The Meiji Restoration of Japan

Japan was separated for about two centuries;It had been locked away from the outside world. By 1615, after a century of civil war, the powerful Lord Tokugawa had defeated his enemies and declared himself Shogun, ruler of all Japan. Tokugawa divided society into four ranks: at the bottom were the merchants; then came the artisans; just above them were the farmers, who gave up half their rice harvest to those at the top, the Samurai. Matthew Perry was a Commodore who headed to Japan at the bay near yedo. When Matthew came, the people from Japan were facinated with his four ships he had brought. They were steamships, ran on coal and water. They called them ''Black ships". Japan was an archipelago which meant that is was made up of a chain of islands. Japan was well known because it was an archipelago. They industrialized well togethether because Matthew perry either asked them or wanted it to do it by force. He wanted something from Japan, since he supplied/introduced "the black ships". This is how they industrialized; even if it felt like they didnt have a choice. Commodore Perry knew that he had more advanced technology than the people from Japan. The Meiji Restoration was when an emperor from Japan wanted to learn the abilities or any improved technologies that were located in the west. He sent some of his people to a specific area alongside the west. Since he felt Japan was coming around really slow. He managed to gather studies from Europeans and American civilazations.This was passed on to other people from Japan. Eventually Japan had a banking system and a local fine government. Although back at the time they still relied on their Samurais and Shoguns. This was the Meiji restoration of Japan.