Early History - Japan is a very ancient country, steeped in traditions accumulated for thousands of years, with a culture that is both instantly familiar and yet profoundly unique among other Asian cultures despite the outside influences.

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Rise of the Shogun - By the 1100's in Japan, two large military clans-the Taira and the Minamoto-had armies of samurai under their command. Both clans were descendants of the noble families at court. In the late 1100's, the Taira and Minamoto clashed in a series of battles for power. The Minamoto finally emerged victorious in the 1180's.

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Imperial History - In 1867, a small group of samurai and aristocrats pressured the shogun into resigning and restored the emperor to his previous position as head of the government. The revolutionaries disapproved of the trade treaties and wanted to increase Japan's security and well-being in what they considered a dangerous and competitive world. They acted without support of the Japanese people.

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Modern Japan - The 1920's were a time of great difficulties for Japan. After the war, Western nations re-established trade with India and the rest of Asia, and the Japanese economy suffered. In 1923, a terrible earthquake struck the Tokyo-Yokohama area and led to the deaths of about 143,000 people. A worldwide depression during the late 1920's further hurt the Japanese economy.

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