Original subtitles

early on the morning of july 2nd 1853

a japanese fisherman reported a strange

sight

i was told there were ships on fire

i ran up the mountain to get a good look

the ships came nearer and nearer

until the shape of them showed us they

were not japanese ships but foreign

and what we had taken for a

conflagration of sea

was really the black smoke rising out of

their smokestacks

steamships like most western innovations

were unknown in japan

now there were four in the harbor

the american squadron armed with cannons

and almost a thousand men was ready to

force its way onto japanese shores

[Music]

japan was a land shrouded in mystery a

warrior society ruled by the powerful

tokugawa shogunate they had successfully

kept the west at bay for over 200 years

[Music]

but now the western powers demanded

entry

could the samurai nation repel the

industrial might of a determined west

these are the memoirs of japan's secret

empire

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

yes

[Music]

all those who are in contact with us are

bound by an oath and assigned with their

blood not to talk or entrust to us

information about the situation of their

country their religion and secrets of

government

so reported the german doctor engelbert

kempfer one of the few europeans allowed

in japan

it was the year 1690 and the japanese

viewed westerners as barbarians who

threatened their orderly society

the japanese were determined to keep

their doors closed to the west

for as long as they could

there was one exception a small

settlement of dutch traders who agreed

to live in confinement on an island in

nagasaki harbor

[Music]

for over 200 years this sequestered

trading post would be europe's only

window to this impenetrable land

[Music]

the dutch east indies company sent dr

kemper to provide medical care for the

dutch community

he was also asked to gather information

about the everyday life of the japanese

it would not be an easy task

they are strictly and strongly guarded

from the inside and the outside by

various guards treating us not like

honest men but like criminals traitors

spies prisoners or to say the least

hostages of the shogun

this jail goes by the name of dejima

the dutch lived like prisoners on

deshima but kempha was fascinated by the

opportunity to write about something and

nobody else could get access to

dijima was tiny kemper counted 236 steps

across and 82 wide

there were never more than 19 men

allowed on the island at a time and

never any western women

far from home the men did what they

could to transform the unfamiliar

japanese style buildings into a little

touch of holland

they placed chairs and high tables on

the woven grass mats replaced futons

with poster beds and insisted on being

served dutch food rather than eating

japanese

no japanese except for prostitutes were

allowed unsupervised contact with the

dutch

[Music]

yet in order to gather information for

his reports kempfer managed to create a

small group of inadvertent japanese

informants

i serve them willingly and without

charge in my profession with medicines

while cordially serving them european

occurs

i questioned them about local matters

nature and secular and spiritual topics

with total freedom

[Music]

the japanese were as inquisitive as

kempher the dutch settlement was their

window to the exotic world of the west

but the trickle of information that

arrived from overseas was carefully

guarded every time a uh ship arrived the

dutch ship would have the latest news

from europe and that news would be given

to the dutch authorities in nagasaki

and then that news would be

translated into japanese and rushed

immediately to the headquarters of the

shogun

the ruler of japan the shogun hungered

for news of the outside world

he commanded the westerners to present

themselves at his castle once a year

the only time kempher really saw japan

was when he traveled from nakazaki to

edo which was the shogun's capital

[Music]

the road trip to edo gave kemp for

revealing glimpses into the world of the

japanese he recorded every detail of his

month-long trip

[Music]

we receive many of the honors that are

generally shown to the provincial lords

the roads are swept with booms and water

to keep the dust down

in the houses bordering the road people

kneel behind the blinds watching our

procession in profound silence

[Music]

an incredible number of people daily use

the highways of japan's provinces

indeed at certain times of the year they

are as crowded as the streets of a

populist european city

the reason for these crowds is partly

that the japanese travel more often than

other people

kempfer would write about all of the

travelers samurai and their lords called

daimyo merchants and roadside performers

buddhist monks and a group of young

women who dressed like nuns

[Music]

they cover their shawn heads with silk

hoods and adorns themselves nicely

each attaches herself to one particular

traveler starts up a rustic tune and as

long as it's to her advantage she

accompanies and amuses him for several

hours

[Music]

as the road traffic grew so did the

number of merchants who cater to the

traveler's needs

[Music]

