A Study On The Process Of Choshu Five's Studying Abroad In Britain In 1863

Starting from the Kanagawa Treaty in 1854,western countries forced Japan to sign international treaties with them one after another.Using these treaties,the western countries preliminarily made the goal of opening ports of Japan come true.After opening of the ports,Japan not only failed to solve the external pressure of perry's arrival,but also intensified the domestic problems such as inflation and class differentiation.The hostility of the Japanese towards foreigners has gradually increased.Finally led to a series of violent activities,such as the Namamugi Incident(in 1863,Satsuma),attacking the British Embassy(in 1863,Choshu),the Shimonoseki Campaign(in 1863,Choshu).In the process,Japanese have experienced the gap between Japan and western countries in military.Therefore,Choshu,as one of the central area to resist foreign,secretly sent students to study in Britain for the first time,under the advice of expel faction patriots,and planned to learn the knowledge of navy to resist foreign.The students,including Ito Hirobumi and Inoue Kaoru,arrived in London via Shanghai and abandoned the idea of resist foreign after witnessing the strength of western industrial civilization.So the Five adjusted their study plans and visited shipyards,machinery factories and other places,had an further intuitive understanding of Britain's advanced civilization.After returning to Japan,the Five not only changed their ideas,but also became the important leader to promote the modernization of Japan by virtue of their outstanding achievements in the Meiji restoration.This paper is divided into four parts to describe the background,preparation,process and influence of the Five students' overseas studying.And it will focuse on what the five students seen and heard during their study in Britain and explore the influence of their experience.This essay will mainly analyze two questions: the first one is how the experience of studying abroad played a role in the turning of the Five from “Feudal retainer” to “the Central government bureaucrats”.The second one is how can the Five realized the transformation of Japan in the policy changes of “Sakoku—National enrichment—Powerful country”.