The Japanese Encounters With the West, Essay Example

From the early examples of the Japanese encounters with the West, it is evident that the impression of the Japanese people seems primitive and naïve. Their thinking about the East-West relations does not seem enlightened or sophisticated.  This response paper looks at the character of the Japanese during the early examples of Japanese encounters with the west and the Japanese thinking about the East-West relations.

The Japanese traditions at this time were rather primitive as Japanese seamen who were rescued by foreigners abandoned their feudal ways of thought and embraced ideas of the modern world. Some seamen, such as John Manjiro who found themselves in foreign countries ended up attending school. These seamen learned mathematics, how to read and write, navigation and surveying in foreign countries. This shows the primitive character of the Japanese at this time. It is through voyages as a member of the international society that John realised how the Japanese policy of national isolation was irrational and inhumane. The exclusion laws, for example, was primitive as it required that castaways who returned to Japan be charged with breaking the law and forbidden to travel.

Their thinking about East-West relations did not seem enlightened or sophisticated. The lack of a port in the Japanese region is a clear indication that they did not want any relations with the West. The lack of a port implied that the west could not trade with, or even dock on the Japanese coast. Moreover, the exclusion laws restricted contact with the outside world, which means that the Japanese could only trade within. This policy does not seem enlightened, as trade with the outside world would benefit Japan.

It is apparent that during the early examples of Japanese encounters with the West, the character of the Japanese people was primitive and naïve. Their thinking about the East-West relations was also uninformed and unsophisticated.