Research On The Collection Of Overseas Information In The End Of Tokugawa Shogunate

Japan implemented a policy of seclusion during the Edo period, when they cut off all other direct ways of trading and exchanging to overseas except the limited trade with China and the Netherlands through Nagasaki, as well as the communication with North Korea and Okinawa through Tusima and Satsuma. But the Tokugawa shogunate was not completely isolated. In more than 200 years of seclusion, while trying to clear the Christian influence by the closed-door policy, the Tokugawa shogunate also payed attention to the surrounding situation and maintained the contact with the outside through the Chinese fusetugaki provided by Chinese and Dutch merchant ships.At end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Taiping Rebellion and Opium War broke out in China. As a close neighbor of China, Japan was facing the same internal and external problems, so they were concerned about the changes of situation in China more than ever, and payed special attention to gathering the information about the political, military and social changes in China. Therefore, every time when Chinese merchant ships arrived at Nagasaki Harbor, the Japanese interpreter of Tang would get on board immediately and make an inquiry. Then the Chinese fusetugaki were translated into Japanese by the interpreters of Tang, and handed to the Edo by the Nagasaki emissary. The information on China's situation which was get from Chinese fusetugaki brought tremendous impact on Tokugawa shogunate. In order to avoid the mistakes of China, many people of insight requested to learn experience from China and take effective measures to safeguard the national independence and stability.Through the Chinese fusetugaki, the Japanese opened their eyes to see the world actively and maintained the contact with the outside world. They were able to know the world and draw lessons from other countries'governing experience, as well as learn the world's advanced culture and technology in the times of seclusion. The system of Chinese fusetugaki not only shocked the Japanese isolationist policy to a certain degree, but also helped Japan avoid taking a lot of detours in their modernization.