Japanese political reaction to the East Asia situation of the middle in the 19th century

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00970
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: University of Nagasaki
• Principal Investigator: MATSUO SHINICHI 長崎県立大学, 地域創造学部, 教授 (40453237)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 19世紀 / 東アジア / 日本 / 情報 / 政治 / アヘン戦争 / 太平天国 / アロー号

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this research is to first elucidate the mechanism by which Qing and Korean information transmitted from Tsushima in the mid-19th century circulated to Japan, then decipher the reception and reaction of overseas information by the shogunate and daimyo families from historical sources, and finally examine the development of Japan's political reaction from the composition of "East Asian situation" versus "Japan".
Specifically, I investigated the flow of information into Japan and its domestic circulation regarding the situation during the Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion, and the Arrow War, as well as Japan's political response to that information.As a result, it was possible to confirm the acceptance and reaction of information by the shogunate and daimyo families, which had not been visible in conventional bilateral relations, and it became clear that the shogunate was able to demonstrate diplomatic independence because it had multiple routes to obtain information.

Free Research Field

日本近世史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、従来の東アジア社会と日本との関係理解に見直しを迫り、日本の特質を明らかにするもので、日本史という枠組みだけはなく、アジア史研究史上においても意義ある研究だと言える。またここでの成果は、現在日本が抱える隣国との関係に有益な示唆を与えるものと思われる。