[Music]

we saw many fine stalls those of

merchants and

cloth dealers

medicine dealers

traders and idols

booksellers glassblowers

pharmacists

and people crying out their bears

there are countless humble inns roadside

food stalls sake or beer taverns

cake and sweet stalls along our roads

outside tables also have a variety of

biscuits of different colors and shapes

on display

they are pretty to look at

but are generally so tough that it is

difficult to move one's teeth if one

attempts to chew them

tradesmen once considered social

parasites were beginning to improve

their position in japanese society

successful street peddlers became

roadside merchants who would eventually

build bigger stores and even move to the

cities

kempher was witnessing a changing way of

life in japan that would soon shake the

very foundations of this highly ordered

society

the samurai weren't allowed to engage in

trade

so

the merchant's standard of living was

rising while that of the samurai was

falling and that was just not

appropriate for tokugawa society where

the samurai were the top class

the samurai were the elite ruling class

less than 10 percent of the population

in tokugawa japan one was born a samurai

and only a samurai had the right to

carry two swords

obligation and loyalty to one's daimyo

master formed the basis of their warrior

code

[Applause]

but now in an era of peace the once

privileged samurai faced an uncertain

future there were no wars to fight and

many daimyo found it difficult to keep a

full army on staff

while higher level samurai could find

work as civil servants other samurai

were not allowed to work in occupations

considered beneath their class

[Music]

an increasing number of unemployed

samurai called ronin wandered the

countryside looking for a new master

[Music]

the search for new opportunities led

many to the

cities and there was no more rapidly

growing city than edo later to be known

as tokyo

edo was the capital of the tokugawa

shogunate and dr kemper's destination

here he would finally come face to face

with the shogun the most powerful person

in japan

[Music]

when dr kempfer arrived in edo he was

sequestered in guarded quarters for two

weeks

[Music]

finally he was summoned to appear at the

castle of the fifth shogun

tokugawa tsunayoshi

the shogun's residence is spacious with

many long corridors and large rooms

which can be closed off by sliding

partitions

according to the finest design of

japanese traditions the ceilings beams

and pillars

patterned by nature covered with lacquer

or carved and gilded artistically into

patterns of birds and foliage

the important thing about the fifth

tokugawa shogun tsunayoshi was that he

was the first shogun who was not

educated as a samurai

he was educated as scholar because he

was never supposed to become shogun and

so he had quite a different view of the

world

[Music]

the shogun's mother was a merchant's

daughter she broke class barriers when

she caught the eye of the reigning

shogun

her son tsunayoshi carried within him

both samurai and merchant values

he would preside over a new direction in

japanese society

at his court scholarship rather than

martial prowess was the fashion and

daimyo lords who wished to curry favor

with him became patrons of the arts and

letters

it was a time of cultural flowering in

japan

[Music]

