Edo Period Research Articles

STUDY ON SPATIAL STRUCTURES OF OKURA-SYO LOCATED A PORT BUILT ON AN ESTUARY IN THE EDO PERIOD (PART2): MINATO-OKURA-SYO OWNED BY SENDAI DOMAIN IN THE ISHINOMAKI PORT

In the Edo period, the Sendai domain built five Okura-syo in Ishinomaki port which is the Kitakami estuary. This study had targeted Minato-okura-syo from among those. Concerning the site, the spatial structures and the storehouse's specifications, the commonality were seen between Minato-okura-syo and other Okura-syo in the Ishinomaki Port. On the other hand, the Minato-okura-syo had a difference from the Okura-syo which used to collect the tax of rice in Sendai domain territory. The Minato-okura-syo was characterized by the following points. First is the land use that combined with space of unloading. Second is the “Mawashi” that enclosed the site.

Humor and satire in the Edo period seen through Ukiyoe by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Humor and satire in the Edo period seen through Ukiyoe by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

"영화 속에 나타나는 에도시대 하급무사 가정의 음식과 식사의 기능에 관한 연구 "

"영화 속에 나타나는 에도시대 하급무사 가정의 음식과 식사의 기능에 관한 연구 "

How Network Analysis Uncovers International Networks of Smuggling History: Criminals in Nagasaki, Japan circa 1667

This paper takes a network analytic approach to investigating crime in seventeenth-century Japan. In 1667, the Nagasaki magistrate’s office conducted the largest documented smuggling crackdown in Tokugawa Japan (1603–1867), busting a ring of 87 arms traffickers who had been shipping contraband to Chosŏn Korea (1392–1910). I use the office’s “criminal investigation records” (hankachō 犯科帳) to build a dataset of the 94 suspects from ten Japanese towns who were interrogated about their involvement at the time. Using a three-mode network (people, place, crime), the resulting graphs and statistics reveal a new geography of the crime in question: contrary to the conclusions of the original investigators and of modern-day historians who “closely read” their records, the digital analysis relocates the epicenter of the smuggling ring to be in Tsushima, not Hakata or Nagasaki, and its ringleader as a merchant named Komoda Kanzaemon, rather than Itō Kozaemon. Though various limitations are recognized, the case study demonstrates the utility of network analysis on early modern crime data in general and for archives built with criminal-investigative intent like the hankachō in particular.

The transnational historiography of a dynastic transition: Writing the Ming-Qing transition in seventeenth-century China, Korea, and Japan

AbstractThe Ming-Qing transition (1618–1683), a dynastic upheaval that not only consumed much of China, but also saw the Qing invasion of Joseon Korea and an influx of refugees into Tokugawa Japan, was a source of inspiration for writers across East Asia. Unofficial, contemporary histories written by Ming and early Qing subjects made their way by land and sea to Korea and Japan, where they were either adapted for domestic audiences or used as the basis for new unofficial histories of the dynastic transition.This article makes the argument that unofficial, contemporary history-writing about the Ming-Qing transition in China, Korea, and Japan was part of a regional trend towards an intellectual culture of contemporaneity. While scholars have focused on the transition and its impact upon notions of cultural centrality, it should be emphasized that these notions emerged alongside developments encouraging the production and circulation of contemporary, cross-cultural knowledge and information. In other words, the flourishing of print, diversification of reading audiences, and evolution of new modes of knowledge-production and transmission formed a background against which demand increased for updated information about a shared world. Participation as producers (writers and editors) and consumers (readers) in this seventeenth-century culture of contemporaneity was restricted by language, schooling, and economic standing. Nonetheless, a transnational history perspective will show that the unofficial, multi-vocal, and multilingual historiography of the Ming-Qing transition encourages a re-evaluation of not only the intellectual history of East Asia, but also the history of the transition.

