Chapter 12, Section 4

1. Chapter 12, Section 4 “Feudal Powers in Japan”

2. Shintoism • Japan around the 1st century B.C. was organized into clans. Each clan worshipped its own nature god or goddess. • This god worship developed into Shintoism, the belief that divine spirits dwelled in nature. Shinto also believed ancestors could manifest themselves in nature.

3. The Yamato Clan • By A.D. 400s the Yamato clan had established itself as the leading clan, claiming to be descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu. • The Yamato clan leader claimed to be emperor of Japan. From this point forward, Japan would always have an emperor claiming heritage to the Yamato clan.

4. Buddhism in Japan • Korean travelers to Japan brought with them Buddhism. • By the 8th century, Buddhist ideas had spread throughout Japan. • Many Japanese merged Shintoism with Buddhist thought.

5. Cultural Influences from China • In 607, Prince Shotoku, fascinated with Chinese culture because of Buddhism, sent 3 missions to China to study Chinese culture. • The Japanese adopted the Chinese system of writing, Chinese landscape painting, and the simple arts of everyday living such as cooking, gardening, and drinking tea.

6. Japanese Feudalism • As Japanese central power declined, local leaders took more power and a state of feudalism developed in Japan. • By the 11th century large landowners living away from the capital set up their own private armies. • These private armies were made up of samurai warriors, who lived by “bushido” (the way of the warrior)