4/11/2016

HistoryofJapanWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

HistoryofJapan
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

HumanhabitationintheJapanesearchipelagocanbetracedbacktoprehistorictimes.TheJmon
period,namedafterits"cordmarked"pottery,wasfollowedbytheYayoiinthefirstmillenniumBC,
whennewtechnologieswereintroducedfromcontinentalAsia.Duringthisperiod,inthefirstcentury
AD,thefirstknownwrittenreferencetoJapanwasrecordedintheChineseBookofHan.Betweenthe
thirdcenturyandtheeighthcentury,Japan'smanykingdomsandtribesgraduallycametobeunified
underacentralizedgovernment,nominallycontrolledbytheEmperor.Theimperialdynastyestablished
atthistimecontinuestoreignoverJapantothisday.In794,anewimperialcapitalwasestablishedat
Heianky(modernKyoto),markingthebeginningoftheHeianperiod,whichlasteduntil1185.The
HeianperiodisconsideredagoldenageofclassicalJapaneseculture.Japanesereligiouslifefromthis
timeandonwardswasamixofBuddhism,andnativereligiouspracticesknownasShinto.
Overthefollowingcenturiesthepoweroftheemperorandtheimperialcourtgraduallydeclinedand
passedtothemilitaryclansandtheirarmiesofsamuraiwarriors.TheMinamotoclanunderMinamoto
noYoritomoemergedvictoriousfromtheGenpeiWarof118085.Afterseizingpower,Yoritomosetup
hiscapitalinKamakuraandtookthetitleofshogun.In1274and1281,theKamakurashogunate
withstoodtwoMongolinvasions,butin1333itwastoppledbyarivalclaimanttotheshogunate,
usheringintheMuromachiperiod.DuringtheMuromachiperiodregionalwarlordsknownasdaimy
grewinpowerattheexpenseoftheshogun.Eventually,Japandescendedintoaperiodofcivilwar.Over
thecourseofthelatesixteenthcentury,JapanwasreunifiedundertheleadershipofthedaimyOda
NobunagaandhissuccessorToyotomiHideyoshi.AfterHideyoshi'sdeathin1598,TokugawaIeyasu
cametopowerandwasappointedshogunbytheemperor.TheTokugawashogunate,whichgoverned
fromEdo(modernTokyo),presidedoveraprosperousandpeacefuleraknownastheEdoperiod(1600
1868).TheTokugawashogunateimposedastrictclasssystemonJapanesesocietyandcutoffalmostall
contactwiththeoutsideworld.
TheAmericanPerryExpeditionin185354endedJapan'sseclusionthisinturncontributedtothefall
oftheshogunateandthereturnofpowertotheemperorin1868.Thenewnationalleadershipofthe
followingMeijiperiodtransformedtheirisolated,underdevelopedislandcountryintoanempirethat
closelyfollowedWesternmodelsandbecameaworldpower.Althoughdemocracydevelopedand
modernciviliancultureprosperedduringtheTaishperiod(191226),Japan'spowerfulmilitaryhad
greatautonomyandoverruledJapan'scivilianleadersinthe1920sand1930s.Themilitaryinvaded
Manchuriain1931,andfrom1937theconflictescalatedintoaprolongedwarwithChina.Japan'sattack
onPearlHarborinDecember1941ledtowarwiththeUnitedStatesanditsallies.Japan'sforcessoon
becameoverextended,butthemilitaryheldoutinspiteofAlliedairattacksthatinflictedseveredamage
onpopulationcenters.Japan'sunconditionalsurrenderon14August1945followedtheatomicbombings
ofHiroshimaandNagasakiandtheSovietinvasionofManchuria.
TheAlliesoccupiedJapanuntil1952,duringwhichanewconstitutionwasenactedin1947that
transformedJapanintoaparliamentarymonarchy.After1955,Japanenjoyedveryhigheconomic
growth,andbecameaworldeconomicpowerhouse.Sincethe1990s,economicstagnationhasbeena
majorissue.Anearthquakeandtsunamiin2011causedmassiveeconomicdislocationsandaserious
nucleardisaster.

Contents
1 Geographicalbackground
2 Overview

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan

1/36