How Japan Became a Great Power in Only 40 Years (1865 - 1905) // Japanese History Documentary

smoke rose gently in the distance as debris and men bobbed up and down in the waves before disappearing entirely great metal husks scattered the seabed admiral togo was in an elated mood as he stood on the bridge of his battle scarred flagship mikasa gazing across sparkling waters to where japanese flags rose slowly above the five remaining russian warships surrender togo had used nelson's classic plan of attack crossing the t and annihilated the enemy it was over the russian fleet was no more it was the 28th of may 1905. [Music] days later togo visited the sasebo naval hospital on kyushu island to meet the defeated russian admiral rajitzvinsky recovering from a near-fatal head wound roshitzvinsky rose weekly and the two men exchanged a warm handshake togo quietly added defeat is a common fate of a soldier there is nothing to be ashamed of in it the great point is whether we have performed our duty at the battle of tsushima the imperial japanese navy's fitter stronger leaner and better trained fleet lost three tiny torpedo boats russia forfeited virtually its entire navy 450 tons of shipping to 126 thousand perhaps one of the most significant naval battles in history it was the grand finale of the russo-japanese war of 1904-1905 a conflict of two empires over colonial influence in china korea and manchuria in its wake japanese power in the east was cemented the seeds of polish and finnish independence were watered and the first russian revolution overthrew the sars autocratic rule indeed the war set off a chain of events that led directly to world war one and the communist revolution of 1917 yet togo heihachiro was born into a land of sword-wielding samurai feudal clans and subsistence farmers without banks factories warships foreign relations even wheeled vehicles japan was yet to become a unified nation new and ever-increasing contact with the west since 1853 had caused a chain reaction that utterly transformed the nation dragging a dizzy japan into the 19th century world order this is the story of that journey one of the most astonishing and unexpected half centuries of change and revolution in human history this is the story of the rise of an empire [Music] this documentary is sponsored by magellan tv the documentary streaming service big thanks to magellan tv for their continued support and voices of the past we've got some fantastic documentaries coming in 2021 because of their continued faith in the channel got one word pirates people do you like pirates oh okay she likes pirates magellan of course has a huge range of documentaries as well more than 3 000 a great series to try that matches up well with japan and the west is japan from above 4k a beautiful high quality exploration of the incredible landscapes japan has to offer almost as good as visiting magellan is essentially a netflix for documentaries and you can now take advantage of an exclusive offer 30 off an annual membership this gives you an entire year for less than 3.50 a month even if you've joined magellan before and lapsed you can simply click on the link in the description to claim your discounted membership today thanks commodore perry's arrival in the 1850s provided the favorable opportunity for reform people actually set eyes on foreigners and heard them speak read western books and translations increasingly broadened their horizons and then woke up to the fact that the government could be overthrown by human powers metaphorically this was somewhat like a death and blind man suddenly hearing sounds and seeing colors for the first time [Music] a great and mysterious event occurred religious talismans came fluttering down out of the empty sky men dressed as women women dressed as men townspeople dancing through villages villages convorting in towns whole populations drunk all geastic behavior in the streets and paper talismans falling from the heavens like cherry blossoms in the wind this world was coming to an end a new one was at hand agenaica what the hell sang the revelers bring it on it was the autumn of 1867. eight years had passed since japan had suddenly plugged into the international economy destabilizing government disrupting society sparking violence and exponentially upending external demand for products and resources the economy buckled prices soared many became rich but many more sunk into poverty as bullion left the country in exchange for ships guns and foreign curios a rural population unused to the massive overseas demand for their produce struggled to keep up with supply famines followed urban riots and peasant uprisings swept the country japan was ripe for revolution all rebellion was put down until over huge swathes of the country paper prayer talismans started falling like snowflakes from the sky ushering in the end of days up and down the land the pent-up tension of ordinary folk suddenly ignited they took to the streets singing and dancing the final refrain was always air janaeka what the hell why not who cares a new age was coming a few months later on january the 27th 1868 while the people continued their bacchanalia the first clash of the civil war that would usher in that new age was fought fifteen thousand shogunal troops faced five thousand rebels from the southwestern clans of satsuma and choshu the shogun's men armed mainly with spears advanced and were repelled easily massacred by howitzers and gatling guns western weaponry tearing the old order to shreds on the second day they attacked again but this time the rebels revealed a far more powerful weapon a banner with the imperial chrysanthemum symbol emblazoned upon it the shogun's forces melted away and the shogun himself fled on a u.s warship to have fired on the banner would have been high