Robert Kyle Miller History 396 Everyday Things Paper 9/16/2013

Everyday Things
In her book Everyday Things in Premodern Japan, Susan B. Hanley, used a plethora of sources to argue that the well-being of the Japanese increased during the Tokugawa period. She not only challenged the definition of the standard of living, but believed that it was not an accurate depiction of how well people lived in premodern Japan. Hanley was adamant throughout the book that income was not a sufficient measure that determined how well someone lived. I base the evidence for the level of physical well-being on the material culture, which reveals the patters and characteristics of consumption, which in turn determines the physical well-being of the population (50). That statement was thoroughly backed with material evidence throughout the book. Also, she used the living standards in premodern Europe and America to compare against premodern Japan. Although she assessed many instances that proved the increased well-being of the Japanese during the Tokugawa period, the evidence she presented related to housing, sanitary systems, and a healthy water supply were the most important. Housing was, and still is, the most expensive item people owned or used. During the Tokugawa period, the Japanese put forth maximum effort to transform their homes. It also provided the best evidence in the increase of wealth during this time. Hanley used multiple sources that indicated an increase in both the quantity and quality of the houses built during the Tokugawa period. The construction of the houses became more about comforting the families living conditions. Toward the end of the period, mid-18th century, the house size was larger than in the 17th century. Styles of flooring, known as tatami, normally used by the upper-class, was

Robert Kyle Miller History 396 Everyday Things Paper 9/16/2013

used in the construction of the houses built by commoners. The evidence used by Hanley proved that the Japanese population was building studier and higher quality homes throughout the period. That resulted in a higher living standard because people had more money to spend. According to Hanley, compared to the living conditions the poor endured in Europe and America, the commoners in Japan lived as good if not better. Another housing aspect that was linked to increased well-being, was the emergence of storage devices within a home such as chests and cupboards. The fact that common people needed extra space was indicative that they had a surplus of items. The correlation of the well- being of the Japanese people and the new housing developments was clearly seen through the sources Hanley presented. Though the increased housing was important to the physical well-being of the Japanese people, the sanitary systems implemented in larger cities played a large role that sustained the growing population of Japan. Typhoid, cholera, and other vicious diseases that were spread through unsanitary water and poor sewage systems. Those diseases were an epidemic in both Europe and America. While Hanley acknowledges the fact that the sanitary systems were not perfect in Japan, far less people were killed by disease. Japans larger cities were steadily growing with respect to the population. Evidence showed that birth rates outnumbered death rates not only in the larger cities, but also throughout much of Japan. Japan was a quickly growing country at the time. If more and more people are crammed into a small environment, then disease was likely to prosper without adequate sanitation. Japans gradual increase in population indicated that their sanitation system was as strong, if not stronger than Europe or America. The well-being of the Japanese was clearly above average when compared to the Western countries. Hanley further extrapolated how well designed the sanitary systems were when she explained that at the end of the

Robert Kyle Miller History 396 Everyday Things Paper 9/16/2013

Tokugawa period the only change that was made was switching the wood pipes to the metal. That proved to be important because the modernized Japan used the same system that was used for over two centuries.