An Author’s Perspective: The Influence Of Western Culture On Japan 

For much of Japanese history, up until the end of the Tokugawa Era, Japan would isolate itself from all Western countries to ensure the safety of Japanese culture and customs. Strict systems would be established by various leaders of Japanese society in order to further protect Japan from an ever changing world. Even so, western culture would eventually make its way into Japanese society, and would have a steady impact on the progression of Japanese systems and customs. Various Japanese individuals would soon craft pieces of literature, ranging from autobiographies to works of fiction, in order to illustrate the transitional period from traditional Japanese culture, to a more westernized state.

Within Musui’s Story: An Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai, an account is given by a Samurai living within the Tokugawa Era. This account would provide a visual of Japanese life before the arrival of Western Culture. Subsequent works such as And Then and Naomi would offer an insight into Japanese culture as transitions were made to more Westernized ideals. The author’s of this time of transition would offer many critiques of the vast influences from the West. Most of these authors would illustrate the rapid deterioration of older Japanese customs and the expansion of a materialistic culture from the West. This materialistic culture would spread rapidly throughout Japan, taking with it all of the inhabitants, even those who had no desire for change. To understand the dramatic impact Westernization had on the traditional customs and governmental systems of Japan, it is imperative to first understand a bit of how the Tokugawa Era governmental system worked before a shift occurred. There would be five primary pillars that would comprise the Tokugawa System. The first would be the Bakuhan System of government. This system would establish a hierarchy that would comprise the government of Japan during this era. There would be five levels. At the top would be the Shogun, followed by the Bakufu, Daimyo, Han, and lastly, the Samurai. While each groups would be expected to oversee the subsequent group, they would be expected to work within the domains of their specified group as opposed to moving within other groups.

The concept of moving upwards or downwards in ranks was unheard of at this time, as most individuals would come into their positions based on birthright. Any navigation between these groups would pose a threat to the carefully crafted hierarchical government system. The second pillar of the Tokugawa system would be the rice-based economy. During this era, rice would be used as the primary source of currency within Japan. Samurai would even be paid in rice as well as gold. This concept of a rice-based economy, would be used to discourage trade with other countries outside of Japan, who used monetary forms of currency for trade. The third pillar of the Tokugawa system would consist of various concepts associated with Neo- Confucianism. One of the primary concepts would be that of filial piety which was not only present within family homes, but within the government as well. Just as children were expected to show respect to their elders through direct obedience, families would be expected to show honor and support for the Bakuhan system. The fourth pillar would be the status hierarchy that made up the Japanese economy. The four groups would be led by the last group of the Bakuhan system, the Samurai. Following the Samurai would be the peasants, the artisans, and lastly the merchants. The Eta or outcastes would not even be considered as a part of this system. This status hierarchy would be very rigid during the time of the Bakuhan System. Just as within the Bakuhan system, members of the individual classes were not expected to interact outside of their individual classes, as this would pose a threat to the strict governmental system. Each group would procure different expectations. The Samurai were charged with following suit with the Bushido code, a code that required them to always be honorable and to follow suit with the Bakuhan System. They were expected to lead/supervise the lower classes. The peasantry would be the largest groups, who would be tasked with producing the wealth of the community through the production of crops for currency and for food. Artisans would be tasked with producing goods that people of wealth would consume, which is an early example of a consumer based economy. The merchants, one of the lowest classes, would oversee the import of goods from a few other countries, through the only open port, the port of Nagasaki. Merchants would also be tasked with distributing and overseeing the currency system. Merchants would shape the economy around the goods being produced by the peasantry and artisans. Even so, the Merchants would become a threat to the Bakuhan System because of their control of the system of currency (rice-based economy). The Merchants would ultimately challenge the fifth and final pillar of the Tokugawa system, the system of Sakuko. The Sakuko system would serve as the closed state policy of Japan.

During this era, Japan would be isolated from much of the West, with the exception of a few other countries who would be allowed to trade within the port of Nagasaki. This system was highly valued by the Bakuhan because for so long, it insured the isolated needed to preserve Japan from western imperialism that was viewed as a threat to the Japanese leadership of the time. With such a strict and heavily refined system of government and economy, it would only make sense to assume that it was also strictly followed and maintained. Despite this, many accounts would be provided by Japanese from this time that would prove otherwise. One work in particular that would challenge this notion would be the work of Katsu Kokichi who wrote Musui’s Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai. Katsu would detail his life as a Samurai within the Tokugawa era, and his life would in many ways serve as an illustration of not only traditional customs of Japan that would be challenged later by Western culture, but also as an illustration of the flawed Tokugawa system of government. Katsu Kokichi does not mention the West or the concept of Westernization at all during his autobiography, nor does he ever refer to his hometown as Japan or to himself as Japanese. This in itself is enough to support the notion that Japan truly is isolated from the rest of the world, as not many Japanese have any notion of what it means to be western or non-western. While this is a true representation of the isolation value of Tokugawa Japan, Katsu in many other respects serves as an illustration as to the many flaws of the system which would eventually lead to a desire for many to westernize. As previously mentioned, the Sakuko system would be used to isolate Japan from any western ideals that could travel to and through Japan through means of trade. According to Katsu, this in itself was a flawed system, as merchants were required to have passes to travel throughout Japan, but many would not even be checked. This is illustrated when Katsu is able to move with ease through many checkpoints without making use of any pass. If this was the scenario, it would be very easy for merchants to be able to travel farther inland to spread western items, ideals, and most importantly gold. For so long, rice had been the primary form of currency which not only kept the people fed, but also ensured a lack in ability for Japanese to trade with other countries who placed no value on rice. With the spread of gold as a new form of currency as well as many new Western products, instability would gradually rise.