treason though my body may decay on the island of ezo my spirit guards my lord in the east hijikata toshizo the shogun's last general carefully brush wrote his death poem on june 20 1869 minutes before he had stood on the ramparts of hakodate castle in hokkaido no tenshukaku bastian towered above this star-shaped gun strewn french-style edifice it was a european castle on a japanese island below in the bay circled a host of great black ships just like those that had forced japan to open to the west in 1854 only this time it was the new imperial government the rebels of last year that sailed these smoke belching leviathans after the initial defeat at fushimi the brutal civil war which had brought hijikata here had raged across the land sword-wielding samurais had charged gatling guns ancient matchlock aquabuses faced cutting-edge rifles and graceful castles defended by handmade wooden cannon were cremated by the latest british-made artillery after the first conflict in more than 200 years the very fabric of this ancient land lay in tatters engulfed in the flames of modern warfare hijikata himself had just bid farewell to his french friends brave men who had fought to the end with him for a now hopeless cause a decade ago it had been a criminal offence to associate with a foreigner let alone fight alongside one this was the last stand there was nowhere left to run hijikata mounted his horse and rode out with his men they charged they died it was june 20th 1869 and the new imperial government was finally victorious his imperial majesty was back in his rightful place atop the land of the gods lifted there atop a wave of western weaponry the war and previous decade of turmoil had made one thing clear the world would never be the same again japan could no longer stand rigid against the hurricane of change but like a tree must bend and adapt to thrive in new conditions the newly sovereign emperor meiji instructed his people knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundation of imperial rule [Music] knelt and kept her head to the floor in his ra bow not daring to raise her eyes in front of her was a hanging screen and behind that she supposed was empress shoken a lady's voice rang out bidding ume and the other four girls to go to the usa and study for the good of our country women in seconds it was over the lady in waiting ushered them out heads low eyes to the floor the girls were the first ever japanese females to be sent to study abroad ume was just six she was the youngest member of one of the most ambitious groups of travellers in history the iwakura embassy a two-year global mission of diplomacy investigation observation and learning from 1871 to 1873. dispatching the iwakura mission to america and europe must be cited as the most important event that built the foundation of our state in 1871 the new nation forged from hundreds of thiefs and domains was in dire straits held in semi-colonial perjury by unequal treaties signed under threat of war most importantly custom duties were controlled externally and japan had lost the ability to protect domestic industries or limit imports and exports this was a national humiliation on top of this unbearable shame the new goods technologies in industrial infrastructure so badly needed to fight against the treaties and strengthen the nation all came from abroad at huge cost and foreign experts had to be hired at great expense the solution send the ruling class on a world tour to discover the essence of a modern nation state and at the same time attempt to persuade the western powers to repeal the crippling treaties [Music] the global odyssey had started in san francisco where crowds of up to fifty thousand welcomed the diplomats and gorped reverend horatio stebbins at a banquet of welcome loudly proclaimed it seems a repetition of the old story where the magi of the east will led to where the child lay welcome most illustrious descendants of the old stock your presence is more welcome than the frankincense and myrrh the japanese envoys were akin to ancient sages come to worship at the fount of western civilization the usa less than a century old and recovering from debilitating civil war was honored to be the first port of call for the globe-trotting entourage and these enigmatic japanese tourists kept meticulous records of their journey [Music] customs and character in the east and west are very different indeed at times they seem to be direct opposites westerners enjoy social activities and public events eastern peoples tend to avoid them this is not only a relic of japan's policy of national isolation eastern people are also indifferent to wealth and do not regard commerce as a primary concern westerners like to go out and enjoy themselves socially eastern people on the other hand prefer to stay indoors and relax creating gardens within their own homes westerners stress practical science and the rationality of material things whereas eastern people emphasize the science of the abstract and non-material eventually the explorers left the us for britain and ume was left to be brought up as an american lady in new england she would later become a pioneer of women's education [Music] and so it was december the 5th 1872 when a young ito hirobumi future first prime minister of japan entered the surprisingly small but intricately decorated audience chamber at windsor castle a fire burned with gusto but the room still felt chilly queen victoria the ruler of the world's largest empire but modest of stature and sour faced was wrapped in great black fur trimmed robes which all but hid the simple chair on which she held state the ambassador iwakura tomomi looking resplendent in morning dress his top hat tucked under his arm bowed from the waist for someone who had only recently forsaken his traditional