tsunayoshi changed samurai society he

condemned violence which of course was

part of the samurai ethic

influenced by his childhood study of

buddhism and the confucian classics the

shogun's laws of compassion were

intended to protect all of nature's

creatures

tsuna yoshi's laws of compassion

protected those at the bottom of the

social scale

he had laws against infanticide

and that is quite advanced

children were abandoned when parents

couldn't no longer feed them

they were simply left to die

but tsuna yoshi ordered that from now on

officials had to take care of them feed

them and find homes for them

but tsunayoshi was also known for

lavishing the national treasury on his

own pleasures and he began to pursue his

reforms to harsh and unpopular extremes

born in the year of the dog tsunayoshi

issued strict laws protecting dogs

the samurai kept large number of dogs in

their mansions

and those who were not wanted were let

go and roamed the city and often

attacked

children

nobody wanted to be responsible for a

dog but he of course could not order

that these dogs be killed he ended up

building dog pounds

and apparently there were eventually

some forty thousand dogs which were fed

in dog pounds

and of course the feudal lord sadamiyah

had to pay for that

tsunayoshi would become known as the dog

shogun dr kempfer observed with humor

when dogs die they are carried up the

mountains and buried no less carefully

than people

a certain farmer laboriously carrying

his dead dog up the hill complained to

his neighbor about the year of the birth

of the shogun

the other replied my friend

let us not complain

if he was born in the year of the horse

our load would be much heavier

it was the dog shogun who dr kemper was

finally summoned to meet

after a month-long trip and two weeks of

waiting kemper was so impressed with the

experience he drew sketches to

illustrate his account of the command

performance

after we had been drilled for two hours

he ordered us to take off our cloaks to

dance to jump to play the drunkard to

speak broken japanese to sing

at the demand of the shogun we had to

put up with providing such amusements

and perform innumerable other monkey

tricks

albert kempfer and the fifth shogun

shared one thing and that was a great

curiosity

but at the audience the shogun sat

behind the bamboo screen

and he asked camphor to come close to

the bamboo screen even take his wig off

and dance and sing for him and camphor

strained his eyes to be able to see what

the shogun looked like and his wives

behind the bamboo screen

but they never were able to talk to each

other directly

the shogun and the doctor would meet

only three times but each provided a

brief glimpse for the other into his

world

kemper's account of japan became a

bestseller

it first appeared in english then it was

translated into dutch french several

translations even russian

and basically all knowledge until the

20th century was based on camphor's

so-called history of japan

[Music]

japan had no desire to open its doors to

the west the country was at peace but

the economy was in decline

thousands of disenfranchised samurai

warriors would keep the nation on edge

[Music]

by the beginning of the 18th century edo

was probably the largest city in the

world with over a million people

unlike the european capitals its

citizens enjoyed a safe clean city with

an advanced recycling

program and it was prosperous beyond

measure

[Music]

copper coins flow like currents of water

while silver piles up like drifting snow

every morning fish are sold in such

quantities that one may well wonder

whether or not the supply in the seas

has been exhausted

[Music]

visible in the distance

is mount fuji

rising in all its magnificence against

the horizon

[Music]

at least half of edo's population were

samurai warriors who had come to the

capitol with their daimyo lords

since there were no wars to fight the

samurai had leisure time

but not always the means to enjoy it

[Music]

the

downside of the era of peace for samarai

was that but somewhat i weren't allowed

to engage in commerce

and therefore gradually they see a lot

of wealthy merchants more able to do all

of the

things that they want to do

because they have more money

than your common salmoni

ironically merchants who catered to the

needs of the samurai were the ones who

benefited

they could now afford to get education

develop their taste cultural taste and

emulate the high-class samurai

whom

these merchants always admired and

envied

the social barrier was breaking down

since the beginning of the tokugawa era

a restrictive class structure had kept

everyone in their place

although the classes were not supposed

to fraternize the rules began to bend

in social situations such as the popular

haiku clubs where both samurai and

merchants were both active participants

rather than addressing each other by

their acknowledged family names each

would create a pen name

in this way they freed themselves from

adhering to the rigid rules demanded by

their social standing

[Music]

encouraged by peace and a prosperous

economy the arts and entertainment

flourished

samurai interest in education had

encouraged literacy among all social

groups

85 percent of the male population of edo

were avid readers

in

1800

there are about

120 or more

high poetry circles

and also there are about

500 book stores

and very active publishing activities

the people demanded these books and

information they want to read exciting

fictions

some of the best-selling novels of the

day were written by a

merchant-turned-author

named ihara saikaku

his book celebrated the era's emerging

pop culture a totally new genre in

japanese fiction

sakaku haunted the streets of edo for

his literary material

he knew prostitutes and daimyo as well

as beggars and merchants

and he wrote about them all with

unabashed candor and rippled humor

especially the newly prosperous

merchants who tried to emulate the

refined samurai

[Music]

