19th Century Asia

    In Dennis Sporre's Reality Through the Arts he discusses 19th century Asia. In the 19^th century Asia experienced a great amount of change, influencing all aspects of life. Sporre explains Japan was still under control of the Tokugawa Shogunate, but once America forced the government to open ports for international trade Japan began to see changes. Trade stayed limited for awhile, but many Japanese people saw the benefits of opening up trade with the Western nations, due to science and military advancement. Japan was forced to sign unequal treaties with the Western nations, which gave the Western nations economic and legal advantages. As a result Japan initiated reforms in all of Japanese society to advance the country economically and militarily, attempting to gain back power and independence. Japan’s government once influenced by a democracy, establishing human rights, turning from an agrarian economy into an industrial economy. They ended up adopting a “European style constitution and established a parliament (Diet), while leaving sovereignty with the emperor” states Sporre (Sporre 319). Then in 1894 a conflict with China over Korea began, resulting in the Sino-Japanese war. Japan won and received Taiwan, but the “Triple Intervention”, which involved Russia, France, and Germany, led to Japan forcibly relinquishing more territories and consequently increasing military once more. This brief history will allow you to better understand the music of the age, specifically why and how it was created.

 

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