This week, we looked at the early Tokugawa period, and the way that Tokugawa Ieyasu consolidated his power. Building on the pattern set by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Ieyasu broke up the fiefdoms of the Daimyo, ensuring that they never had the ability to pool their power. I may be wrong, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was a similar tactic that eventually broke the power of either English or French lords. Evidently similar problems lead to similar solutions. It is clear how much Ieyasu understood the importance of bases for dissent, which explain why he outlaws the building of new castles. We also see Ieyasu’s understanding of the sensitivities of the Daimyo, and how he works around as well as takes advantage of them to keep his rule secure. While forbidding new constructions, Ieyasu allows current castles to be repaired, allowing the Daimyo to their dignity but preventing them from strengthening themselves. I would also argue that the rules about how a Daimyo should dress and travel are also a clever use of their own dignity. As Dr. D pointed out in class, part of the importance of forcing the Daimyo to constantly travel to and from Edo is that they must spend a great deal of money in those processions. I would also point to the regulations about every person dressing according to their rank as a further insurance that the Daimyo must spend their money. All of that spending forces the Daimyo to keep their coffers empty and prevents them from being able to build up funds for a rebellion. Moreover, much like an effective tax, the fact that everyone has to spend according to their station means that everyone will have to keep their funds low, since the richer Daimyo will simply have to be more ostentatious in their trips to and from the capitol.
For Friday, I read about Kabuki theater. As a somewhat less formal theater art than Noh, it had a greater emphasis on actually spoken lines. In this way, it felt more like more familiar western theater. I was also struck by the amount of action in Kabuki plays; the plays really seem very translatable into a more modern style of production. Finally, I was interested by the role of the chanter compared with the chorus in Noh plays. I wonder if the difference between the two could be the subject of a show and tell by someone a bit more knowledgeable on theater than I am.
“Control of Vassals.” In David John Lu. Japan: A Documentary History, 203-208. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1997.
Namiki Senryū. “Suma Bay.” In Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays, edited by Karen Brazell, and James T Araki, 442-455. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
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