“黑船”冲击与幕末日本的社会因应

The Impact of “Black Ships” and the Response of Japanese Society at the End of the Edo Period

西方“黑船”强行叩关,引发幕末的日本社会发生了一系列反应。位处中心的幕府优柔寡断,而位处迎击“黑船”前沿的西南诸藩,其反应程度明显要比幕府强烈,原因在于各藩的多重需求及动机。一是对幕府遏制各藩军事发展的不满;二是对幕府垄断国内外贸易的不满;三是对缺乏政治话语权的不满。最终,军舰加强了各藩的武备建设,商船活跃了国内的商品流通,藩篱的打破和锁国体制的瓦解致使幕府统治走向终结。迎击“黑船”的关键在于解除《大船建造禁止令》,解禁之后的发展出路唯有扩大通商贸易。只是禁令一朝解除,日本的国家走向便朝开国而去,倒幕维新便成不可扭转之势。最终,如同“蒸汽”为“黑船”注入动力一般,代表先进生产力的蒸汽船为日本近代工业化发展注入了原动力,加速推动了日本向近代国家的转型。

The arrival of"Black Ships"at the end of the Edo period led to a series of changes in Japanese society.The responses of different domains(Han藩)in East-west Japan were much stronger than that of Shogun(Bakufu幕府)because of their multiple demands and motives.First,the domains were dissatisfied with the Edo Shogunate containing their miliary development;second,the domains were dissatisfied with trade logistics systems controlled by the Shogunate;third,the domains were dissatisfied with the lack of political discourse.As a resul,the procurement of naval steamships strengthened the development of the domains'militaries,and the acquisition of commercial shipping enhanced domestic logistics,while the removal of domains'control and the closed-door system caused the fall of the Shogunate,thereby speeding up the"Meiji Revolution".The key to countering"Black ships"was the abolishment of The Prohibition on Building Large Ocean-going Vessels.Once this prohibition was removed,the alternative development paradigm available was to enlarge trade and Japan moved towards open-door circumstances.Therefore,when the Shogunate refused to change the traditional regulations,revolution became unavoidable.Thus,Japan was pushed into becoming a modern state with the dynamics of industrialization,stimulated by the introduction of steamships.