The Closed Country Edict was issued in 1635 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, shogun of Japan from 1623 to 1651. Iemitsu followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and abided by the precedents set by his grandfather and former shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
In support of the continuation of the isolationist policies established by shogun Ieyasu, the Edict of 1635 is considered a prime example of the Japanese desire for seclusion. This decree is one of the many acts that were written by Iemitsu to eliminate European influence, and enforced strict government rules and regulations to impose these ideas. The Edict of 1635 was written to the two commissioners of Nagasaki, a port city located in southern Japan.
Japan before seclusion
Before the issuing of the exclusion edicts in 1633, Japanese fascination with European culture brought trade of various goods and commercial success to the country. Items such as eyeglasses, clocks, firearms, and artillery were in high demand in Japan, and trade began to flourish between the Japanese and Europe.
With the exchange of goods came the exchange of ideas as well. Christian missionaries, such as Francis Xavier, were of the first to travel to Japan to teach Catholicism. For a time, they were encouraged to enlighten the Japanese people, and Oda Nobunaga, during his reign as military leader of Japan in the 1570’s and 1580’s, encouraged the conversion of the Japanese to Catholicism. His hopes of competing with his Buddhist rivals pushed him to allow Catholic missionary activity within Japan. In Kyoto, Japan’s capital city, a large portion of the population had already been converted to Christianity by the seventeenth century.
Following Nobunaga was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, shogun of Japan from 1537 to 1598. With Hideyoshi’s rule, it is here that the anti-European sentiment began to grow in popularity. His suspicion of the Europeans first began with their intimidating appearance; their armed ships and sophisticated military power produced doubt and distrust, and following the conquest of the Philippines by the Spaniards, Hideyoshi was convinced they were not to be trusted. The true motives of the Europeans came quickly into question.
Those who converted to Catholicism were questioned about their loyalty to Japan, and in 1597, Hideyoshi ordered the crucifixion of nine catholic missionaries and seventeen Japanese converts. This was only the start of the hostility towards European influence and interaction; persecutions, beheadings, and forced secessions would eliminate the Christian community over the next few decades.
Decrees of the Edict
The key points of the Edict of 1635 included:
- The Japanese were to be kept within Japan’s own boundaries. Strict rules were set to prevent them from leaving the country, and if any such attempt was made, they would face penalty of death. Europeans that entered Japan illegally would face the death penalty as well.
- Catholicism is strictly forbidden. Those found practicing the Christian faith were subject to investigation, and anyone associated with Catholicism would be punished. To encourage the search for those who still followed Christianity, rewards were given to those who were willing to turn them in. Prevention of missionary activity was also stressed by the edict; No missionary was allowed to enter, and if apprehended by the government, he would face harsh sentences.
- Trade restrictions and strict limitations on goods were set to limit the amount of cargo that was being brought in or out of the country. Although trade did not cut off completely, few inbound ships were allowed to enter Japan. These included the few ships from the Dutch and Chinese that carried materials needed by the Japanese.
Enforcement
As a way of enforcing the edict, investigation methods such as the anti-Christian inquisition were established to expose those still practicing Catholicism. Led by a man named Inouye Chikugo-no-kami, it was formed to carry out the decrees of the Edict. The e-fumi (or Fumie) ceremony was considered yet another way of detecting a Christian; to reveal any individual that was still loyal to the Christian faith, a photograph resembling that of Jesus or Mary was placed on the floor of a pagoda, and everyone within the building was required to step on it. If any hesitation was visible, or any reluctance was detected, that individual was automatically suspect and subject to investigation.
Monetary rewards were also offered to anyone who had information regarding the violation of the edict. Anyone suspect of disregarding the decree would undergo a thorough investigation, and punishment usually followed. The allowance of ships was strictly regulated; only specific vessels were permitted to enter Japan, and merchants had to obtain special licenses to trade. Although trade was not cut off completely, it was very rare. To discourage those from embracing anything even remotely related to Europe, the Tokugawa punished any offenders that happened to surface. Many were publicly tortured, and often faced the death penalty as a result of their practices.
After the Closed Country Edict
Following the precedence of this seclusion edict, others followed in its footsteps. One example is the edict detailing the Exclusion of the Portuguese in 1639. This isolationist policy would continue to thrive until 1858, nearly two hundred years later, when Commodore Perry from the Americas embraced Japan at the convention of Kanagawa. Although the isolationist policy was not willingly given up, On July 29th 1858, Japan and the Americas signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, also known as The Harris Treaty. The signing of this document opened numerous trade ports in areas such as Edo, Kobe, Nagasaki, Niigata, and Yokohama along Japan’s coast.