Tokugawa Shogunate as a Small Empire in Northeast Asia: The Spatial Structure of the Japanese Economy and Territorial Dynamics, 1550-1850

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24652138
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Historical studies in general
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
• Principal Investigator: FUJITA Kayoko 立命館アジア太平洋大学, アジア太平洋学部, 准教授 (90454983)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 近世史 / 帝国論 / 日本 / 蝦夷地 / 江戸時代 / 貨幣 / 繊維製品 / 海産物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research investigates the historical process through which Japan under Tokugawa rule (1603-1868) rose as a Small Empire by expanding commercial networks to, and territorially incorporating, the northern and southern frontiers, that is, Ezochi or Ainu Mosyr (present-day Hokkaido and the northern islands) and the Kingdom of Ryukyu. The Tokugawa regime formed a semi-autonomous economic system by reducing the outflow of gold, silver, and copper and minimising its dependency on foreign goods, especially textiles, by import substitution. This research shows that ‘autonomy’ was achieved only by creating a self-centred hierarchical system of diplomacy and commerce that emulated the Chinese model, with the use of coercive measures if necessary. In short, the Pax Tokugawa was brought about by incorporating the frontier and its non-Japanese population as ‘internal colony’ to provide necessary materials for Japan in response to changes in Japanese domestic economy and overseas markets.

Free Research Field

近世日本対外関係史、海域アジア史、グローバルヒストリー