Debt would become common, illustrated by Katsu who would constantly be circling in and out of debt. In order to get out of debt, individuals would have to borrow more money, increasing the amount of dependence the Japanese would have on solutions outside of the bounds of the Tokugawa governmental system. Katsu would also serve as an example of the flawed division among the class systems, as he would frequently interact with other classes through the use of trading gold as well as swords. With so many flaws within the Tokugawa system of government, it would only be a matter of time before Western ideals would sweep the country, most of which would occur after the United States would force its way into a trade alliance with Tokugawa Japan. Commodore Perry, from the United States would take ships to Edo Bay in attempts to establish open trade between the United States and Japan. The United States would desire trade with Japan for the sole purpose of economic gain. After Perry first made landfall within the ports of Edo, Japan would offer a proposition to give them access to ship material they may need, but only within the bounds of the port of Nagasaki. Perry would agree to this, but would demand for more ports to be opened in order to gain more access to Japan. As restrictions were proposed by Japan and the Shogun, tensions would begin to arise and before long, Perry and those who had sailed in his expedition would be welcomed into Japan, thus introducing an open door for westernization and western trade to become more heavily prominent within Japan. After the Shogun had failed to maintain the pillars of the Tokugawa System, many believed that it was time for a new system other than the Bakuhan system. Many attempts would be made to try and reestablish the power of the Shogun and the Bakuhan system, but after the civil war broke out, took its course, and ended, a new order had been established, and The Meiji Restoration would begin. The Meiji Restoration would mark the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rise of a new government in Japan that would be centered around an Emperor. This would also be a time of substantial economic growth, as western material culture would make its way into Japanese society. Many new policies would be created, and new forms of technology would be introduced into Japan during this Restoration period.

The concept of feudal property would be abolished, preexisting railroads would be significantly improved, national postal systems would be established, and an electrical grid would even be created to make use of power all over Japan. Much of this would arise fairly quickly. Many Japanese would be open to the new materialistic culture that was forming at their feet, but many would not be. Even so, the western material culture that would grow to dominate Japan would soon become inevitable to avoid, which is illustrated by authors such as Natsume Soseki and Junichiro Tanizaki. Natsume Soseki, author of And Then, would describe the inevitable change of Japan in his story through the eyes of a very stagnant figure by the name of Daisuke. During this time, new economic core values would be established as individuals in Japanese society now desired to make money as quickly as possible so they could spend it on the rapidly evolving material culture that had replaced a great deal of traditional Japanese culture. Japanese markets would become heavily dependent non tobacco from the United States as smoking would become a daily ritual when it had not been before. Home culture would also flourish, as new types of furniture and architecture would be brought into Japan from the West. Soseki would creat Daisuke, a bland and stagnant protagonists who was not necessarily meant to serve as a reflection of his own beliefs, but as an illustration of many individuals within this ever changing society that would be swept away but the western materialistic culture. Daisuke, who protested the western culture within Japan for much of his life, would eventually give into the culture, illustrated when Soseki exclaims “the whole world turned red. And with Daisuke’s head at the center, it began to spin around and around, breathing tongues of fire. Daisuke decided to go on riding until his head was completely burnt war”. This would be the case for many Japanese individuals at the time who would metaphorically hop into the car of change driving from traditional belief systems and core values of historical Japan and driving to the new westernized materialistic Japan. Many would struggle a great deal with this transition, as it was so rapid which is illustrated heavily by Soseki’s Daisuke, just one of a multitude lost in transition.

Similarly to Soseki who discussed the difficult, but undeniable transition from classical Japan to modern Japan, Junichiro Tanizaki, author of Naomi, would discuss the concept of consumerism in Japanesis society. This book would originally be published chapter by chapter within a Japanese newspaper, making it more readily available to the public. Naomi is a book that would emulate the societal confusion that would plague many Japanese natives during the time of transition. Naomi tells the story of an older man, Joji, who would fall in love with Naomi, “a Japanese woman with a western flavor”. This relationship would be symbolic of the many individuals who would become obsessed with the material culture of the west. Naomi would come to represent the western ideals that would dominate Japanese society. Consumerism would become more prominent and would diminish the moral standards of society. The main character, Joji, is a morally corrupt individual, as a result of the constant plague associating with western materialistic culture, a culture that lacked moral values, elevating monetary value. Tanizaki illustrates the power of the Western culture over Japanese people through the eyes of a Japanese man who has no other desires than a Western woman. Not only would this further support what many other authors thought of western culture of the time, but it would also illustrate the foundation for the ideal woman in Japanese society, a concept that is still evolving today. As seen in the variation between the work of Katsu Kokichi and the works of Natsume Soskei and Junichiro Tanazaki, it is quite evident that a great deal of the traditional Japanese culture found during the Tokugawa era would be lost during the Westernization period of the Meiji Restoration. The author’s present during this time of transition would offer many critiques on the vast influences from the West. The autobiography of Katsu Kokichi would offer an insight into the norms found during the Tokugawa era of Japan. He would also expose the flaws within the government system as flaws that would eventually lead to an opening for Western culture to enter. The work of Natsume Soseki would illustrate the inability of any Japanese individual to avoid falling victim to the changing Japanese society and norms associated with Western ideals.

On the other hand, the work of Junichiro would focus on the confusing culture associated with the new western ideals. Both works from the Meiji era would however serve as an illustration of the power of progression in not only Japanese society, but in any society affected by change and and introduction of new and somewhat exciting concept.