kyoto court robes for western clothing he played his part admirably well ito interpreted as the queen bade iwakura welcome and passed her greetings to his emperor the ambassador in turn extended the respects of his sovereign and expressed the wish for eternal friendship between the two island realms the audience was brief and ended with victoria's wish that the course of japanese policy may be such as to ensure for the future the lively sympathy of the nations of christendom with japan less ancient magi of the east than the potential enemy at the gate behave or else next was a grand tour of europe followed by a return home through the shiny new suez canal with stops at european colonies in asia they had truly seen the world though their request for new treaties had been rebuffed at every turn but they did return home with something just as important they had set eyes on what they were up against [Music] a modern state needed legitimacy among the people the rule of law railways public schools shipping lines industrialized agriculture banks stock exchanges telegraph a civil code a civil service police prisons lunatic asylums a state postal service sewage systems hospitals public libraries and national anthem even well-educated women to raise the next generation but most of all it needed strong armed forces international respect and a constitution no more would the western world be held at arm's length and looked down upon the barbarians were now figures of respect to be emulated many japanese people even looked down on themselves as in the words of fukuzawa yukichi one of the greatest thinkers of the day half civilized japan had to climb civilization's ladder attain enlightenment status or as fukuzawa would have it leave asia and join europe they were determined not to end as just another european colony japan would take the best from around the world and plant it at home though some foreign seeds had already found their way in and were changing the country in unexpected ways [Music] thomas glover sat in the corner of his safe house sipping his chochu spirit and watched as the fugitives he was hiding debated among themselves the authorities would never raid the house of a foreigner it was the ideal place for them to hide the spectacle really demanded a more contemplative tipple a good beer but beer culture had not arrived in nagasaki yet glover was a criminal a gun runner the men gesturing in front of him were representatives of the two most powerful southern clans the satsuma and choshu they were negotiating a top-secret alliance that much he knew but he could not understand a word they said so they tolerated his presence he after all was the one who supplied the guns at the end of it the satsuma and choshu clan's foes for hundreds of years were allies their bitter enmity was overcome by one great purpose a burning desire to topple the shogun which they duly did with glover's help he had supplied the rebels with modern ordnance rifles and warships from europe and in the new japan now found himself in an enviable position his influence with the country's new rulers had won him the contract to import japan's first mint as well as a host of ships and other industrial paraphernalia and his role as a dealer of ships brought him to the attention of iwasaki yataro the owner of a fledgling startup shipping business called mitsubishi 14 years later in 1888 his input not to mention his government friends had propelled mitsubishi to the head of japan's industrial race glover was filthy rich glover liked beer [Music] and a few years previously as japan's only brewery looked set to go bust he had stepped in to save it and add it to mitsubishi's ever-growing portfolio his japanese partners had been uncertain but he had persuaded them if japanese consumers were to drink this strange bitter brew it needed a japanese name and kirin a kind of mythical dragon was settled upon kirin is now one of the world's largest brewers and beer is japan's favorite alcoholic drink but beer was far from the only change in the national taste buds the japanese abominate meat eating for on no account whatsoever will they eat donkey horse cow much less pig duck or hens and they are naturally averse to lard they regard a householder who slaughters an animal reared in his house as cruel and unclean snow fell lightly as the group of ten ontake monks dressed in white from head to toe approached the bridge over the imperial palace's wide moat they marched sharply up to the imperial guards and demanded an immediate audience with the emperor when the soldiers refused they tried to force their way in the troops withdrew in formation raised their rifles the monks charged a volley rang out four monks lay dead bright red pooled around their white cloud corpses the polar opposite of the recently adopted red-centered hinomaru national flag [Music] these monks had given their lives to tell the emperor that by consuming animal flesh he was destroying the soul of the japanese people for japan a country that had been largely vegetarian for 1200 years was now embracing the taste of civilization beef and the emperor was leading the way during the long years of limited intercourse with other nations meat-eating was known of chinese and dutch merchants were permitted to engage in the foul and in pure practice and it was not unknown for the lower classes of japanese society to do likewise but no civilized person would surely contemplate such self-defiling behavior until the meiji revolution turned everything on its head there remained many people who blindly dislike this saying that meat eating is filthy in accordance with the customs our nation has followed for many long centuries this is a specious argument borne out of ignorant blindness that demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the