Click Decolonisation for casahistoria End of Empire links

The western impact on Japan:

• Two articles by Derek Massarella, Professor of History, Faculty of Economics, Chuo University, Tokyo:
  • Revisiting Japan’s ‘Christian Century’ Academic article looking at the christian missionary impulse and the treatment as well as response of missionaries in (16th/17th century) Japan, seeing it as a development of theories expounded originally with relation to the missions of the Americas. Interesting initial section on the 16th century philosophical justification for missionary imperialism that centred on the question of whether the native (Americans) were or were not, natural slaves. If so, then the Spanish had the right, and the obligation, to conquer and convert them by force ...
  • What was Happening in East Asia Around 1600?   Examines the state of East Asia in the early 17th century. By examining the nature (and degree) of pre-industrial globalisation, the essay shows that a hidden player in the process of early modern international trade was that current engine of the world economy – China. Europe developed a triangle of trade between the south American colonies, Japan and China to trade South American silver for silk which then served as the basis (and financing) for Europe’s growing trade with the East.
• Red-Haired Barbarians 40 Rare Japanese prints depicting the Dutch and other foreigners in Nagasaki and Yokohama, 1800-1865. From the Dutch International Institute of Social History.
• Visual Narratives: Black Ships & Samurai Lush visual site, using much primary source material. Main problem: scroll sideways..... From Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Perry and US in the Pacific
• Footholds in the Pacific
• Brief history of the samurai (K12 account including definitions of daimyo, shogun, etc.)  
• Matthew Perry’s Account of ‘When We Landed in Japan’ Generally glowing and pro-US depiction of US Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan in 1854.
• Japanese Imperialism  Study background notes (Univ of California, Santa Cruz course) make a useful basic structure to understand Japanese imperialism. Clear contrasts made with the western imperialists.  §
• Making of Modern Japan Lecture which gives a brief, but valuable overview of emergence and expansion of Japan, 1854-1945. By Professor Gerhard Rempel, Western New England College.
• Internet East Asian History Sourcebook Major compilation of textual and visual original sources from the history of East Asia. The clearly organized outline gathers material dating from prehistoric times through post-WWII society, focusing on China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, treating general culture, religion (with Buddhism especially well covered), political and dynastic history, technology, literature, education, imperialism, communism, and gender. Includes secondary sources, links to other topical sites and major indexes, and numerous texts, images, and maps.

Early Japanese imperialism