3 - Small Town, Big Dreams

Summary

This chapter describes the experiences of a farmer-merchant, Shinohara Chūemon, in the new Yokohama treaty port between 1859 and 1873. By examining the activities, decisions, and fortunes of one individual in the context of the new global space of Yokohama, the chapter offers an interpretation of continuity and change during the turbulent final years of the Tokugawa shogunate. It explores the ways in which the opening and expansion of foreign trade in Yokohama led to far-reaching transformations of Japan’s society, economy and culture. The chapter interprets the transformation of Japan in the mid-nineteenth century as not only a top-down revolution initiated by the leaders of the Meiji Restoration, but also a bottom-up process led by countless individuals in search of greater economic well-being.