natural disposition of human beings and a failure to discern the principles of the human body meat eating was part of fukuzawa's revolutionary crusade to civilize his compatriots an entire culture that believed eating meat was to risk consuming your own ancestors who might have been reincarnated in animals your own flesh and blood was urged to embrace the practice it seemed a ludicrous preposterous notion but it quickly came to pass beef is certainly a most delicious thing isn't it i wonder why we in japan haven't eaten such a clean thing before we should be grateful that even people like ourselves can now eat beef thanks to the fact that japan is steadily becoming a truly civilized country [Music] and meat consumption was just one example of the massive cultural changes of the meiji revolution [Music] during the last half of the 19th century people who did not eat meat suddenly did people who did not use wheeled transport suddenly did people who did not cut their hair suddenly did people who had painted their teeth cosmetically black suddenly didn't people who were traditionally written in classical chinese suddenly discovered literacy in the vernacular even in previously disdained european tongues and perhaps most shocking at the time some people rejected native gods and prophets in favor of a foreign deity the christian god finally same-sex love once normal among men went underground and female accession to the imperial throne ceased government food clothing culture change was sweeping across the nation at a dizzying pace but there was one piece of the puzzle that would eventually prove the most consequential japan's ability to make war charles cooper penrose fitzgerald rear admiral royal navy legally of the china station sat in his study overlooking the english channel and reflected on something that had been bugging him for a while the question of japan as one of the first british visitors the naval officer had seen it first in 1858 he'd eagerly snapped up delicate porcelain and observed in astonishment that shipping seemed little changed from the 16th century and yet on his last visit in 1897 he had found a country changed beyond recognition he wrote that he was quite certain they are now a long way past the imitative stage and in some matters they appear to have improved upon the methods of their instructors fitzgerald signed and reflected that an excellent example of this were the four giant armored cruisers currently being built in newcastle takiwa asama izumo iwate were better designed than those built for her majesty's navy with rather more fighting power and speed into a given tonnage than has ever been done before 16th century military backwater to 20th century military powerhouse in four decades initially japan had depended on the imports of foreign weapons through merchants like thomas glover this had not been enough without an indigenous munitions industry foreign powers could easily hold the country to ransom in the event of war starting small a basic industrial know-how was developed through the 1870s and in 1880 the morata rifle was unveiled the model going through various improvements as the army became more sophisticated and eventually being replaced by the arisaka model in 1897 that would be used throughout the world even by the royal navy in world war one when british production fell short but weapons were one thing tactics logistics deployment strategy and the medical care of military personnel were quite another japan had introduced conscription in 1872 and several up-and-coming young officers had observed the franco-prussian war in 1870 they had seen the superior prussian leadership weaponry strategic thinking and use of modern technology such as railways and determined that the newly unified germany was the best model for japan so in 1885 responding to a formal request from japan helmuth von mulke chief of the imperial german general staff dispatched one of his most talented officers jacob meckle to tokyo 60 of japan's most senior officers were returned to the classroom they sat and took notes for a year as their new sensei lectured them in every aspect of military science he watched as they put theory into practice drilling the officers time and again until everything was perfect then he moved on to the army at large reforming command supply communication and medical units along german lines new railways connecting far-flung bases were engineered even uniforms were henceforth to follow the teutonic model finally he looked at a map and seeing the korean peninsula's location declared that it was a knife pointing at japan's belly should korea fall into the hands of an enemy power russia or china for example japan would be at their mercy this strategic observation led to the first sino-japanese war and the russo-japanese war both fought over control of the korean peninsula and then there was the navy the first three built-to-order naval ships were completed in britain in 1878 and sailed to yokohama by british crews the japanese did not feel that their own sailors were competent enough for the job during the next two decades most japanese naval vessels were constructed abroad but increasingly they were supervised by japanese personnel and by the end of the century japan was building better ships in english shipyards than england herself is constructing for her own navy by world war one japanese industry no longer needed to outsource manufacturing it was quite capable of building world-class military vessels on its own and indeed the first ever airborne assault from the sea was launched against german and austro-hungarian shipping in china on the 6th of september 1914 the student truly had become the teacher and so from the top down the steps to a modern western civilization were being aggressively pursued japan