Japanse History - Tokugawa Period - hereditary and assigned daimyos, shogunate	start out on index page, use the index page as background to begin -- Battle in 1600 finally decides leadership of Japan, Tokugawa period begins. -- policy of seclusion not to cut off everyone, just to control spread of Christianity. Implemented officially from 1633-1636 -- Religious persecution of Christians -- thousands killed from 1594-1640 click to Deshima Island pic now -- During seclusion, still traded with the Netherlands (Dutch). The Dutch maintained a trading post at Deshima Island at Nagasaki. Leads to the Dutch Studies period. Also China, Korea, Vietnam still influence. -- Depsite official seclusion policy, over time some Japanse were allowed to learn Dutch and become experts in western science and culture, as long as it didn't directly involve Christianity
Class system -- Samurai, peasant, artisan & merchant	click to Hiroshge page, pics relate to new cities -- The samurai and peasant farmers were both economically tied to the agricultural system. As Japan closed after 1600, the economic system suffered inflation which drove farm prices down. -- The merchant and artisan class were socially the lowest people in sociey. Depite this, their incomes were tied to the price level of goods and services. They fared much better economically than the samurai or peasant classes. -- Artisans and merchants also benefited from the growth of cities like Edo, which was the largest city in the world at one time.
Edo -- Tokugawa Capital and the Alternate Residence System for Daimyos	stay at Hiroshige page, pics relate to growth of Edo -- Edo (modern day Tokyo) was the seat of the Tokugawa government -- To encourage loyalty and discourage rebellion, daimyos were required to live alternating years in Edo. Their families were often full-time residents of Edo. -- Each year half the daimyos were in residence at Edo; the next year they went home and the other half came to Edo. -- Growth of Edo created the city-dweller class - townsmen. These regular people were the largest consumers of ukiyo-e. Ukiyo-e was a mass-market art form, subject to the demands of the marketplace.
Tokaido Road results from growth of Edo -- Japan's Route 66 spawns tourist traps	click to Hokusai page, show details of people on the Tokaido Road in first pic (Hodogaya), then talk about the tourist trap aspects in the second pic (Yoshida). -- The growth of the alternate residence system meant that the daimyos needed a road system to travel between their homes and Edo. The Tokaido Road came from this need and is featured in Hokusai's ukiyo-e. -- The traveling daimyos were not the only road users. Their support staff and family, plus entertainers and other travelers used the Tokaido Road. -- Much like the sprouting of roadside restaurants and motels along American highways after WWII, Japan experienced it's own public road culture centuries ago. -- As seen in Hodogaya and Yoshida on the Tokaido Road, travel created a new opportunity for different social classes to intermingle.
Many Influences on ukiyo-e: Religion, Kabuki, Painting, Printing	Stay at Hokusai and move to "Under the Wave" -- One Hokusai and (one Kuniyoshi) ukiyo-e series featured Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji was considered by some to be a sacred place. See Kuniyoshi notes. move to Kuniyoshi Kabuki page -- Ukiyo-e was, in the early days, an art form of questionable social value. There was "adult" ukiyo-e, and ukiyo-e from the kabuki theater. Before 1650 these were often the same thing. -- Because it was related to the theater, ukiyo-e sometimes featured well-known actors playing famous roles. In Kabuki, the actor was the show and there was little character development. -- Ukiyo-e also produced extensive landscapes.
Technique of ukiyo-e	move to snow comp page -- Ukiyo-e was not a solo-effort. The artist was usually commissioned by a publisher who handled the business-end of art. -- As we will see later, the printer was a specialist whose technique greatly affected the final artwork. -- The snow scenes and notes show how each effect is created.
Unusual Ukiyo-e - Kuniyoshi composites	move to Kuniyoshi main page with composites -- Ukiyo-e was not a solo-effort. The artist was usually commissioned by a publisher who handled the business-end of art. -- As we will see later, the printer was a specialist whose technique greatly affected the final artwork. -- The snow scenes and notes show how each effect is created.
Japan re-opens to Western culture.	Some things that led/forced Japan to re-open to Western culture: -- In 1808 a British ship ignored Japanese warning and interrogate Dutch merchants in Japanse harbor. British ship arrives and leaves unchallenged, due to the fifty cannons pointing at the Japanese. -- Russians begin to explore the northern islands of modern-day Japan, Japan feels pressure to colonize/populate these islands -- Some movement of imperialism within Japan power structure