The exceprt from Fukuzawa Yukichi's "Leaving Asia" is a valuable resource in explaining Japanese imperialism and the air of superiorty some Japanese felt towards other Asian nations. I already knew from teaching WWII that Japanese people had a sense of superiority, during the time period, but this will help me illustrate it to my students. I try to incorporate primiary resources in each unit that we study. I was suprised to read the words "our evil friends of East Asia" and am wondering if the orginal words were that harsh. I also found it interesting that Fukuzawa is concerned that Westerners will confuse Japanese with Koreans and Chinese. It is a little ironic because given WWII history, Chinese and Koreans do not want to be mistaken for Japanese people.

I was very familiar with the systems involved during the Tokugawa Order, but the foreign policy was something very insightful and refreshing to look through again. I had known that the Japanese were very resistant towards foreign nations, but to see how far nations pushed to test Japan's boundaries was very interesting. It definitely paints countries like Britain and even the United States in a much darker light, and exposes the greed and inaction by everyone involved. In a later sequence of the revolution, it describes how the Americans were interested in trade and went to lengths to display their dominance and power to attract the Japanese. The Japanese had overturned centuries of foreign isolation as a result and this resulted in the destruction of the Shogun. As politics spiraled out of control, the text shares how much of the Japanese population remained bystanders, which gridlocked any progress. Opening trade without a clear understanding of value also placed the Japanese at a tremendous disadvantage, losing value in gold / crop and other commodities. I found this pretty saddening to read, but also insightful.

There was so much opposition to these reforms that we read about, nex taxes, consription etc. They seem to challenge the important sectors of soceity, farmers and samaurai. How were they successful? I'm interested to know how the farmers were won over. It is well documented that the samurai rebellions were put down militarily. I found it interesting to read that parents opposed public school initially. I might have students compare the industrial revolution in Japan with Europe. It seems that changes that took 100 years in the United States, took place in about five to ten years in Japan because the changes were forced.

I would use the reading, "Japan in Turmoil" in my class in the next few weeks.  In 10th World History, students are taught about the imperialism of East by the West and the East by the East. By reading this excerpt, it will show the students how powerful the British was in the South East and how aggressiveness they were in their hunt for dominance.  It is also mentions Captain Matthew Perry and the "unfair" treaty United States forced on Japan.  I hope to show the mistrust that is still prevalent today between certain countries can mostly be traced back to the 1800s.  The reading also shows the internal struggle of power and foreign influence.  I would try and have students to relate this reading and current events that might relate to modern day version of imperialism.

Thanks for mentoning the excerpt "Leaving Asia" and how it could be used to explain the superiority some Japanese had over other Asian countries.  This would be a useful supplementary reading for my students to learn about Japanese true intent behind the domination of Asia which later on led to World War II.  Another excerpt that could be used to explain Japan's strong sense of loyalty and duty would be, "Code of the Warrior".  This reading can also hook many students who like anime and/or video games because the reading is about samurais and their code of conduct.  Some might say it is directly linked to the Kamikazes, who felt honored to be choosen for their suicidal mission to Pearl Harbor because they were giving up their lives for the Japanese Empire.

There was a lot of wanting to control and maintain power over the lands.  The peace was all done in the best interest of maintaining the functionality of Japan.  During this time there was focus on warrior that had very meaningful and purposeful principals that also taught the warriors patience, obedience, and self-worth. Interestingly enough my colleagues at my school site teach about the archetype and the concept of “hero”.  One key element to introducing both is having students identify the qualities of a hero along with the challenges as it connects to the idea of the concept hero. I would use the “Principals of a Warrior” to analyze the makeup and composition of the warrior to help the students what they define a hero to be and the differences between both the hero and the warrior.  This being an interesting topic due to the fact that most students view heroes and warrior as one in the same when generally speaking.  I would also be interested in comparing the Hero’s Journey to the Warriors Journey. 

-Confucius and Confucianism  did inspire Japanese art and its culture. The Neo confucianism sparked the emergence of three related themes (Buddhism, confucianism, and Taoism) in Chinese and Japanese painting. And its concepts still serve as important focus of calligraphic practice in China and japan. Even today, many artists in both Japan and china pursue calligraphy as their main profession.  

The influence of Confucianism in china and Japan is a good topic which I am going to talk in my class. And we are going to practice calligraphy in my class as well.