YOMIMONO
Culture of the Bakumatsu
The shock of the Black Ships, and the new technologies and ways of life that took root. We explore the culture that flourished in Japan's turbulent final shogunal years.
Photography in the Bakumatsu — Silver and Wet Plates Capture the Samurai
Photographic technology that arrived in Japan around the opening of the country preserved the faces of Bakumatsu people for posterity. A fact-based look at pioneers like Ueno Hikoma and the background to the famous portraits of the age.
The Black Ships and the Opening of Japan — Four Vessels That Ended Two Centuries of Seclusion
In 1853 the Black Ships under Commodore Perry appeared off Uraga, and Japan turned toward opening its ports. A clear, fact-based account of the arrival of the Black Ships, the end of seclusion, and the dawn of the Bakumatsu.
Rangaku and the Tekijuku — The Window onto the West Opened by the Dutch Language
Rangaku — Dutch learning — brought Western knowledge into secluded Japan. At Ogata Kōan's Tekijuku in Osaka, students like Fukuzawa Yukichi studied. A fact-based look at the scholarship and schools that underpinned Bakumatsu modernization.
Sonnō Jōi — The Ideological Surge That Drove Bakumatsu Politics
The slogan 'revere the emperor, expel the barbarians' drove the activists of the Bakumatsu. A fact-based look at its origins and at how it shifted toward overthrowing the shogunate and opening the country.
The Opening of Yokohama and the Foreign Settlement — From Fishing Village to International Port
With the opening of the port in 1859, Yokohama was transformed from a small village into one of Japan's leading international trading ports. A fact-based look at the meeting of cultures in the foreign settlement and the impact of the opening.
Ee ja nai ka — The Popular Frenzy That Swept the Late Bakumatsu
In 1867 crowds across the Tōkai and Kinki regions danced and chanted "Ee ja nai ka." A fact-based look at the popular frenzy that erupted amid falling talismans and the great political upheaval.
Terakoya and Learning in the Bakumatsu — The High Literacy the Common People Built
Terakoya taught reading, writing, and the abacus to common children, fostering a high literacy culture in Bakumatsu Japan. A fact-based look at how these schools worked and laid the ground for a modern nation.
Vaccination and Western Medicine — The Rangaku Doctors Who Fought Smallpox
To confront the dreaded smallpox, rangaku physicians spread Western-derived cowpox vaccination. A fact-based look at the preventive medicine that took root through the efforts of Ogata Kōan and others, alongside the rise of Western medicine.
Ukiyo-e of the Bakumatsu — Woodblock Prints That Mirrored a Turbulent Age
The Utagawa school flourished and Yokohama-e, history scenes, and more emerged in the ukiyo-e of the Bakumatsu. A fact-based look at the world of colorful nishiki-e prints that reflected an age of upheaval, and at its leading artists.
Fencing Schools and the Swordsmen of the Bakumatsu — Where Activists Trained
At Edo's fencing schools, young men from across the land trained their swords and their ambitions. A fact-based look at the dojo of the Bakumatsu, places of exchange for the activists, and at the famous schools of the day.
The Man'en Koban and the Outflow of Gold — The Economic Turmoil of the Opening of Japan
The opening of the country sent Japanese gold coin pouring overseas. A fact-based look at the disorder caused by differing gold–silver exchange ratios and the shogunate's Man'en recoinage.
The Nagasaki Naval Training Center — The First Step Toward a Western-Style Navy
Shaken by the Black Ships, the shogunate opened a naval training center at Nagasaki, where men like Katsu Kaishū studied navigation under Dutch instructors. A fact-based look at the starting point of Japan's Western-style navy.
The Odaiba and Bakumatsu Coastal Defense — Batteries Built to Guard Edo Bay
In response to the arrival of the Black Ships, gun batteries were built off Shinagawa to defend Edo Bay. A fact-based look at the coastal defense the shogunate hurried to put in place, and its historical meaning.
The Shinsengumi and Mibu — The Band of Swordsmen Who Policed Kyoto
A band of swordsmen who kept order in turbulent Kyoto. A fact-based look at the founding of the Shinsengumi at Mibu and their course through the Ikedaya Incident and the Boshin War.