The Japanese why did they go so long without changing?

[SturmChurro]

The Japanese took a long time to change their ways till like the 19th century, why is that?

-By changing their ways I mean their culture, horsebackriding, the samuri, no modern technology of the time periods, like no railroads, no trade with other countries excep for like one ship that went there once a year.

[Banana Jelly]

The japanese felt that there culture was superior and tried to preserve it as much as it can.

[dezikeizer]

In one word: isolation. They managed to keep contact with the rest of the world greatly restricted during the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and no one in the west really challanged them over this. Before the period of The Country at war, China was often too busy on the continent, and the west was too far away to impose changes. That doesn't mean changes didn't seep in from China, at least as far as culture, but they were few and inbetween. During the period of the Country at war some changes did come, such as gunpowder, Christianity, and increased contact and trade. However, as I stated before, the Tokugawa Shogunate sealed off the borders and none of the western nations really tried to do anything about it.

[SturmChurro]

In one word: isolation. They managed to keep contact with the rest of the world greatly restricted during the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and no one in the west really challanged them over this. Before the period of The Country at war, China was often too busy on the continent, and the west was too far away to impose changes. That doesn't mean changes didn't seep in from China, at least as far as culture, but they were few and inbetween. During the period of the Country at war some changes did come, such as gunpowder, Christianity, and increased contact and trade. However, as I stated before, the Tokugawa Shogunate sealed off the borders and none of the western nations really tried to do anything about it.

Except for the USA, they got trade with them, then all the western countries wanted to trade them now that they saw that they were trading with the USA.

[dezikeizer]

Yes, but that was in the 19th century, you were referring to before the 19th century. But yes, what you're describing is part of how they opened up in that century, which in turn led to the Meiji restoration.

[SturmChurro]

Yes, but that was in the 19th century, you were referring to before the 19th century. But yes, what you're describing is part of how they opened up in that century, which in turn led to the Meiji restoration.

That is exactly why I said till, I wanted to give the reason why.

[Juggernaut]

When a country is at peace and isolated with no contact with the outside world, things generally don't change much. Because there really isn't much reason to change.

That is exactly why I said till, I wanted to give the reason why.

If you are referring to why the Shogunate started the policy of isolation(Sakoku), that's because they feared that the influence of European powers would be dangerous for their security, including the spread of Christianity.

[dezikeizer]

Point taken, sorry.Still I hope I helped answer your question.

[Aru]

Because the ruling system felt threatened by new ways that came with trade.
Something similar is happening in North Korea.

[RollingWave]

It helped them maintain their prestige as well. since the individual Daiymo's still effectively ruled their own lands. while the government had significant control over them (they have to rotate posts in the capital. basically doubling as hostages) the Shogun doesn't actually have too much control over what is happening in the individual fiefs. thus he tries to shut down potentially destabilizing factors such as foreign traders ( since they can't tell if they're trading them weapons or just common goods) and Priests

[Helm]

The Japanese took a long time to change their ways till like the 19th century, why is that?

-By changing their ways I mean their culture, horsebackriding, the samuri, no modern technology

You mean there were people riding horses who didn't have Internet access and Facebook on their mobiles before the 19th century?

[RollingWave]

By the time the Japanese "changed" every damn European and American were still riding horses too. (when they're not on trains of ships anyway).

[Helm]

And there were railroads/trains before the 19th century? And swords/cavalry weren't still in use up until the early 20th century?

[RollingWave]

yeah, but the restoration happened in the 19th century. there were rails by then, but automobile did not become anywhere near common until the 20th.

[Helm]

If you were to were to have a Japanese army in a Empire Total War game the Samuari would just take the place of mounted cavalry units in the game. So they weren't hopelessly outdated relative to what everyone else were doing at the time. In fact would make for a good mod.

[Knight of Heaven]

The japanese maintained relations, and trade with the Portuguese, and later the ducth aswell. However yes it was limited on the grand scheme of things, but cristianity, and some other cultural elements were introduced. religion, even language, and gunpowder etc.
with the civil war and the restoration of menji era japan tried to be more open on the diplomatic level with western countries, and USA asweal. I remeber a japanese delegation in Paris. it was like 8 people or 9 cant remenber, and they were all samurai. The french alow then to bring the swords becouse they understand it was important for the japanese. I always remember that story. i cant find images on the internet, but i have in a book. It was quite funny to see 8 samurais on Paris streets at that time.

what was said above is right the rulling system felt unconfortable, think it could collapse, by charing new ideas and systems, wich incidentaly it happen anyway, graduality, and bring the downfall of the shogonunate, in a sence was also a victim of this policy. Not saying was the main factor leading to the restoration, but was indeed a factor.

[Byzantine Emperor]

The japanese maintained relations, and trade with the Portuguese, and later the ducth aswell. However yes it was limited on the grand scheme of things, but cristianity, and some other cultural elements were introduced. religion, even language, and gunpowder etc.

The introduction of gunpowder, the immediate sophistication of guns(they had the best in the world during some years), and the following abandonment of it, is as far as I'm aware of the best example of 16th-19th century Japanese conservatism.

[RollingWave]

they didn't completely abandon guns, but it did become much more rare.

either way. by the early 19th century Japan had nearly completely disarmed itself. it's armies were nothing compared to it's height at the late 16th century.

A similar thing happened to China anyway. though the process is more gradual and dragged out there. but similar results saw the Chinese army being significantly worse than it's predecessor about 300 years earlier in every possible regard.

[Byzantine Emperor]

they didn't completely abandon guns, but it did become much more rare.

Even though they didn't completely abandon guns, the Japanese government first restricted and later forbid the production of guns. They also gradually restricted its usage, resulting in a general ban. Even though a very marginal part of the Japanese still had them, these were disdained by majority of the Japanese. This is a clear abandonment of guns, as far as I'm concerned.

[Barry Ferguson]

The Japanese didn't change because they didn't have to. The country had stabilised after brutal civil war, and the shoguns were more than happy to leave it, because it worked. It only changed when the Western powers wanted to force it open to trade. After that, and with the exampl of what had happened to China, the Japanese mordernised as fast as possible