if you didn't know better

you'd think they all came from fine

families

but let me tell you

that one in a shiny coat

he's a glue maker

he deals in cattle bones and cow slobber

but the way he dresses

you'd think his own bones were the

product of fine breeding

he's had to put his house in hawk

his creditors have taken him to court

if you ask me he's crazy to be out for a

night on the town

in edo a night on the town often meant

kabuki the most popular form of stage

entertainment

to edo people the kabuki actors were

like hollywood stars

the fans would collect woodblock prints

of their favorite actors

not only for the fun of collecting them

but also to see what fantastic costumes

their favorite actors were wearing on

stage

if the fans really liked a certain style

or design

in a flash it would become the newest

fashion trend

[Music]

the kabuki plays were romantic heroic

tales

one of the most famous tushingura was

based on a notorious real-life event

a daimyo lord had been humiliated in a

confrontation with a court official

the ruling shogun had ordered the lord

to commit seppuku ceremonial suicide

outraged by his death 47 of the lord's

samurai warriors avenged his honor by

killing the official

[Music]

this presented the ruling shogun with

the dilemma the samurai had obeyed their

code of honor yet they had challenged

the shogun's authority

the people begged for clemency but the

shogun would not yield

he ordered the samurai to commit suicide

[Music]

these samurai had lived and died by

their own code of honor

[Music]

the incident captured the public's

attention like no other

soon these men were immortalized on the

kabuki stage a nostalgic tribute to a

bygone era

it represented for them the ideal that

sam and i were so selfless and devoted

to honor and to their lord that they

would give up their lives and this was

reassuring

to them in a messy commercialistic world

in which most samara

spent their time drinking and partying

and watching the theater and

being selfish like us

there are 47 samurai

really act like warriors

all raise a shout of acclaim

well done

well done

and this praise will be echoed through

ages to come for these loyal retainers

we have recorded here their glory

ever renewed like the leaves of the

bamboo

the honor of the samurai would live on

in myth and legend

but in tokugawa japan there were no wars

no more quests for eternal glory

in real life the samurai would have to

find another outlet for their passion

[Music]

[Music]

the courtesan

arranges her clothing

so that the red silk undergarment will

flip open

to reveal a flash of white skin

when men witness such a sight they go

insane

and spend the money they are entrusted

with

even if it means literally losing their

heads the next day

but most men only gape

envious of the men who can pay the

courtesan's price

[Music]

more than three thousand courtesans and

geisha plied their trade in yoshiwara

the pleasure district of edo

yoshiwara was government regulated an

effective tool for keeping the restless

male population under careful control

like soldiers on perpetual leave the

samurai often spent their idle hours and

squandered their meager stipends on its

seductive illusions

yoshiwara was a dreamland for either man

it gave them fantasy imagination and

romance

it was like a hollywood

where celebrity was so important

gated walled and surrounded by a moat it

was a city unto itself

[Music]

no westerner was ever allowed to explore

its pleasures

[Music]

there was a distinct difference between

the geisha and the courtesans geisha

were professional entertainers they did

not rely on

sex um

for entertaining men they had their

music their singing

playing musical

instruments and dancing

whereas the courtesans

entertain the clients with the

conversation and sexual gratifications

yoshiwara courtesans were the elite of

the prostitutes

if they just wanted to fulfill their

sexual need

all over edo there were plenty of

illegal cheap

prostitutes

but they wanted to come to joshua

because it was such a

prestigious and special place

recruited at a young age from

impoverished families both geishas and

courtesans were schooled in fastidious

etiquette and endowed with a magnificent

sense of style and artistic refinement

their ability to hold a conversation

about the latest play or city scandal

was as important as what came afterwards

[Music]

the courtesans and their clients

gathered in neighboring tea houses they

were stylish centers of elegance and wit

much like the london coffee houses of

the same period

to properly partake of yoshiwara's

delights was an art in itself

[Music]

and the yoshiwara courtesans were

trained to think that they were better

than their clients

[Music]

and if a man wanted to visit yoshiwara

he had to prepare for it six months in

prior he had to buy a fine set of swords

he had to think about what to wear

because he wouldn't just go there the

courtesan

had the right to turn down her client if

she didn't like him

even if he could afford to pay for her

therefore

he wanted to make a good impression

on the courtesan

and then

once he's committed to her

he had no right to see other women

and if he

on the slide went to see any other

person

the

courtesan's entourage had every right to

punish him his hair would cut off he

will be

made to wear woman's red kimono and he

will be taunted by everyone

[Applause]

