Sakoku

Sakoku, meaning "closed country," refers to Japan's isolationist policy during the Edo period (1614-1853). Under this policy, Japan restricted foreign influence and trade, allowing only limited contact with the Dutch and Chinese at designated ports. The goal was to preserve Japanese culture, maintain social order, and control foreign ideas, especially Christianity. Sakoku resulted in nearly 250 years of relative peace and stability within Japan, but also in technological and cultural stagnation. The policy ended when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in 1853, leading to Japan's reopening to the world and significant changes in its society and economy.