The Meiji Revolution: 100 and 150 Years Later (Nikolai Konrad and the Paradoxes of His “Progress”)

Using the example of the article “The Centenary of the Japanese Revolution” (1968) by the outstanding Japanologist Nikolai Konrad, the author examines his understanding of the “Meiji Revolution”. Holding on, by and large, to the Marxist views on history, Nikolai Konrad turned out to be surprisingly close to “bourgeois” historians in understanding the Meiji Revolution. The “bourgeois” and Soviet historians (including Konrad himself), who were in conflict relations, consistently qualified the Meiji Revolution as a “progressive” (positive) event that introduced Japan to the “world” (i.e., Western and the only one possible) civilization. Marxist and “bourgeois” thinkers differed in their assessment of the future (whether or not communism was the highest stage of progress), but their view of the Japanese past showed amazing unanimity. The keenness on the theory of progress was so allembracing that Nikolai Konrad’s assessments of specific historical phenomena of the Tokugawa period demonstrate outright error and bias. None of the “advanced” European countries could boast of such a long-lasting social peace as that which we observe in the Tokugawa period, which, however, did not prevent Konrad (as well as other Western historians) from branding the Tokugawa rule as “reactionary” and “stagnant”.

Humean Elements in the Teachings of Itō Jinsai

The present article juxtaposes selected elements of the Humean position on moral motivation with the ethical teachings of the Edo period Japanese Confucian scholar Itō Jinsai—especially the latter’s critical reading of the notion of structural coherence li, his defence of human feelings as the fundamental ground of moral motivation and his views on the origins of moral sentiment. In doing so, the article aims to show that there is an interesting line going through Jinsai’s work that might be argued to bear, within the philosophical project of Confucian ethics, similarities to certain of Hume’s more famous positions, which it actually predates.

Study focuses on local government formation process in Kawagoe City from Edo Period to Meiji Era

AbstractThis paper focuses on the process of local government formation, from the Edo Period to the Meiji Era, in Kawagoe City, which has its roots in a castle town at the end of the Edo Period, in order to discover regional formation for urban reorganization. The daiku‐shoku system and Rengo‐choson organized early‐modern towns and villages in the Edo Period as self‐governing organizations, but the mass amalgamations during the Meiji Era created municipalities, forming the basis of the current city sphere. These phases of Meiji Restoration were influenced by the topography of rivers and farmland, and the urban expansion of castle towns, which formed the organization. Although some of the landforms that functioned as boundaries of the organization disappeared owing to mergers and urban development after the Meiji Era, most of the elements have been inherited by the current city master plan districts. Accordingly, by organizing the process of regional formation, we have derived the gradual changes in consciousness that occurred under the circumstances of conversion from different organizations. In addition, by comparing the current and past situations, the inheritance of the historical background is presented.

The Contrast between Japanese and Chinese Gardens – Taking Humble Administrator’s Garden in Suzhou and Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto as Examples

Garden culture has evolved through thousands of years to create its own distinctive features in both China and Japan. Chinese culture also had a major influence on Japanese culture, which is seen in garden culture. Both the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Katsura Imperial Villa were built during the same eras, the Ming Dynasty and the Edo era, and they are considered to be the greatest examples of Japanese and Chinese garden architecture. The garden design, water features, and rock elements of the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Katsura Imperial Villa are thoroughly compared in this study to highlight their commonalities and differences. It explores the factors behind these distinctions, encompassing the design and aesthetic concepts of the two countries, while considering the influence of cultural, economic, and natural factors. Additionally, the research uncovers key findings, shedding light on the distinctions between these two gardens and the influential factors, including cultural, economic, and natural influences, shaping their unique characteristics. The study delves into historical, geographical, and cultural influences, unveiling the distinct preferences and philosophies of Chinese and Japanese garden aesthetics. Ultimately, this research extends readers’ comprehension of Chinese and Japanese garden art and culture, fostering positive cross-cultural understanding and communication between the two nations. Through comparison and analysis, readers gain a deeper understanding of the underlying ideologies and aesthetics of these two cultures, promoting greater exchange and mutual enrichment in the realm of Sino-Japanese garden art.