was leaving asia and moving towards europe but not everyone was happy when i swing around shadows of yesterday are not seen dark road to go is a mountain pass to death to shiroesuke refused the blindfold offered him climbed the ladder and stood below the noose grinning at those gathered to watch him swing he a gambler ruffian latter-day robin hood was there for leading thousands of desperate peasants in rebellion destroying debt and tax records declaring freedom and self-government and leading his followers to tokyo armed with spears farming gear and hunting muskets under a banner proclaiming new rule of benevolence it had been a hopeless cause and he knew it tashiro had bid a final farewell to his family before leaving to lead the furious farmers who took their inspiration from the new idea of freedom and people's rights vague foreign notions which were trickling down even into rural valleys and mountain communities the government met them with gunfire hundreds perhaps thousands had perished now tashiro would join them he stood unflinching as the rope was placed around his neck the board was kicked from beneath him it was february the 19th 1885 at first after the tumultuous 60s in the 1870s the people mostly in the countryside their lives unchanged had listened to rumors of great goings-on in the cities and ports of men and women with strange coloured skins and strange ways of great ships and of long carriages traveling on metal roads new types of clothes and meat eating they had in the main shrugged and got on with the same job peasants had always done producing food and raising silkworms then things started to change first farmers were given far more autonomy in what they could grow then all commoners were ordered to take a surname previously such things had only been for the rich and powerful not mere farmers then came the land taxes peasants had always been tithed of course a share of their crops more in good years than bad but this was a uniform three percent of the land value payable in cash most rural people had never used money before subsistence farmers had little to sell and bought even less there were widespread protests some violent next came the blood tax the government came for their sons they were told the boys would become great warriors for the emperor but rumor had it that their blood was being fed to foreigners the peasant backlash worsened and troops those very same conscript boys posted to far-off prefectures were time and again sent in to quell disorder gradually things calmed down in much of the country the conscripts sent wages home to pay taxes the government lowered the rate to 2.5 percent the first peasant-led cooperatives enabled a degree of self-help and development and the social change that had swept the cities slowly in patchwork fashion spread to the countryside in the form of schools post offices and police very occasionally a foreigner a teacher or perhaps engineer carved in uncomfortable unpractical looking clothing with armor-like black footwear and topped off with hilarious headgear popped up some of the more dapper and wealthier villages started to return from trips to town with leather shoes and bowler hats the countryside was never fully pacified however and rising debts extortionate rents combined with a little knowledge and consciousness of basic western liberal thought led to a freedom and people's rights movement for which tashiro isuke among others gave his life but the real challenge was from the samurai [Music] as a cast of hereditary warriors they were unsuited to a world where commerce industry and european learning ruled the roost first they lost their right to wear swords in public then their stipends switched to government bonds many samurai tried to adapt but failed miserably sinking into abject poverty people they still regarded as deeply inferior prospered one thing they did know how to do was fight an old-school samurai in government such as saigo takamori tried to persuade his colleagues that a good old-fashioned invasion of defenseless korea was just what was needed most of the government fresh back from their globetrotting mission disagreed knowing full well that the western powers not to mention china would swiftly punish japan the would-be invaders resigned and returned to their rural homes between 1873 and 1877 time and time again they rose up in arms but all the revolts ended in failure the end came on september the 24th 1877 when saigon and his 25 000 insurgents after eight months of fighting were reduced to just 40 men performed sepuku and the last rebels charged to their death peasant conscripts had bested the mighty samurai modernity was victorious the old ways were truly done [Music] future conflicts would mostly be fought by opposing factions and political parties in newspapers public meetings and demonstrations the western concept of politics and widespread public participation in politics had been superimposed upon all the practices of local governance and slowly a party system of government would develop but there was a feeling that the decade of giddy change needed to be reined in there could be no going back but the way forward should be more considered accepting foreign ways unthinkingly became a thing of the past from now on japanese spirit western learning wakon yosai was the way at the custom house we were attended to by minute officials in blue uniforms of european pattern and leather boots very civil creatures contrasting pleasantly with the insolent and rapacious officials who performed the same duties at new york isabella byrd a pioneering female british journalist the upright and devout daughter of a most victorian of victorian vickers was one of a growing number of westerners who were fascinated by japan and knew that her readers would be equally so but by 