Jacob Faust His 396 Dr.

Wilson September 13 2012 Everyday Things in Premodern Japan Since the beginning of time technology, and the use of it has shaped the history of many countries. Nations such as England, Spain, Portugal, and even America have used technology and its advancements as a tool to often times become the industrialized powerhouse nation of that era. In Susan Hanleys book Everyday Things in Premodern Japan, she takes her readers through the everyday culture of Japan, during the Tokugawa period and underlines some of these advancements the Japanese developed that made their quality of life high before it became an industrialized nation. Hanley compares, in great detail, the quality of life of that in Japan during the Tokugawa period to that of the industrialized powerhouse nations in the west. From the advancements in material goods, such as housing and furnishings, the effective use of there recourses, and the healthy lifestyles Japanese lived during this time, Japan was able to achieve a high quality of life that rivaled that of the western countries before it became a industrialized nation. This paper will use evidence from Hanleys book to support the authors argument in which the quality of life and physical well being of the Japanese during the Tokugawa period was one that compared to that of the industrialized western nations and also underline some of the advancements that helped them do so. As incomes rose during the Tokugawa period in Japan, so did the quality of material goods such as housing and Furnishings. Handley wrote in much detail at the beginning of her book examining how these material goods improved the quality of life in Japan. As Handley

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stated in chapter two, the style of housing changed in major ways during the Tokugawa period. In the early Tokugawa period many common homes were very primitive at best. The floors in the homes were made of the bare earth, with no stable foundation. As the later home developments improved during the Tokugawa period so did the quality of life. The foundations began to be strengthened with stone or wood, the floors were wooden instead of just bare ground, and the walls were enclosed all around the house. All of these factors increased the quality of life for the Japanese as their homes were now more advanced. The comfort level improved, such as increasing warmth in the home, keeping weather out and improving the quality of living. These living conditions were much better than those in Europe as Hanley pointed out to be slums, or very run down, simple homes that offered no protection from the cold or weather. Another material feature added to the homes of the Japanese during the Tokugawa period to improve their quality of life was that of different furnishings. As Hanley wrote on page thirty seven about the fireplace or cooking stove in the Japanese homes that greatly improved the quality of life in Japan. The Japanese moved their fireplaces to the middle of their homes, which wormed the whole home more effectively using less fuel. These middle of the room fireplaces were very different form those in the homes in the west, as they were located on the side of the homes taking much more effort an fuel to heat their homes. Hanley also wrote extensively about other advancements in furnishings such as Tatami mats, self heating devices and seating that was added to the homes that improved the quality of life. With the advancements of housings and furnishings during the Tokugawa period Japan was able to achieve a high quality of life that rivaled that of western countries before it became an industrialized nation. During the Tokugawa period Japan, as a nation, was shut off from the rest of the world. Outside trade with other countries were nonexistent during this time. As a result, Japan was

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forced to be a resource efficient culture that Hanley wrote about extensively in chapter three. The Japanese limited their use of wood to save the forest available on the Island, turned to the easily cultivated cotton to produce their close and took extreme measures to save heating fuel throughout the island. One of the advancements of the resources available in Japan that improved the quality of life was that of water. Unlike the western countries the Japanese reframed form disposing of their waste in the rivers, which developed illness. During the Tokugawa period wooden and metal water pipes were developed to carry clean water into the cities. The Japanese had a much cleaner and advanced water system than that of the contaminated rivers in the western industrialized countries used during that time. As stated earlier, since outside trade was nonexistent in Japan during the Tokugawa period, the Japanese people had to really rely on their resources in order to survive. Hanley wrote in great detail about the importance of human waste, or night soil as she called it. Night soil developed as a form of fertilizer in Japan during this time. Night soil was so important in Japan that people would argue over who was able to collect it and often times traded with other cities for ships of food. Unlike the Europeans who wasted their night soil in large cesspools which created disease, the Japanese found an important function for their waste as fertilizer. Night soil was so important in Japan, that beggars would save their waste to exchange it for food or money as Haley wrote in chapter 4. The Japanese saw many resources that were available to them in Japan as a way to contribute to the quality of life. As Japan was shut off from the rest of the world during the Tokugawa period, the Japanese became a resource efficient culture, enhancing its water supply, saving fuel and trees, and finding important use of night soil, to improve its quality of life rivaling that of western countries, before it became an industrialized nation.

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As throughout many countries, an important factor often used to measure its quality of life is its physical well being. In this book, Hanley explained that during the Tokugawa period Japan was able to achieve a high level of this. As a result, the quality of life of Japan increased tremendously during the Tokugawa period. Hanley wrote about many factors that contributed to the physical well being of Japan such as bathing, food, and family structure. One important contribution to the well being of Japan was the bathing system developed during this time. As the western countries lived in a disease ravaged land, caused largely in part by poor hygiene, Japan saw the importance of personal hygiene. Bath houses were formed all across Japan, as the increase personal hygiene added to the quality of life in Japan. Also the Japanese used their family structure to contribute to their physical well being. As Hanley explained, all over the world during this time many families, especially in the west, would strive for large families, the Japanese did the contrary. The Japanese feared large families would put a financial stain on their families, so in turn they strived for small families with boys to carry on the family name. In Europe and China families would strive for many children in hope to gain financial success and better family support. Instead many large families became poor an unable to support their many children. Hanley also contributes the Japanese diet to the increase of the physical well being during the Tokugawa period. In the early years during this period many Japanese were poor and could only afford to eat the unpolished rice and other grains and light protein such as fish or seafood, which Hanley says was much healthier that the fatty wild game and unhealthy breads eaten in the west. Also the healthy diet of whole grains rice and high protein foods such as tofu and fish and Japanese pickles that was incorporated in the Japanese diet later in the Tokugawa peroid contributed to the higher physical well being in Japan. The physical well being was very high in

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Japan during the Tokugawa period due largely in part to its bathing hobbits, food, and family structure. The physical well being and the factors that contributed to it stated above, was a major contribution to the quality of life in Japan that rivaled that of western countries, before it became an industrialized nation. In Susan Hanleys book Everyday things in Premodern Japan the readers were taken through the everyday life of Japanese culture during the Tokugawa period. Hanley argued in her book that even though Japan had yet to become an industrialized nation the quality of life was still very high and compared to the western nations. This paper underlined some of Hanleys key arguments in the book agreeing with her thesis. From the advancements in material goods, such as housing and furnishings, the effective use of their recourses, and the healthy lifestyles Japanese lived during this time, Japan was able to achieve a high quality of life that rivaled that of the western countries before it became an industrialized nation. Japan may have been isolated from the rest of the world during the Tokugawa period but the quality of life was very high, and technological improvements made during this time allowed Japan to later compete nationally with the western countries, when it was opened to the would years later.

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