Japan

Japan1000YEARS

JapanGeography

Made up of mountains and volcanoes rising out of the Pacific OceanOnly 20% is flat land

Eat seafood because of their close proximity to the sea/ocean

Separated from other people in Asia and developed their own culture

Japan

JapanLocated 100 miles from Korea and 400

from ChinaFour Main Islands

Hokkaido in the northHonshu, the biggestShikoku, south of HonshuKyushu, southern most main island

JapanEarly Japanese Society

Two CulturesThe Ainu

From Siberia (eastern Russia)When they invaded they were driven to the

northern island of HokkaidoTheir culture has disappeared

JapanThe Japanese

Lived south of the AinuVillages were ruled by powerful extended families

called clansClans are ruled by a chief

Political and religious leaders believed to be descended from nature spirits called kamiLed rituals to honor ancestorsThese rituals became the Japanese traditional

religion of Shinto

JapanNot all clans were equal with some larger

and more powerful with armies that battled each other for control

The Yamato clan on Honshu claimed to be descended from the most powerful kami, the goddess of the sunBy the 500s, the Yamato expanded their

rule all over HonshuStarted to call themselves the emperors of

all Japan

JapanShinto

Everything in nature has kamiSun, moon, trees, waterfalls, and animals

Kami help people live and keep them from harm

Build shrines to kami and hold ceremonies to ask kami to bless them

Japan

JapanThe Japanese Renaissance500s brought a temporary end to the isolation of Japanese culture

Sent representatives to Korea and China to learn about the outside world

JapanWritten LanguageJapanese learned how to write from the Koreans and Chinese

Used Chinese symbols and language for decades before the Japanese written language was created

JapanReligion and Philosophy

Prince ShotokuRuled Japan for his

aunt as regentSent scholars to learn about Chinese societyJapan adopted ConfucianismAs a Buddhist, Shotoku also worked to

expand Buddhism’s popularity including building a massive Buddhist temple

JapanGovernment

Shotoku also wanted to copy the Chinese government with a powerful emperor

Clan leaders did not allow this as it would take away their power

Japan1. What types of landforms cover most of

Japan?2. How did emperors take power in Japan?3. What aspects of Chinese society did

Shotoku bring to Japan?4. What do you think was the most

important idea the Japanese borrowed from China or Korea? Why?

JapanJapanese Heian Era

Emperors moved the imperial court, nobles who live and serve near or advise a ruler, to Heian (modern day Kyoto) in southern Honshu

The rich nobles surrounded themselves with art and supported many artists

Heian became a center for learning and arts in the golden age from 794 to 1185AD

JapanFashion

Women wore multi-layered silk robes and gold jewelry

Usually elaborate decorative fans were a part of their attire

JapanLiterature

Women contributed much to early Japanese literature because men wrote in Chinese

Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji, considered to be the world’s first full-length novelThe story describes a prince in

search of love meeting women from different social classes along the way

JapanPoetry reading parties were held for men and

womenPoetry usually only had

five lines, or less, and was about love and nature

A popular poetry structure from Japan is HaikuContains three lines, the

first and last line containing only 5 syllables and the middle containing 7

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Autumn moonlight –a worm digs silently

into the chestnut.Old pond

a frog jumpsthe sound of water

JapanVisual Art

PaintingsLiked bright, bold colors that illustrated

stories, such as from The Tales of Genji, and from Buddhism, nature, and court life

CalligraphyDecorated poetry and stories with ornate

calligraphy

JapanArchitecture

Modeled Heian after Chang’an with temples and palaces

The wooden structures’ frames were slightly curved upward on the endsWood was left unpainted for a more natural

feelLike large open spaces inside their buildings,

and gardens and ponds outside

JapanBuddhism Changes

Rich nobles in Japan had elaborate rituals while poor commoners could not afford such ritualsPure Land Buddhism

Chanted the name of Buddha over and over to reach enlightenment

JapanZen Buddhism

Neither faith nor good behavior led to wisdom

Practiced self-discipline and meditation

Japan1. Where did Japan’s court move in the late

700s?2. How was religion among Japan’s nobles

different from religion among the common people?

3. Why is Lady Murasaki important?4. What forms of art were popular in the

Heian period?

JapanRead an excerpt from The Tale of Genji on

pages 452-3.1. According to the passage, what specific

arts did Japanese nobles enjoy?2. What details suggest that Japanese

nobles lived lives of luxury?3. After reading this passage, what is your

overall impression of Japanese court life?

JapanOutside of Heian life was different for

the rest of JapanNobles fought each other and rebelsThe fighting destroyed farm landPoor became bandits or thieves

JapanSamurai

The daimyo, wealthy landowners, decided they needed to protect their own land since the emperor was distracted by courtly lifeHired samurai, trained professional warriors, to

defend them and their propertyWore light armor and fought with swords and

bowsSome samurai positions were inherited

JapanSamurai means servantThey were to serve the daimyos, or lords,

and be loyal to the emperorSamurai armies were expensive so many

lords paid them with food, and land for the greatest samuraiUsually paid in rice

JapanShoguns

Two clans frustrated with the government fought for 30 years with Minamoto clan winningThey decided to rule the country, but keep the

emperor as a figurehead, controlling Japan in the emperor’s place

The Minamoto leader became known as the Shogun, ruling for the next 700 years

JapanBushido

Means “the way of the warrior”Samurai code of rules (similar to the

chivalry codes of European knights)Must be respectedCannot go to the theaterCould not take part in a businessBe brave and honorable fighters

JapanMust live simple, disciplined livesMost important: must be loyal to their lord and

obey without hesitation even if it harmed his familyObedience was their sense of honorIf honor was lost, suicide was expected instead

of living in dishonorShameful acts might even include losing a

fight, disobeying an order, or failing to protect his lord

JapanModern-day Japanese Bushido

Today Japanese still respect the code of BushidoValues of loyalty and honor are still at the core

of Japanese culture

JapanMongol Invasion

Samurai were sent to fight the small group of Mongol soldiers that made it to KyushuThe “divine wind” (kamikaze) storm saved

Japan twice from invasionAfter the invasion attempt, the emperor started

to want his power backShogun wanted more power, and the nobles

wanted to get rid of the shogun

JapanSmall wars broke out all over JapanBy the 1400s, each daimyo controlled his own

land independently with no central powerOda Nobunaga began to unify Japan using guns

for the first timeLater Tokugawa Ieyasu was made shogun by

the emperorThe Tokugawa Shogunate moved the capital to

Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and allowed trade with Europe

JapanIsolation

Later shoguns did not want European influence and closed off Japan from the rest of the world

Also banned guns as they feared peasants with guns rebelling

This extended the samurai period until the 1800s

Japan1. What was the relationship between

the samurai and the daimyo?2. What was bushido?3. What strong leaders worked to unify

Japan in the late 1500s?4. Why did later shoguns not allow

guns?