Shuko, Nakamura. Off Kaiyojima The Japanese Destroyer Was Victorious. 1894. Woodblock
Print. N.p |
By the mid nineteenth century, Japan understood its deficiencies in comparison to Western powers. Japan tried to remake itself in the image of the West. Their entire society was reformed. The Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown in favor of reinstalling the emperor (Meiji Restoration,1868). In 1871, Japan sent the Iwakura Mission to tour western countries in an attempt to learn everything about their civilization.
The Japanese also revamped their educational system. They knew that in order to advance technologically and scientifically, the people must first be educated. Through education, Japan could introduce concepts of national unity, pride, and patriotism. Japan became the first Asian nation to industrialize. They developed domestic iron and steel industries. Ship building, railroads and telegraph systems took off during this time. With the rise of industry in Japan, came the concurrent rise in military. During the Meiji era, the rallying cry was “fukoku kyohei” (prosperous nation, strong army). In 1885 Fukuzawa Yukichi said, “We must break out of formation [from the rest of Asia] and behave in the same way as the civilized countries of the West…” (Armstrong 10). This was the foundation for Japanese imperialism. |