太平天國과 近代日本

The Taiping Rebellion and Modern Japan

The information on the Taiping Rebellion(1850-1864) was delivered to Bakumatsu Japan through various routes. The inflow of information reached its peak during the following two periods: 1853-4 and 1860-2. The former period can be characterized by that the information was indirectly delivered by foreigners. During the latter period, on the other hand, many Japanese began to have first-hand information on the Taiping Rebellion. In the 1850 s Japan s ruling elite and shishi began to examine China on the basis of information on the Taiping Rebellion, but in the 1860 s they made a voyage to China and began to discover China by witnessing the Taiping Rebellion and China. The China discovered by the Japanese was a country on the decline and a country overshadowed by the West. From this China many Japanese gained a lesson. In the face of great transformation from early modern period to the modern period the news from China arouse a sense of crisis and a fear of civil war among many Japanese. The Taiping Rebellion forced the Western powers to concentrate their military power in China. The Western powers could not afford another military buildup in Japan, and it could be saved from Western military threat. The Western powers also learned a lesson that Asian countries could not be conquered easily. The Chinese experience delivered to Japan made many Japanese move toward the West.