1878 tokyo kyoto and the central regions were already old hat her audience needed the titillation of a path less traveled she went north alone but for an interpreter against the strong advice of the government she pushed on through recently war-ravaged lands where new japan had hardly ventured as far as the lately colonized island of hokkaido where the intrepid adventurer lived with what some claimed were a lost caucasian or jewish tribe the indigenous ainu people her fans loved it [Music] japan was new exotic the dream of centuries of legends realized and was already drawing not only merchants like glover eager to make a quick buck but writers and critics who spread knowledge and familiarity around the world other europeans and americans settled down and while few embraced all the practices and cultures of their adopted land one custom tended to appeal the charm of the japanese system of hot bathing is proved by the fact that almost all the foreign residents in the country adopt it europeans and americans were not yet fully persuaded of the wisdom of daily bathing abarth a week if that was more than sufficient japan was a revelation every country house has its bathtub in which the body can be purified and reinvigorated after the toils of the day they lay back and unwound but baths weren't the only fashion to catch on internationally george frederick ernest albert who would in a distant future rule the british empire as george v lay slumped in an armchair in 1881 his right hand holding a book his left arm being pricked with little instruments that look like camel hair brushes only instead of hairs they consist of so many very minute needles he was engaging in what was becoming something akin to a rite of passage for british royals the souvenir tattoo the artist hori cheo first sketches the outline on the skin then pricks in the colors required blue or red holding the instrument in the right hand and grasping your arm with the left we did not find the pricking hurt at all and where the royal family led mere mortals followed tattoos in japan were and are the mark of ruffians at best mobsters at worst the government was horrified and forbade the practice the prince of wales later edward viii wrote in 1922 my chief disappointment is not being able to get tattooed in japan but it seems it's been made illegal though i can't think why from the 1860s onwards lacquerware fans and ceramics with japanese scenes upon them became the height of fashion around the world this was part of a movement known as japanism painting architecture landscaping ceramics and fashion fed eagerly on a fresh aesthetic which swiftly became incorporated and eventually one of the foundations of 20th century art those inspired include van gogh monet matisse renoir and picasso so you see how quickly things can change these days one would not look twice at a japanese walking around amsterdam in a black suit and high hat while our beauties with their night dresses and high heels could patter to tokyo without drawing any of the attention or the admiration they valued and indeed kimono was certainly worn as party pieces and indoor wear extensively in the late 19th century and the wearing of high heels did indeed take off among women leaving open the possibility the japanese footwear could have inspired this still popular western craze and the passion for western clothing exploded even more quickly in japan first soldiers and police then postmen then dapper gentlemen of means and style and just very occasionally a lady attending a western-style ball or events where foreigners were present then there were the swimsuit girls pictures of whom were sold for domestic consumption but also snapped up voraciously by overseas visitors by the end of the century western clothing was no longer novel it had taken root as deeply as railways and beef clothing aesthetics ideas techniques habits all crisscrossed from east to west and from west to east and amongst all this tooing and throwing as have been the way since the beginnings of international trade people were a valued commodity [Music] matsue ortana was in a state of extreme excitement she was about to escape this hell hole her lover segokichi was coming for her outside the australian outback landscape was a never-ending expanse of red-brown soil and scraggy low bushes a far cry from her lush green kyushu home [Music] inside the festering room was a stained sleeping mat and a suitcase with her few possessions matsue was 21 and had been sold into prostitution and she was there in the australian desert with the full approval of the government who believed that should asian gold rush immigrants not have olive skinned women to buy sex from they would ravage respectable white ladies instead matsue was as far as the australians were concerned a pressure valve to protect anglo-saxon society her poverty-stricken parents had sold her to pay a tax bill matsue was not alone there were tens of thousands just like her throughout the world thanks to better diet and medical care the japanese population had increased at a huge speed and many of the excess population were encouraged to try their luck abroad fukuzawa yukichi even argued that because the vast majority of immigrants were single men for the encouragement of overseas settlement by our people it is necessary for prostitutes to go abroad matsue was shot by her lover as she was packing to escape the brothel he then took his own life the police investigated but no motive was found case closed anyone who is the least bit japanese must try to advance japan from the third rank where she now stands to the second and when she achieves the second rank then to the first and finally to the foremost position in the entire world it was early in the morning but viscount maury aronori was already in full dress