Introducing the Research Project “Sacred Narrative – The Political Dimension of Japanese Mythology”

The Kojiki and Nihon shoki have been integral to the formation of Japanese identity, especially since the 18th century. As such, they were constantly exposed to processes of sacralization and desacralization, i.e., the attribution and removal of authority. The research project “Sacred Narrative – The Political Dimension of Japanese Mythology” is concerned with how certain systems of thought or ideology used these texts in a way that raised them to an elevated position or deprived them of it. Organized in three focus areas, the project delves into the topic of the historical change the Kojiki and Nihon shoki underwent in terms of interpretation and instrumentalization from the Edo period up to modern-day Japan. These investigations are integrated into the research group “De/Sacralization of Texts” at the University of Tübingen that started its work in January 2022. In this interdisciplinary context, “Sacred narrative” seeks to promote the integration of East-Asian textuality into general theory formation.

Идея моногамии и семейные отношения в Японии периода Мэйдзи

During the Meiji period, the family came to be seen as the basis of a new type of centralized state. Such a state needed a new family of increased strength. A great innovation in the family discourse of the Meiji period was the focus on the monogamous family. The idea of monogamy as a moral imperative was introduced into public discourse by Mori Arinori. In the ruling house, the idea of monogamy found strong support. During the Tokugawa period, divorce was commonplace, but as a result of persistent propaganda, the number of divorces in Japan dropped dramatically: in 1889 it was 3.39 per thousand, but after only ten years it fell to 1.53 and tended to decrease. If earlier a third of marriages ended in divorce, now this figure has dropped to one eighth. The Civil Code of 1898 defined the basic characteristics of the Japanese family as a monoga­mous and patriarchal entity for many years to come. Those people who con­demned such family shape turned out to be in the desperate minority and were unable to give an adequate rebuff to the totalitarianism that was gaining strength, the grass roots of which was formed by a monogamous patriarchal family.

The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo by M. W. Shores

Reviewed by: The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo by M. W. Shores Till Weingärtner (bio) The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo. By M. W. Shores. Cambridge University Press, 2021. xliv, 245 pages. $99.99, cloth; $80.00, E-book. Over the last ten years or so, rakugo, the Japanese performance art of comedic storytelling, has grown in popularity and attention within the field of Japan studies. This is not only the result of increased academic interest from established scholars and graduate students; it is also because of expanding opportunities to experience rakugo without traveling to Japan. More and more performers are taking their art abroad, speaking either in Japanese with subtitles, in the language of the country in which they are performing, or in Japanese for audiences who are able to understand them. For example, academics from the field had opportunities to witness performances by Tatekawa Shinoharu as part of the online reception of the 2021 conference of the European Association for Japanese Studies and performances organized by the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge in April 2022. The recent pandemic may have limited such opportunities, but the larger number of Japanese rakugo performers who reach out to audiences via the Internet and share online content, both free and paid for, has also created more opportunities for interested audiences outside the country. With this greater interest in the genre, M. W. Shores's The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo is a timely and welcome addition to the English-language literature on the topic of rakugo and constitutes the fourth relevant monograph, following earlier publications by Heinz Morioka and Miyoko Sasaki, Lorie Brau, and Ian McArthur. 1 As the title indicates, Shores's study focuses on the rakugo tradition of Osaka and the wider Kansai region (known as Kamigata rakugo) and discusses this topic in English for the first time. While Morioka [End Page 210] and Sakaki's Rakugo: The Popular Narrative Art of Japan , published over 30 years ago, explores aspects of the history, story content, and performance techniques of Tokyo rakugo, it only briefly acknowledges the rakugo tradition of Osaka. Shores highlights Tokyo rakugo scholars' superficial understanding and lack of interest in Kamigata rakugo throughout his book. He also succeeds at providing the reader with insight into why Kamigata rakugo was often ignored or judged as being second-class to the rakugo performed within the capital, even in Japanese-language scholarship and criticism. Indeed, Shores's book can be read as a love letter for Kamigata rakugo, and the reader is often left with a smile on their face when Shores attributes the contempt of Tokyo rakugo fans to ignorance. Through the author's skilled guidance, drawing on Shores's own experiences as a comedic performer, the book succeeds in enabling the reader to identify key differences between the two traditions. Like Lorie Brau, the author of Rakugo: Performing Comedy and Cultural Heritage in Contemporary Tokyo, Shores shares his wide-ranging background and experience as an apprentice in the rakugo world, where he spent a combined four years under the tutelage of Kamigata rakugo masters Katsura Bunshi V and Hayahiya Somemaru IV. While Shores's study reflects his work as a participant observer, it constitutes less of an insider's testimonial than Brau's work. His study of Kamigata rakugo is spread out over three chapters. First, he considers the context of the art within Kamigata and Osaka and draws connections to other performing arts from the region, focusing on the sociohistorical origins of the prominent merchant class in Osaka. A second chapter provides a concise overview of the history of Kamigata rakugo, beginning with its roots prior to 1600 and then looking at the development of the genre and selected performers from the Edo period to the Reiwa era. Finally, Shores approaches Kamigata rakugo as literature, analyzing the content and form of the stories as performed by its regional practitioners. Shores presents a conversation (or what he calls a geidan, adopting the common practice of Japanese publications) with his master...

