At the broader social level--Daimyô, Samurai, and the masses of people--all the political disruption of the 1860s had far-reaching effects.

Public disillusionment at these levels was reflected in the spread of

-- political noncooepration

-- weakening of customary norms

-- spread of deviant behavior

-- reactionary shrill defense of customary norms

-- growing violence and political activism much of it outside sanctioned channels.

-- And the young who had the greatest future at stake and the least history to lose, were the most vigorous element in this unsanctioned activity.

This social disorder predictably generated more efforts by the regime to maintain social stability, and those efforts, in turn, generated more dissidence by the alienated.

Nothing seemed to work....During 1866-67 these crystallized in daring plans that by their nature would overturn the established order.

McClain's Take? pp. 151-154

Hist 381 Modern Japan:

Totman on the Meiji Restoration

From his book, The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu

What is his opening salvo?

"The fundamental nature of the bakumatsu crisis is apparent in hindsight. It involved an assault on basic values and structures of both the polity narrowly defined and of the society more broadly conceived."

What were these "basic values and structures"?

-- isolation

-- hereditary status stratification

-- structural decentralization (hybrid polity!)

-- putative agrarian based polity

-- a Confucian educated ruling elite

-- a ruler-ruled cleavage; and

-- an involved-uninvolved cleavage, both of which became obsolete.

And, of course, the structure that gave form to all these ideals, the bakuhan system itself, also became obsolete.

So what did Japan need to replace it with?

Part of the answer is reflected in Charter Oath:

1. An assembly consisting of daimyo shall be established and all matters of state shall be decided by open discussion.

2. The high and the low shall unite in carrying out the administration of economic and financial affairs.

3. It is requested that a system be established under which not only civil and military officials, but also the common people may be permitted to pursue their respective callings so that there may be no discontent.

4. Evil practices from the past shall be discarded and all our actions shall follow the accepted practices of the world.

5. Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to broaden and strengthen the foundation of imperial rule.

So, they were looking for new ideals and structures that were compatible with making Japan a country that was part of an emerging global system of interacting societies, each one of which had

-- a unified polity,

-- a highly integrated, politically mobilized society, and industrial economy,

-- and a secular, science-oriented nationalist education system for all.

These demands, Totman asserts were, quite obviously, "revolutionary."

Therefore, they were placing immense stresses throughout the polity and society.

That is why we see all the violence, destruction, disarray, confusion, millenarian and religious responses to what is going on...

That led to demoralization, paralysis, scapegoating, peculation, unsanctioned strong-arm tactics, wild gyrations of policy, etc.

Military ineptness, inadequacy of administration system, and failures of the police system were common.

The bakufu lacked the income to carry out reforms that were needed. Especially with all the built in costs.

At the broader social level--Daimyô, Samurai, and the masses of people--all the political disruption of the 1860s had far-reaching effects.

Public disillusionment at these levels was reflected in the spread of

-- political noncooepration

-- weakening of customary norms

-- spread of deviant behavior

-- reactionary shrill defense of customary norms

-- growing violence and political activism much of it outside sanctioned channels.

-- And the young who had the greatest future at stake and the least history to lose, were the most vigorous element in this unsanctioned activity.

This social disorder predictably generated more efforts by the regime to maintain social stability, and those efforts, in turn, generated more dissidence by the alienated.

Nothing seemed to work....During 1866-67 these crystallized in daring plans that by their nature would overturn the established order.

McClain's Take? pp. 151-154

Instructions