uniform ready to leave for the palace outside the streets bubbled with excitement the townsfolk got up in their finest and brightest garb was celebrating with music and chanting dragging huge wheeled shrines through the streets so their neighborhood gods could join in the festivities today february the 11th 1889 was the crowning glory of maury's life and that of most of those celebrating so freely outside an imperial constitution was to be granted to the people the constitution was a unique charter comprising european legal and governmental philosophy with the best of japanese morals and spirit mori allowed himself a minute to contemplate the course his life had taken he had come a long way as a young man he had studied in britain and europe been japan's first ambassador to the usa he'd also joined the brotherhood of the new life a new york utopian community shoveling manure and butchering swine on the brotherhood's farm had built muscles and helped instilled a lifelong belief in personal physical strength now he was minister for education looking at europe or america we see that in every nation people of all classes both men and women alike possess a love of country and an unshakable national unity the population should be taught to the very marrow of their bones to feel a fervent spirit of loyalty and patriotism to maintain a steadfastness of character and constancy of purpose to be ashamed of cowardice and to hold all sevility in contempt the people needed to be physically strong and literate and devoted to their emperor all children rich and poor now had elementary education focused on discipline friendship and obedience maury's secretary knocked softly on his study door there was a young man to see him would he grant an audience maury needed to gather his thoughts before leaving for the palace he declined shortly after the vikant walked gracefully down his grand staircase he could see the young man excited and clearly refusing to leave suddenly the youth lunged at him and thrust a concealed kitchen knife into maury's belly the nobleman fell and through a mist of pain and confusion saw his bodyguard cut the rogue down maury aronori one of the greatest statesmen of his age died of the wound a scrap of paper found on the assailant said that this was the punishment for his insulting the great shrine of issei and the emperor the knife was little different to that which he had used to slaughter pigs in new york the constitution soon led to treaty revision one more rung of the ladder though maurice was not the only assassination attempt [Music] nicholas alexandrovich heir to the russian throne sat back in his rickshaw it had been a beautiful trip to lake biwa and now they were returning to kyoto through the narrow streets of otsu funny things these rickshaws he thought looking undignified but actually highly comfortable and great fun if only his fresh tattoo wasn't so painful he regretted it already he rubbed his arm gently as he caught the eye of a young japanese girl standing in the crowd around the rickshaw her jet black hair shimmering in the light suddenly out of nowhere a blade slashed down blood spurted from his face and he recoiled the attacker fled two rickshaw drivers following hot on his heels tackling him to the ground nicholas was taken swiftly for treatment by morning the emperor major himself fearing a pretext for russia to declare war was at the wounded prince's bedside having sped through the night by train from tokyo then there was uproar ten thousand telegrams were sent by well-wishers and a young girl in kyoto slit her throat to demonstrate remorse russia did not declare war and the policeman who would attack nicholas was given life imprisonment despite the government urging the death penalty the japanese judiciary had come of age and was demonstrating its independence and the rule of law over political expediency but by the end of the century a fresh pushback against what many saw as the depredations of foreigners and destruction of japanese ways was reaching extreme levels cracks had appeared as far back as 1886 a major example being the sinking of the british merchant ship the normanton that year the crew had been a mix of british german indian and chinese sailors with 25 japanese passengers aboard the captain in european crew had hogged the lifeboats and left the asians to their fate not one had survived the japanese public had been outraged a song caught on across the nation no matter how different your race may be no matter how little you know of mercy you just stood by and watched you left us there to die you cowered in the years since nationalist gatherings of tens of thousands demanding action against the foreign powers and their expulsion from asian colonies had become frequent events they went so far as to protect nurture and fund asian revolutionaries such as sunni atsen a man who later became china's first president the government treading a fine line used victory in the sino-japanese war of 1895 overseas expansion and the imposition of unfair treaties with korea to control nationalist tendencies and keep sentiment behind it but by the time admiral togo was preparing his ships for imminent combat with russia nakay chomin another great thinker of the age noted that if we beat russia we expand to the continent and bring peace to asia if we lose our people will awaken from their dream peace to asia meant a pax nipponicus an asia under japanese tutelage but nikai believed that losing to russia would mean the whole japanese enlightenment a revolution largely imposed from above would disintegrate as nakaya predicted the victory once more carried the people with their government and as japanese power grew inevitably voices in the west started to sound the alarm starting in germany use of words like yellow peril soon