江戶儒學と社會 －武士の書院と『孔子家語』という觀點から－

江戶儒學と社會 －武士の書院と『孔子家語』という觀點から－

에도 시대 후기 조정의 변화와 천황호 · 한풍시호 재흥

This article explores the transformation of the imperial court in the Late Tokugawa Era through the revival of the Chinese posthumous name (kanfū shigō ) and the title of tennō (emperor).BR The retired emperor Tomohito, who died in 1840, was given the title of “Kōkaku tennō ” (Emperor Kokaku) in 1841. It was the revival of the title of “tennō ” and the Chinese posthumous name after approximately 900 years. This is well-known in previous studies, implying that it represents the emergence of the emperor’s authority. After the death of Tomohito, Takatsukasa Masamichi, the kanpaku (chief advisor) of the time, got permission from the Tokugawa shogunate to revive the posthumous name through preliminary negotiations. The posthumous name of Tomohito was devised by the Sugawara Clan, the traditionally specialized court nobles in Chinese literature. Meanwhile, Masamichi sought advice from the Confucian scholar Ito Toho, the descendant of Itō Jinsai. The posthumous name of “Kokaku”, which was finally adopted, was also originally devised by Toho. It seems that the samples of Sugawara nobles are revised by the order of Masamichi, considering the samples submitted from Toho.BR This is an interesting example that reveals how the intellectuals outside of the imperial court were involved in court politics in Late Tokugawa Japan.

가이바라 에키켄(貝原益軒)의 교육사상에 관한 연구

The educator and philosopher Kaibara Ekiken, has long been seen as a model for the intellectuals of the Edo period. He is regarded as the progenitor of modern education in Japan and is seen in Japan in a similar light as Aristotle. In this study, the social situation of the Edo period, the life of Ekiken, and his book 『Wazokudozikun』 were comprehensively analyzed to find out about the educational thought process of Ekiken and the resulting social effects. As a result, conclusions were drawn about the educational period, content, and method of education that Ekiken was aiming for. By paying attention to the importance of early childhood in the 'human formation', he tried to awaken young children through a process of 'education without teaching' as well as impacting the beginning and end of things as early as possible. It is speculated that Ekiken's educational ideas influenced not only the ruling class of warriors, but also the education of the merchant class. In particular, it is likely that it had a significant impact on the establishment of Terakoya, (the basic educational institution of merchants), as well as the education without teaching of Detchi Bonggong. This research paper will show that, Ekiken should be evaluated as a “master of the early modern period of education in Japan” rather than as the “beginning of the modern education period in Japan.”

