The Jerky Progression of Japan

Through the course of history, few countries have made as much comparative progress as Japan. As recently as 1250AD Japan had almost no contact with the outside world. In contrast, the rest of the Eurasian landmass had consistent contact for thousands of years. By 1900, just 650 years later, Japan had become one of the most progressive and industrialized countries in the world. These changes did not happen overnight but through a series of key changes and by the consequential Japanese reactions. These changes are the attempted invasion of the Mongols and resulting creation of the Ashikaga Shogunate, the gradual change from the Ashikaga Shogunate to the Tokagawa Shogunate, and the arrival of Commodore Mathew Perry and the following changes in the Japanese way of life.

For much of Japan's early history it was governed by the stable, decentralized, civilian run Kamakura Shogunate. The Mongols' rise to power in the thirteenth century was the biggest disruption to Japanese life up to that point and was the start of huge changes. Thanks to violent marine conditions and advanced knowledge and preparedness, the Kamakura Shogunate was able to ward off the Mongols until the Mongol leaders lost interest in the inconsequential islands of Japan. The military unity that was so essential in stopping the Mongols could not be overlooked in the political era to come. The newfound importance of the warrior class forced the Kamakura leaders to politically recognize warlords. This change was the fundamental discrepancy between the rule of the Kamakura Shogunate and the new Ashikaga Shogunate. The Ashikaga government was still decentralized but throughout its reign lost more and more power to the warlords.