Psychology in Japan
Tatsuya Sato and Yoh Fumino with the latest in our international series.
18 March 2005
In the 17th century Japan was isolated by its geographical location and its government. The Tokugawa Shogunate feared the spread of Christianity and decided to trade only with China and Holland. This isolation lasted for over 250 years – the Edo era, a peaceful period during which the arts and learning flourished – until the arrival in 1853 of Commodore Perry and his US fleet of 'black ships' forced Japan to open up to the outside world. The Meiji Restoration in 1868, which brought an end to the Shogunate and the Edo era, was the product of two movements: one towards modernisation of the nation and the other towards restoration of imperial rule.
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