Name: ______________________ Class: _____ Date: ____________

How Did Japan Respond to the Crisis?

Activity Instructions: Fill in the Blanks using pages 177-182

Different points of view

Two conflicting _________________ cause unrest in Japan:

1. One group thought it would be a matter of time before they were
___________ to trade with ___________ nations. They didn’t think they
could remain ______________ but wanted didn’t want to be taken over.
They felt Japan needed more Western _____________ to become more
powerful and remain __________________.
2. The other group believed Japan should remain isolated and declare
______ on Western countries. They wanted _____________ killed in
Japan. This ________-_____________ group believed the
________________ would expose the common Japanese to a different
way of life and undermine their _________ structure and class
_____________.

Civil Unrest

In the mid ___________ people were unhappy in Japan. Bad

____________ had caused poor crops. Farmers and peasants were
_____________. People began to questions whether the government was
to ____________. Support of the Bakufu ____________. Citizens were
asking questions about all the ______________ the government was
making.

Many _______________ began to support the Emperor instead of the

Bakufu. They were angry that the __________ Treaty had been signed
_____________ his wishes. Many felt a stronger _____________ to him
and his court than the shogun and their ____________. The Samurai
activists were especially strong in the following places:

(Fill in the cities on the map)

a. _______________________
b. _______________________
c. _______________________
d. _______________________
a.
b.
c.
d.
These were large ________________ that never really ______________
the Shogun. Some of these leaders had _____________ traveled to
______________ and did not fear the presence of _______________.

Critics of the _____________ wanted to create a new government headed

by the ________________. They worked to rally people around this idea.
They used the slogan “____________ ____”, which means “Revere the
emperor! Expel the ____________.” They began ____________ their
military ________________ and even purchased weapons and ships from
the _____________. Even groups of ____________ broke with tradition to
form military ______________ to fight the _____________ troops.

The political situation became _____________. In _______, samurai from

____________ convinced the shogun to ___________ and take a leading
role in a new ________________. Before the new government could be
established, military forces from ____________ and Choshu intervened.
They proclaimed _____________ the emperor. The new emperor quickly
abolished the office of the shogun and ordered the ____________ family to
surrender their _________________ lands.

The shogun responded with a ______________ attack. The battle

continued until the shogun’s _______________ forces were defeated in the
spring of _______. The city of Edo ________________ without battle.
After centuries, the ________________ court was once again the highest
authority and renamed the city ____________, which means “Eastern
Capital”.

The _____________ Era, which had lasted more than ________ years,
was over.

How did the political system change?

The ________________ leaders used the _______________ story to their
advantage when they declared the emperor sacred and _____________.
They tried to appeal to the Japanese ________________ and build
___________ to the government by using the young _____________ as a
symbol of unity. The creation story about the emperor made it impossible
for the Japanese not to _____________ him. Traditional processions and
______________ welcomed him whenever he traveled , and he became an
_____________ to bind the country together.

Origin of the Emperor of Japan

This is a creation story about the Japanese _______________, a traditional

story about how things in the world began. The sun ___________
presented the imperial ____________ to her grandson. He then passed
these items on to his ________________ who were the emperors of
Japan. The regalia consisted of a mirror, a _____________, and a carved
____________ – symbols of the legitimacy and authority of the emperor.
The ancient Japanese believed the emperor had ____________ powers
and could ________ to the gods. The emperor was considered a
__________ being until after World War II when a new constitution made
him a _____________ of the state.

The Charter Oath

The organizers of the ______________ knew it was important to gain the

___________________ of all the domains in the new government. They
wanted the other _____________ to know that this new government was
not the same as the old _____________.

In April 1868, Emperor Meiji signed the Charter Oath that outlined the goals
of the new ______________. It decreed that future _____________ would
be based on the __________________ of the daimyo of all domains.

In its final form, the _____________ of the Charter Oath was broad enough
to ______________ the points of view expressed by all who worked on it.
This charter showed __________ in all three elements of worldview:
___________ and economic systems, social systems, and ____________.

The ___________ ceremony in which the Charter Oath was presented

included both Emperor Meiji and _____________ of the new government.
The _____________ hoped that this would be viewed as a new model for
Japan, which they called the Unity of __________ and Rule.

The new government formed as a result of a _____________ that restored

the emperor as ___________ of the government. The last shogun,
_______________ Yoshinobu resigned because the samurai convinced
him that Japan needed a ____________ central government to keep the
country united.

The Charter Oath

Write the following in your own words, use the arrows and what is written
on page 182 to help you.

1. Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters

decided by public discussion.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. All classes, high and low, shall unite in vigorously carrying out the
administration of the state.

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

3. The common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall
each be allowed to pursue their own calling so that there shall be no
dissent.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

4. Evil customs of the past shall be ended and everything shall be based
on the just laws of nature.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

5. Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the

foundations of Imperial rule.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________