Japan : From Isolation to Adaptation

What connection can you make between the shoreline and the location of the major Japanese cities

• Inland terrain limited settlements to coastline areas

• The majority of the cities were located in the northern part of Japan

• Most cities are located in the western part of Japan for easy trading

How did the geographical location of Japan affect its worldview?

• The oceans have created a mild climate on the island

• Its isolation from the rest of the world prevented contact with other cultures

• Its nearness to Asia provided them with many trading opportunities

Two of the following statements about the Ainu people of Japan describe aspects of their history and culture which are similar to the history of the First Nations people of Canada. Choose the statement that is the exception

• Gods for each group were often associated with features of the physical world such as fire, water, wind or animals

• Members of each group were pushed off much of their land by settlers and were often restricted to living in specific areas

• Each group has agreed with its government on the first steps toward more self-government

The Japanese creation of terraces for crops, use of silkworks for clothing material and harvesting seaweed and soybeans would all be useful in explaining how, during the Edo period, Japan was

• able to exist self-sufficiently

• capable of feeding a large population

• reliant upon industrial production

The samurai, the daimyo, and the shogun all share the common experience of

• loss of social status after the end of Edo Japan

• increase in political power during the Meiji Restoration

• decrease in economic wealth during the Edo period

• gain in social influence during the Meiji Restoration

How did the shogun use the feudal system to maintain control of Japan during the Edo period?

• Together the shogun and the emperor set laws for the Japanese to keep control

• The shogun consulted the daimyo to make decisions for the people of Japan

• The Feudal system determined your class and, therefore , no one but the shogun had ultimate power

In what ways did Japan isolate itself from the rest of the world?

• Maintaining feudal systems to preserve their way of life

• Enforcing exclusion laws to keep control of people

• Both of the above

The exclusion laws passed by the government of Edo Japan, were put into effect as a result of

• Japanese fears of being conquered and enslaved as the Aztecs were

• The fear of disease being spread from foreigners

• The concern of the Shogun over threats to his power and to Japanese culture

The decision of the Japanese government to sign to Unequal Treaties with the nations of the West in 1858 was motivated by all of the following factors except

• fear of the military strength of the Western nations

• desire to avoid complete foreign takeover of Japan

• belief that Japan should avoid foreign influence

The above factors resulted in which of the following?

• Isolation in the Edo Period

• Adaptation in the Meiji Period

• Expansionism in the Edo Period