The Meiji Restoration, where the political system has changed significantly. It is a famous story that the reason for this was the arrival of Kurofune. However, the arrival of Kurofune did not immediately lead to Joi.
Behind the fact that the existing system is destroyed by life and death, "food shortage due to poverty" and "repression related to life and death" are usually hidden. When Kurofune arrived, he asked, "What kind of people suffered financial damage? ?? 』I will investigate.
The beginning of the end of the Edo period
The so-called end of the Edo period begins with the arrival of the Black Ships dispatched by the United States in 1853.
Due to the Industrial Revolution, industrialization is progressing in Western countries, and it is an event in the midst of embarking on the acquisition of colonies in search of markets and raw material supply areas.
The United States has turned its attention to Japan as a transit point for trade vessels and whaling vessels against the Qing dynasty. Around 1850, the population of Qing dynasty at that time was about 400 million. Japan has about 32 million people, and the United States has about 20 million people (the population said on the Internet).
* It can be read that "the number increased to 9.98 million in the 1820s and 40.24 million in the 1870s". It is certain that a considerable number of immigrants flowed in during the 1850 gold rush and the Irish famine (1845 – 49), and it is no wonder that the population at that time was 20 million. The population in my book is also smaller in NY than in Edo, so it's a reasonable number.
There is no doubt that the Qing dynasty's market looked quite attractive to the United States after the Industrial Revolution (as well as other countries; the Opium War broke out between Britain and Qing in the 1840s).
One whaling ship. At that time, oil was not common because there was no way to mass-transport it, so whale oil was used as a "quality" and "mass-produced" oil used in various industrial products and fuels for lighting. ..
It is undeniable that the United States is behind in comparison to other post-Industrial Revolution European countries that have already expanded into Asia. For that reason, I was urged to open the country with the speculation that at least Japan alone.
The result is the Convention of Kanagawa And Japan-US Treaty of Amity and Commerce It is the conclusion of.
The latter has had a major economic impact.
What is the content of the Japan-US Treaty of Amity and Commerce? ??
There are several reasons why it is called an unequal treaty, but the one that had a great economic impact is
.- Yokohama / Nagasaki / Niigata / Hyogo / Shimoda / Hakodate (Later Hakodate) Opening of Port (Some are decided by the Convention of Kanagawa)
- Edo / Osaka (Osaka) Opening of the city
- Free Trade
- Agreement tariff system (=There is no tariff autonomy, and it is one-sided)
Is it just that? Even if you say "there is no tariff autonomy", the United States at that time was "let's raise our national power!"
America at that time was- It was a time of heightened internal tension (=the eve of the Civil War)
- Do not want to miss the negotiations in the favorite Qing dynasty
- The distribution of British products that will soon conclude a treaty is likely to become the main
Therefore, the customs duty itself has been given considerable consideration to the Japanese side, and the export tax from Japan is set at 5% and the import tax is set at 20%. If the price of industrial products from the United States is high, the industry in Japan may be protected ...? It is considered. In fact, while trading at this tax rate, there is an excess of exports on the Japanese side.
However, it seems that some people think that this tax rate is the policy that "it will not be a problem if the tariffs are lowered when (the United States) gains national power."
At this stage, there may have been a judgment that it would be easier for Britain to conclude a treaty if it was judged to be superior and to have a certain degree of umami. I personally think (there is also the view that the United States had some memories of the Revolutionary War and was in tune with the oriental nations. If you look at the trust, it's quite possible).
In addition, there is a desire to buy a lot of industrial raw materials (raw silk) from Japan. Perhaps this raw silk import is the favorite.
This time, we have taken up the treaty between Japan and the United States, but we have unequal treaties not only with the United States but also with various countries such as the United Kingdom, Russia, the Netherlands, and France.
However, tariffs are at the same rate as in the United States. Perhaps, such as the Crimean War, the Indian Rebellion, and the Taiping Rebellion, "I didn't want to split the extra force because there were too many cases that I had to look outside of Japan." In the previous treaty between Japan and the United States, the article "If there is a conflict with the great powers, I will mediate (free translation)" may have played a role.
The price of "raw silk" doubled the following year due to the imbalance between supply and demand in Japan.
What was the cause of the misjudgment on the Japanese side ...? ??
Speaking of a shortage of raw silk, it certainly hinders our lives, but don't you think it's not worth the cost of "doing a jōi"?
Unfortunately for the Shogunate, in 1860, due to cold weather, typhoons, and floods nationwide, there were a number of peasants who were close to the year of the great famine of Tenpo. In fact, in 1860, rice prices have doubled.
In addition, another promise after the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States has a lot to do with it. That is the difference between the exchange rates of Japanese and foreign gold coins and silver coins.
- Japan:5 silver coins can be exchanged for 1 gold
- Foreign:15 silver coins can be exchanged for 1 gold coin
In Japan, the value of gold is unusually low and the value of silver is high, and gold will flow out to foreign countries. It seems that foreigners stationed in Japan made a considerable amount of money by exchanging foreign silver for money brought to Japan.
The shogunate also used hard-line measures to lower the quality of gold coins in an attempt to manage this outflow of gold. However, this judgment became a big mistake and the monetary value fell sharply. Prices will rise sharply, causing hyperinflation.
As a result
The situation was as described in the recollection of Eiichi Shibusawa, who is also known as the father of Japanese capitalism.
The damage of the samurai class who had the armed force in the ruling class at that time was enormous. Due to these circumstances, the idea of jōi spread and led to the debate ... Eventually, the Meiji Restoration was successful.
There is no "what if" in history, but perhaps the rise in rice prices and raw silk in 1860 would not have increased the number of jōi sect so much.