Meiji Japan
by The Meiji Era of Japan was in essence a super-compressed Industrial Revolution. It lasted from around 1880/90-1930s. In this short time period that took place after the Tokugawa Era, Japan went from being a rural and developing nation to the urban, advanced one it is today.
Another short but important aspect that influenced Japan’s culture industrially was Tanaka Hisashige, known as Japan’s greatest mechanic, who devised a model of a steamship and “astonished people.” According to “Education by Example,” a teacher’s manual, he continued to invent things useful to Japan even after he was 70 years old. A quote from Education by Example is, “We must strive to invent and create new things, and thus enhance Japanese culture.” The effect that Hisashige’s steamship had on Japan’s culture was that he was able to show a new emphasis on modernization and technology.
In conclusion, Japan’s culture was greatly affected by its military and industrial changes. The Meiji Era’s impact on Japan’s culture itself was negative for a short time. It made Japan temporarily become an industrial/working class nation, and the feeling of honor given to the class of samurai was forgotten. These immediate cultural changes were bad, however the changes in modernization for Japan were well worth it in the long run.
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