진주교방문화 콘텐츠 연구

In this paper, focusing on the case of Hanamachi in Kyoto, Japan, we considered how to revitalize Gyobang cultural contents in Jinju-si. Hanamachi in Kyoto is a place where geisha actually exist, and it is a successful example of historical and cultural content where the culture of the Edo period continues to the modern day. Through the case of Hanamachi in Kyoto, which is the most active among the remaining Hanamachi in Japan, we sought ways to revitalize various Gyobang cultural contents owned by Jinju. To this end, Jinju Gyobang cultural contents were classified into person content, place content, and food content. As a result, Jinju's Gyobang Cultural Content is a local specialized resource and has a very high possibility of developing tourism content. Jinju is currently a UNESCO creative city recognized for its historical and traditional characteristics of culture and art. With these points as assets, Jinju City can use Gyobang culture as a traditional cultural tourism resource in Jinju Bay by linking it with various contents of Jinju, just as Kyoto in Japan continues the tradition of geisha culture as a historical and cultural content by utilizing tourist attractions around Hanamachi. To this end, above all, Jinju citizens’ firm will to revitalize the culture of Jinju Gyobang should be the basis.

Against a Rupture Narrative: Japanese “Western Learning” from Tokugawa to Meiji

Throughout the 19th century, Japanese elite society simultaneously expanded its interest in affairs beyond its borders while reaffirming its distrust foreigners and foreignness (jōi). This paper examines the variety of ways in which Japan engaged with the outside in the tumultuous 19th century. Scholarship on 19th century Japan so often treats the Tokugawa period and the Meiji period as absolutely separate entities, between which occurred a complete shift in thought and ideology. Even scholars who argue that Sakoku was a myth still tend to leave the Meiji period well enough alone; likewise, Meiji scholars often fail to address the similarities in thought between the two periods. In terms of the ideological and scholarly currents about Japanese relationships with the exterior, the late Tokugawa period and the Meiji period were actually quite similar. I intend to create a discourse on Japanese external relations that synthesizes a number of temporally narrow scholarly works in order to show not a rupture but a continuity in Japanese national thought throughout the 19th century— in the transition from the Tokugawa to Meiji eras, views on the outside world did not change nearly as much as most scholars have presumed.

Ōbaku monk Baisaō and the Development of the Sencha Tradition in Edo Period Japan (1603-1868)

The Ōbaku school, which represents the third major trend of Zen Buddhism along with Rinzai and Sōtō, appeared in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) due to the arrival of Buddhist emigrant monks from China. The article discusses the life of Ōbaku monk named Baisaō who played a decisive role in the development and popularization of the tradition of sencha (brewing leaf tea in hot water) in Japan during the Edo period. This method of brewing tea, popular among Ōbaku monks, which at the initial stage of the development of the teaching was represented by ethnic Chinese, was a reference to the traditions of tea drinking by Chinese intellectuals of antiquity and was actually opposed to Baisaō the existing Japanese tea ceremony. The author concludes that it was familiarity with the teaching of Ōbaku, which personified a corner of Ming China in Japan, that determined the life path of Baisaō associated with the Chinese tea tradition and significantly influenced the formation of the cultural image of the entire epoch - the movement for the popularization of sencha after Baisaō's death took on a truly large scale. It can be said that his active activity in spreading tea culture in Japan, in which Baisaō himself reflected his spiritual ideals, led to the creation of a full-fledged alternative to the Japanese tea ceremony, thanks to which many of his contemporaries and their descendants fell in love with tea drinking again in the spirit of the Chinese sages of antiquity.