[Music]

yoshiwara nurtured its own unique

customs art fashion and language

it was a world seemingly set adrift from

the harsh realities of life

[Music]

living only for the moment

giving all our time to the pleasures of

the moon

the snow

cherry blossoms and maple leaves

singing songs

drinking sake

caressing each other

just drifting

drifting

never give a care if we had no money

refusing to be disheartened

like a gourd floating along the river

current

this is what is called

ukiyo

the floating world

but the word

still retained its ballistic sense of

this transitory life

it's in the its impermanence this life's

suffering was still there particularly

for the courtesans and prostitutes

all of whom had some kind of trouble

[Music]

they were very unhappy and yet they had

to present a very brilliant gay

um

external appearance to the general

public

it makes me think of the

music of blues in jazz world

this in definable indescribable

pace of sadness and languageness

[Music]

this is very reminiscent of the word

ukiyo to me

for the samurai who frequented yoshiwara

times were changing

they continued to train daily for battle

but without a war to fight many became

aimless

today's warriors all they talk about is

women eating and drinking actors and

dramatic productions

their fencing practice and lance work

are only for personal vendetta

their study of archery and gunnery are

solely for show

they're riding just for ceremonies

[Music]

katsu kokichi was a mid-level samurai

drawn to yoshiwara but without the

income to fulfill his desires

i was 21 and penniless

i had no choice but to sell my everyday

sword

i had only the clothes on my back

to take my mind off my woes i went to

the yoshiwara

they are protesting youngsters

that did not fit into this society

wearing oversized kimonos with

interesting hairstyles sometimes skin

head as well protest

many of these young men unemployed and

desperate like katsu kokichi lived on

the edge of society often falling into

debt theft and gangsterism

[Music]

when we entered the shrine precinct a

couple of sharp looking characters

sauntered after us having a tune

without warning my body spat in the face

of one of the men

we then noticed a group of about 20 men

all armed with long hooked spears

outside the gates was a reinforcement of

some 30 men with pike poses

[Music]

we were four against 50.

for katsu kokichi the samurai code of

honor was all but gone

by the middle of the 18th century the

expensive delights of yoshiwara were no

longer affordable for most samurai

the pleasure district took on an

increasingly ugly edge

and the brothel keepers lost their pride

they had become

slaves of

money making and they became much less

compassionate

[Music]

some of them became very very cruel and

treated

prostitutes miserably and there was some

death toward the end of the period

the sick of prostitutes were not given a

medication or care and when they died

they were just thrown into a pit

for nameless dead

[Music]

feeling alone

just like floating weeds cut off at the

root

i may just follow where the water may

take me

the insular world of the samurai was in

decay

to find a cure for its ills some would

begin to look in an unlikely direction

the west now beckoned with new ideas and

hope

[Music]

i couldn't read a word of course but

drawings of the viscera bones and

muscles were quite unlike anything i had

previously seen

[Music]

physician sugita genpaku couldn't read

dutch but when he stumbled upon a dutch

anatomy book he was stunned by the

drawings

he had never seen anything like it in

his chinese medical books

in the mid-18th century western books

first brought clandestinely from the

netherlands piqued the interest of many

japanese scientists and doctors

received permission from the government

to order the first sanctioned autopsy of

a criminal's corpse for scientific study

the corpse of the criminal was that of

an old woman of about 50 years

the old butcher pointed to this and that

giving them names

but there were certain parts for which

he had no names

when we compared what we saw with the

illustrations in the dutch book

it was exactly as depicted

[Music]

dr sugita and his friends reflected on

how shameful it was that they had tried

to treat their patients without a true

knowledge of the human body

he vowed to learn more he taught himself

dutch so he could translate the book

[Music]

the next day we met and began

gradually we got so we could decipher 10

lines or more a day

after two or three years of hard study

everything became clear to us

the joy of it was as the chewing of

sweet sugar cane

[Music]

