In the light of these facts, some other explanation of the
relations between the Shogunate and the Imperial Court must be
sought than that which depends upon the claim now made by
Japanese historians of the official type, that the throne,
throughout this whole period, was divinely preserved by the
Heavenly Gods.[46]
What happened, in outline, seems to have been a combination of very
different forces. There were antiquarians who observed that the Mikado
had had real power in the tenth century, and who wished to revert to the
ancient customs. There were patriots who were annoyed with the Shogun
for yielding to the pressure of the white men and concluding commercial
treaties with them. And there were the western clans, which had never
willingly submitted to the authority of the Shogun. To quote McLaren
once more (p. 33):--
The movement to restore the Emperor was coupled with a form of
Chauvinism or intense nationalism which may be summed up in the
expression "Exalt the Emperor! Away with the barbarians!" (Kinno!
Joi!) From this it would appear that the Dutch scholars' work in
enlightening the nation upon the subject of foreign scientific
attainments was anathema, but a conclusion of that kind must not
be hastily arrived at. The cry, "Away with the barbarians!" was
directed against Perry and the envoys of other foreign Powers,
but there was nothing in that slogan which indicates a general
unwillingness to emulate the foreigners' achievements in
armaments or military tactics.
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