«Three Great Reforms» of the Edo Period as Foundation for Understanding Japanese Behaviour

The proposed review deals with the problem of the Three Great Reforms in the second half of the Edo period in Japan. All Three Reforms were named after the era, when each began (Kyoho, Kansei, and Tempo). The general slogan of the reforms was «back to the golden age», which meant the time of the founder of the Tokugawa dynasty. The real reason for the reforms was the need to reconcile some bourgeois changes in society with the formal feudal structure of the State organization. The content of each reform, its results, initiators and the socio-political situation are presented here in full, comprehensive form with basic details. The list of references is absent for the reason that the review itself is based on the materials of a doctoral dissertation, written by the author of the article previously, in Russian. The complete list of several hundred publications on the topic can be obtained by referring to the full text of the dissertation (Philippov A. V. «Three Great Reforms» and evolution process of the Japanese society, in the second half of the Edo period. Dissertation of Doctor in History. St. Petersburg, 2003. 503 p. URL: https://www.dissercat.com/content/tri-bolshie-reformy-i-protsessy-evolyutsii-yaponskogo-obshchestva-vtoroi-poloviny-epokhi-edo). The author suggests that the experience of reforms in Tokugawa Japan was very useful for the formation of national character, ethnic stereotypes of behaviour, psychology and way of thinking of the Japanese. The content of all Three Great Re-forms combined has never been presented in English or Japanese before.

Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan: Materials, Makers, and Mastery by Christine M. E. Guth

Mention of Japanese crafts or mingei typically generates an image of delicate straw baskets, indigo-dyed cloth, and lacquered combs. So too does it recall the well-known mark of distinction given to skilled artisans in Japan, even in the twenty-first century—“Living National Treasures.” Such icons of craft culture represent the institutionalization and preservation of traditional techniques and materials for specific crafts by contemporary practitioners. But in contrast to considering Japanese crafts in the context of unchanging traditions and the continuous use of the original materials that shaped everyday objects centuries ago, Guth takes a different perspective in Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan. Her deep expertise in Japan’s visual and material culture between the late sixteenth and nineteenth centuries leads her to develop a dynamic rather than static view of “traditional” Japanese crafts. For Guth, Japanese crafts are best seen not as direct descendants of a material culture developed centuries ago but as products of social and technological processes inherent to the environments in which they evolved. Such environments change over time, producing changes in the relationship between artisans and the natural materials and technical tools that they use.Guth also moves readers away from the common trope that Japanese craftspeople have been motivated principally by their reverence for nature in their creation of objects from local natural resources. Rather, she documents the importance of shogunal policies in the Tokugawa period to address the decimation of forests, various crops, and other resources that made it possible for craft production to continue. In short, crafts did not necessarily manifest a love of nature so much as a pragmatic approach to exploiting natural resources to create the tools and utensils for everyday life.Craft production was determined not only by the varying availability of raw materials but also by the development of consumer markets. In the eighteenth century, craft production dispersed across Japan as lords sought ways to diversify the local economies under their jurisdiction. To this end, they encouraged the production of goods for sale. Local products came from local resources, becoming the meibutsu (regional specialties) now familiar to contemporary Japanese people and to those who visit Japan.Guth also pays attention to the variety of people engaged in the production of goods and to the processes of learning that craft production entailed. The young men who were formal apprentices typically spent seven to ten years learning their craft through observation and practice, as opposed to disembodied book learning. Learning took place in the process of doing and making, an important part of which entailed observation and experimentation with the ways in which different materials interacted with each other. As Guth writes, “Craft practitioners were not embodiments of tenacious traditions. They were flesh and blood problem solvers who used available materials, technical know-how, and ingenuity to adapt to changing environmental, social, economic, and political circumstances” (192). Although women were generally excluded from the guilds, workshops, and other groups organized around crafts, they too were “makers of things.” Women typically performed their work within the household, entering it into the public domain through the market.Guth’s approach centers less on a standard aesthetic analysis and more on a sociological exploration of how craft production was embedded in particular urban and rural spaces as well as on the political, economic, and social forces that shaped those spaces. In utilizing this approach, she brings to life the meaning of the gorgeous objects and scenes included in this visually stunning book.