in 1774 the shogun granted dr sugita

permission to publish the medical book

so he could share his knowledge with

other doctors

this book became part of a growing

interest in dutch learning known as

rongaku

[Music]

when physicians discovered they could

heal ailments with the new western

medicine from holland that they couldn't

heal with the traditional japanese

medical practices

they became very interested in the study

of rangaku

gradually as knowledge of the dutch

language became more widespread

other aspects of rangaku such as

astronomy science and chemistry were

introduced to japan

[Music]

almost a hundred years after dr

engelbert kempfer the desire for western

knowledge would initiate the push to

open the door to japan from the inside

[Music]

and yet as attractive as western

knowledge was to some japanese

intellectuals there were others who

believed that anything western still

threatened japanese society

one source of harm that has appeared of

late is dutch studies

these students have been taken in by the

weakness of some for novel gadgets and

rare medicines which delight the eye and

enthrall the heart

if someday the treacherous foreigner

should take advantage of the situation

and lure ignorant people to his ways

our people will adopt such practices as

eating dogs and sheep

and no one will be able to stop it

it is like nurturing barbarians within

our own country

[Music]

today the alien barbarians of the west

the lowly organs of the legs and feet of

the world are dashing across the seas

tramping other countries under foot

and daring with their squinting eyes and

limping feet to override the noble

nations what manner of arrogance is this

japan had managed to keep the alien

barbarians at bay for more than 200

years but now in the mid-19th century

the west was poised to assert itself

the shogun is faced with a strategic

threat

on three fronts

from the north the russians are coming

from the south the british are coming

and ultimately from the east the

americans come

the new country of the united states of

america was on the move

japan was known to have large coal

deposits and something else in abundance

whales

whale oil which literally greased the

wheels of american industry was a

multi-million dollar business

[Music]

whale hunters had depleted the north

atlantic oceans now america looked

eastward to japan

[Music]

if that double-bolted land japan is ever

to become hospitable

it is the whale ship alone tomb the

credit will be due

so wrote herman melville in his classic

tale of the great white whale that

haunted the waters off japan

by the time moby dick was published in

1851 the united states was ready to

assert its power

japan's leaders were aware of the

growing push towards their shores

the shogunate had been preparing for the

arrival of the west for decades they had

set up a special translation bureau

which was gathering information about

the west translating atlases translating

dictionaries

developing a set of foreign affairs

specialists

[Music]

key advisors warned of an imminent

foreign threat they urged the shogun to

bolster his defenses

we should build warships

then if barbarians come to our sea

we should shoot every single one of them

[Music]

others feared that japan could not serve

as a worthy opponent to the west their

weaponry and ships had not changed since

closing the doors to europe 200 years

before

there was no resolution

[Music]

then early in the morning on july 2nd

1853

a local fisherman reported this strange

sight

i was told there were ships on fire

i ran up to the mountain to get a good

look

the ships came nearer and nearer

until the sheep of them showed us they

were not japanese ships

but foreign

and what we had taken for a

conflagration on sea

was really the black smoke rising out of

their smokestacks

these steamships dwarfed any ship ever

built in japan

to the japanese they were the kurofune

the black ships of evil appearance

[Music]

on board were some sixty cannons and

almost one thousand americans

and they landed not in the foreigners

port of nagasaki but rather in the

forbidden waters of edo bay the shogun's

own capital city

upon hearing the news the shogun

immediately fell ill

many said from the shock of hearing that

a foreign naval squadron was at his

doorstep

his advisors tried to deal with the

crisis

[Music]

fresh messages arrived one after the

other

the situation seemed so sudden

so formidable

and so important

[Music]

orders were issued to the great clans to

keep strict watch

as if it were possible that these

barbarian vessels might proceed to acts

of violence

in a desperate show of force the

shogunate sent a squadron of guard boats

to surround the american ships

the japanese officer ordered the ships

to leave

their commander commodore matthew c

perry ignored him

i was well aware that the more exclusive

i should make myself from the more

exacting i might be

the more respected these people of forms

and ceremonies would award me

five thousand samurai warriors armed

with swords and antiquated cannons lined

for shores

again their chief officer commanded

perry leave at obey immediately

the commodore refused

i endeavor to inculcate the idea that

the government of the united states is

superior in power and influence to japan

the honor of the nation calls for it

and the interest of commerce demands it

[Music]

