It's important to note that part of what contributed to Sakoku was overzealous missionaries destabilizing Japanese society. Makes you wonder if there is a moder

It's important to note that part of what contributed to Sakoku was overzealous missionaries destabilizing Japanese society. Makes you wonder if there is a modern equivalent overzealous belief system in the west that has caused country after country to to fall into revolution and disarray. Christianity and the two colonial powers it was most strongly associated with were seen as genuine threats by the Tokugawa bakuf... Religious challenges to central authority were taken seriously by the bakufu as ecclesiastical challenges by armed Buddhist monks were common during the sengoku period. The Empress Meishō (1624–96) also had grave doubts when she heard about how the Spanish and Portuguese were settling in the New World, and thought that Japan would soon become one of the many countries in their possession. Protestant English and Dutch traders reinforced this perception by accusing the Spanish and Portuguese missionaries of spreading the religion systematically, as part of a claimed policy of culturally dominating and colonizing Asian countries. The Dutch and English were generally seen by the Japanese to be able to separate religion and trade, while their Iberian counterparts were looked upon with much suspicion. The Dutch, eager to take over trade from the Spanish and Portuguese, had no problems reinforcing this view. The number of Christians in Japan had been steadily rising due to the efforts of missionaries, such as Francis Xavier and daimyō converts. The direct trigger which is said to have spurred the imposition of sakoku was the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637–38, an uprising of 40,000 mostly Christian peasants.