spread to the usa japan had ceased to be a quaint feminine-like exotic realm of dainty post-feudal vistas it was now a nation on an equal footing crucially non-christian and non-white a threat to widespread cherished ideas of the supremacy of the white race and superiority of christian civilization hawkish politicians dreamed of a time when she could be put in her place the japanese were only too aware of this and felt those insults keenly for now though they would grin and bear it bide their time and hope to establish true acceptance as equals in the coming decades this thinking and the lack of that acceptance was also to shape the century to come ito hirobumi now marquis ito stood in the grand magnificence of the grafton gallery in mayfair london before the movers and shakers of british society and thanked his thousand guests for their warm welcome to queen victoria's diamond jubilee his journey had been japan's journey from humble interpreter for the iroquois embassy to the heady heights of the first rank of nations it was 1897 and japan and ito felt confident and wealthy enough to be lavish in its entertainment to win the hearts and minds of the leaders of the most powerful empire on earth there was a feeling that the recent abolition of the unequal treaties might develop into a grand alliance between the two island empires an anglo-japanese alliance if so japan would have reached the very peak of the international order in only four decades [Music] the triumphs had been small at first ito grinned to himself when he thought of the innocents the passengers on the first railway had removed their shoes before entering the carriages and embarrassed on a lighting to realize their mistake and yet these days japanese-owned railways were expanding even overseas and now japan manufactured and exported her own locomotives back then the post office had been the first japanese government body to achieve international standards by 1882 4 000 post offices and over 3 000 miles of telegraph extended swift communications into even the most isolated regions by the 1880s an industrial base had been firmly established and export markets particularly in silk were developing well now at the turn of the century the majority of his guests in london were dressed in that luxury fabric the global silk market now belonged to japan ito thought back to his long conversations with the german chancellor von bismarck who would argue that small countries such as japan should rely on their own efforts not on international law or diplomatic agreements to maintain their independence against the encroaching of imperialist powers like france and britain consequently against the arguments of many military strength was at the heart of the new state the army trained in german fashion had shocked the world with swift victory over china two years previously the navy formed under british tutelage was already world class territory had grown exponentially too first northwards to hokkaido and the islands that the russians knew as the kirills then south to the ryukyu kingdom now okinawa prefecture taiwan had been seeded by china as a spoil of war strictly controlled and regulated elections were also regularly held political parties social movements and civil society now formed the bedrock of many communities japan ito felt now had no need to escape from asia rather the buds of a new asia were just starting to blossom in the fertile soil of japanese islands japan's was a unique asian modernity distinct from a western one and it would spread marcus ito went back to his british guests charming them effortlessly after long years of dedicated practice the anglo-japanese alliance was signed in 1902 japan had made it onto the world stage risen to mori aranori's foretold first rank [Music] and just three years later the waters of tsushima seethed with men as russian battleships slipped slowly sleekly beneath the cresting waves drenched blonde heads bobbed as comrades struggle against each other treading water wildly to stay afloat they would not last long a night was coming minutes before mikasa admiral togo's flagship had sustained huge damage and many casualties under fire from the very sailors drowning before his eyes age 21 togo had been there in 1869 at the beginning of the new age in the black ships bombarding hakodate castle as the final shogunate forces made their futile last stand his childhood friend mori aranori had once insisted upon japan's destiny amongst the first rank of nations and as togo looked across the bow of his ship it seemed at that moment to have truly advanced to the heralded foremost position it had taken less than 40 years it was time to be magnanimous to show that japan was an honorable nation generous and humane in victory a worthy great power togo ordered me casa's lifeboats out an hour later the first of the sailors many mere boys huddled cross-legged on the heaving deck blankets around them holding mugs of steaming tea in the distance another ship exploded into flame and sank in minutes the bones of the russian bear were being laid to rest beneath the tsushima strait in 1905 the russian war was won and one of the most fascinating social cultural and political transformations of all history had ended but the japanese journey of the 20th century a journey set into motion 50 years before by the great black ships belching smoke on the horizon that journey had only just begun you

Channel: Voices of the Past

Views: 331,873

Rating: 4.9221916 out of 5

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Id: n9MNGdqsHKE

Length: 59min 37sec (3577 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 06 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/topcat5]

Looks like the OP decided to editorialize the "non-White" part. The actual documentary isn't about that.