the japanese onshore watched as perry's

crews readied for action

cannons were loaded guns were drawn

perry came ashore

perry presented his papers and delivered

his ultimatum

he would be back and he expected japan

to comply with america's demand to open

the country for trade

if not he was prepared to take japan by

force

he would return in the spring for his

answer

[Music]

then he and his squadron left at obey

[Music]

their deportment and manner of

expressions were exceedingly arrogant

and the resulting insult to our national

dignity was not small

those who heard could but gnash their

teeth and suffer this insult in silence

after the barbarians had retired a

certain person drew his sword and

slashed to bits a portrait of their

leader perry

there was great fear of perry there were

uh the the portraits of perry as a devil

there were the portraits of his ship's

belching fire

all of this served to to whip up you

know near hysteria on the part of

portions of the japanese populace at the

same time

there's fascination there's fascination

with perry there's fascination with

these ships these enormous ships that

hadn't been seen before there's

fascination with the technological

prowess of the americans

to complicate matters the shogun had

died and the new shogun was mentally

unfit

his advisors took charge but they could

not reach agreement

the head of the shogunate decides that

he is going to pull

all of the daimyo in japan what should

the shogunate do

this is a radical break with tradition

the the

authority of the shogunate is to deal

with foreign relations

the title of the shogun of course is the

great barbarian quelling generalissimo

and yet here is the head of the

shogunate asking the daimyo what he

should do

two positions are staked out one

being known as the open the country

argument

the americans do not understand the

ethics of humanity and justice

there will be no choice but to start

trade with them

the other side being revere the emperor

and expelled the barbarian

the americans have come to seize japan

therefore if we don't drive them away

now the other foreign powers will follow

we are in a dangerous situation

[Music]

while the debate raged the shogunate

remained indecisive

the end of the year was filled with

half-hearted compromises and inadequate

attempts at coastal defense

[Music]

then in february perry returned earlier

than expected

[Music]

this time his show of force was even

more ominous he arrived with double the

ships and crew

the honor of the japanese had been

challenged but they had no means to

defend it

their only hope lay in negotiation

[Music]

as soon as perry came ashore the talks

began

they went on into the night and for the

next 23 days

[Music]

in the end the treaty was a compromise

which served both countries interests

[Music]

perry got what he wanted which was to

establish a relationship between japan

and the united states

the shogunate got what it wanted in not

surrendering its control over foreign

relations and opening japan up to

unregulated trade

i'm not sure that the shogunate has been

given enough credit for choosing peace

over war

and you can say that the that the

shogunate chose

to

open up relations with america and the

west out of weakness

but it didn't have to

the shogunate took the practical

decision

and they chose peace and thereby

preserved

the integrity and territorial

sovereignty of their country

before signing the treaty with perry the

shogun arranged a social evening a

prerequisite for conducting business in

japan that continues to this day

sumo wrestlers displayed their strength

the first one invited perry to punch him

in the stomach

another wrestler hoisted two huge bags

of rice over his head to show his

strength

perry offered champagne and whiskey he

gave the japanese gifts among those of

particular interest a telegraph a camera

and a quarter scale steam railroad

unlike anything the japanese had ever

seen

japanese engineers would quickly make

plans to replicate them

[Music]

three days later the agreement was

signed

it was not long before japan signed

trade agreements with russia england

france and holland

despite its accommodation to the west

the days of the tokugawa dynasty were

numbered

[Music]

no longer was the warrior class to

control the destiny of japanese society

within 10 years the samurai were

officially disbanded

but the samurai ethic had been indelibly

engraved into japanese culture

in 1868 the 15th shogun stepped down

with his departure

265 years of rule by the tokugawa family

had come to an end

the modern era of japan

had begun