Early Modern Period

Early Modern Period Group # 3 Article

“Was the Early Modern Japan Culturally Integrated�

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Author: Mary Elizabeth Berry • Currently at Berkeley University of California, a Professor in the History Department

• Ph.D. Harvard University (1975) History & East Asian Languages

• M.A. Harvard University (1970) Regional Studies: East Asia

• Visiting Professor teaching at Stanford University and at Kyoto University Sunday, April 11, 2010

• Books Published:

Hideyoshi, The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto, Japan in Print: Information and Nation in Early Modern Period

• Over 30 Articles published in Academic Journals

• Areas of Interest are Japan, Kyoto, Sengoku Period, and Cufucian Family Orientation

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Article’s focuses on convergence and divergence • The origin for the topic is a remark made by Edwin O. Reischaucher. Japan’s Tokugawa Era achieved “a greater degree of cultural, intellectual, and ideological conformity...than any other country in the world” (p.547)

• The remark is the basis that Professor Lieberman based his essay on

• Professor Berry based her paper from problems with Professor Liberman’s conclusion Sunday, April 11, 2010

Example of the Types of Written Evidence • 1681

military register published names of officers that served the Tokugawa shogunate under 230 titles

• 1697 agricultural manuel named the types, divided by varieties, information into separate chapter : vegetables(57), grasses(11), trees(36), herbs(22), grain(19)

• 1687 a city directory of Edo, divided into 97 categories of craftspeople and merchants Sunday, April 11, 2010

Looked at Information Society Printed • The Early Modern Period is noted for massive amounts of printed information that had some sort of documentation relevance

• Areas of agriculture, religion, the military, the cities, the businesses are tied to the social and political structure of Japan

• The culture’s response to dramatic changes in politics, economy, urbanization, and outside influences, modernity Sunday, April 11, 2010

Professor Berry • “The integration of systems tends to accelerate the separation of people” (p.549) THESIS

• Diversity developed in sects of religions, art, acting styles, poetry, and entertainment within a homogeneous society

• Active map makers:

there are over 1,200 maps of Edo city alone, thousands of maps created from the Tokugawa Period showing the same area, but actively pointing out differences

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Printing • “The printing information...maybe evidence of macro-social integration through literacy and print networks” (p.550)

• Print media converges in material, diverges into categories

• Berry suggests that printing was a way for Japan to respond to social/ political changes

Sunday, April 11, 2010

China’s Influence • China’s print culture: being literate as a special status. Educated, Elite, Class, Self-Cultured

• Chinese Writing System • Use of Woodblock Printing • Open new markets (Bookstores, Publishers, Sales)

• New types of employment Sunday, April 11, 2010

• Information as important knowledge and a commodity

• Passing Information along ( An early model for a Communication System)

• Texts of information (any subject) • Travel guides, Territory Maps • Urban Directories, Business Directories • Documenting and Recording Sunday, April 11, 2010

Buddhism • Recorded social activities and financial obligations

• Factor in politics, economy, and the markets • Recorded names, affiliations, family genealogy, and stories (Real/Fictional)

• A shared culture through stories. Example: Genpei War (1180-1185) miracle stories, tales of battles, rituals of death Sunday, April 11, 2010

Civil War • Berry views civil wars

occurring as formative 1. Shaped governing systems 2. Upheaval inspired a desire for peace

• Identifies Toyotomi Hideoshi as instrumental at shaping the governing system in 1590, the Tokugawa House 1600-1868 ruled over 200 domains

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Professor Liberman’s Essay • Berry found the essay to focus on general patterns (Military, Politics, Language)

• The essay generalized historical events while lumping people into groups (farmers-some followed a Lord, others self-governed; farmers had different backgrounds- Samurai)

• Liberman looked at language (focusing on linguistics/ oral vernaculars); Proof/Evidence is a problem acquiring (1400-1800) (Berry focused on Printed materials) Sunday, April 11, 2010

Conclusion • National Identity through cultural integration of information

• Print Culture: Information, Promoted learning, Literacy, and Propaganda

• Social/Political economy convergence from a strict governing system

• “Tokugawa period is a remarkable for a certain income leveling” (p.570) Credited to Hideyoshi Sunday, April 11, 2010

Remarks • Berry’s paper unlike other scholarly works is written in the first person

• The number of source used were limited • Berry uses her own book and article to quote from and reinforce her own thesis

• Berry’s convergence/divergence topic is not proved, She moves on to other topics like Hideyoshi, civil war, and print industry

• Berry provides a possible explanation for the massive printed information Sunday, April 11, 2010