Japan

1. Japan 1000YEARS

2. Geography • Made up of mountains and volcanoes rising out of the Pacific Ocean • Only 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

4. Located 100 miles from Korea and 400 from China • Four Main Islands • Hokkaido in the north • Honshu, the biggest • Shikoku, south of Honshu • Kyushu, southern most main island

5. Early Japanese Society • Two Cultures • The Ainu • From Siberia (eastern Russia) • When they invaded they were driven to the northern island of Hokkaido • Their culture has disappeared

6. The Japanese • Lived south of the Ainu • Villages were ruled by powerful extended families called clans • Clans are ruled by a chief • Political and religious leaders believed to be descended from nature spirits called kami • Led rituals to honor ancestors • These rituals became the Japanese traditional religion of Shinto

7. Not 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 sun • By the 500s, the Yamato expanded their rule all over Honshu • Started to call themselves the emperors of all Japan

8. Shinto • Everything in nature has kami • Sun, moon, trees, waterfalls, and animals • Kamihelp people live and keep them from harm • Build shrines to kami and hold ceremonies to ask kami to bless them

10. The Japanese Renaissance • 500s brought a temporary end to the isolation of Japanese culture • Sent representatives to Korea and China to learn about the outside world

11. Written Language • Japanese learned how to write from the Koreans and Chinese • Used Chinese symbols and language for decades before the Japanese written language was created

12. Religion and Philosophy • Prince Shotoku • Ruled Japan for his aunt as regent • Sent scholars to learn about Chinese society • Japan adopted Confucianism • As a Buddhist, Shotoku also worked to expand Buddhism’s popularity including building a massive Buddhist temple

13. Government • 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

14. What types of landforms cover most of Japan? • How did emperors take power in Japan? • What aspects of Chinese society did Shotoku bring to Japan? • What do you think was the most important idea the Japanese borrowed from China or Korea? Why?

15. Japanese 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

16. Fashion • Women wore multi-layered silk robes and gold jewelry • Usually elaborate decorative fans were a part of their attire

17. Literature • Women contributed much to early Japanese literature because men wrote in Chinese • Lady MurasakiShikibu wrote The Tale of Genji, considered to be the world’s first full-length novel • The story describes a prince in search of love meeting women from different social classes along the way

18. Poetry reading parties were held for men and women • Poetry usually only had five lines, or less, and was about love and nature • A popular poetry structure from Japan is Haiku • Contains 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 silentlyinto the chestnut. Old ponda frog jumpsthe sound of water

19. Visual Art • Paintings • Liked bright, bold colors that illustrated stories, such as from The Tales of Genji, and from Buddhism, nature, and court life • Calligraphy • Decorated poetry and stories with ornate calligraphy

20. Architecture • Modeled Heian after Chang’anwith temples and palaces • The wooden structures’ frames were slightly curved upward on the ends • Wood was left unpainted for a more natural feel • Like large open spaces inside their buildings, and gardens and ponds outside

21. Buddhism Changes • Rich nobles in Japan had elaborate rituals while poor commoners could not afford such rituals • Pure Land Buddhism • Chanted the name of Buddha over and over to reach enlightenment

22. Zen Buddhism • Neither faith nor good behavior led to wisdom • Practiced self-discipline and meditation

23. Where did Japan’s court move in the late 700s? • How was religion among Japan’s nobles different from religion among the common people? • Why is Lady Murasaki important? • What forms of art were popular in the Heian period?

24. Read an excerpt from The Tale of Genjion pages 452-3. • According to the passage, what specific arts did Japanese nobles enjoy? • What details suggest that Japanese nobles lived lives of luxury? • After reading this passage, what is your overall impression of Japanese court life?

25. Outside of Heian life was different for the rest of Japan • Nobles fought each other and rebels • The fighting destroyed farm land • Poor became bandits or thieves

26. Samurai • The daimyo, wealthy landowners, decided they needed to protect their own land since the emperor was distracted by courtly life • Hired samurai, trained professional warriors, to defend them and their property • Wore light armor and fought with swords and bows • Some samurai positions were inherited

27. Samurai means servant • They were to serve the daimyos, or lords, and be loyal to the emperor • Samurai armies were expensive so many lords paid them with food, and land for the greatest samurai • Usually paid in rice

28. Shoguns • Two clans frustrated with the government fought for 30 years with Minamoto clan winning • They 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

29. Bushido • Means “the way of the warrior” • Samurai code of rules (similar to the chivalry codes of European knights) • Must be respected • Cannot go to the theater • Could not take part in a business • Be brave and honorable fighters

30. Must live simple, disciplined lives • Most important: must be loyal to their lord and obey without hesitation even if it harmed his family • Obedience was their sense of honor • If honor was lost, suicide was expected instead of living in dishonor • Shameful acts might even include losing a fight, disobeying an order, or failing to protect his lord

31. Modern-day Japanese Bushido • Today Japanese still respect the code of Bushido • Values of loyalty and honor are still at the core of Japanese culture

32. Mongol Invasion • Samurai were sent to fight the small group of Mongol soldiers that made it to Kyushu • The “divine wind” (kamikaze) storm saved Japan twice from invasion • After the invasion attempt, the emperor started to want his power back • Shogun wanted more power, and the nobles wanted to get rid of the shogun

33. Small wars broke out all over Japan • By the 1400s, each daimyo controlled his own land independently with no central power • Oda Nobunaga began to unify Japan using guns for the first time • Later TokugawaIeyasu was made shogun by the emperor • The Tokugawa Shogunate moved the capital to Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and allowed trade with Europe

34. Isolation • 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

35. What was the relationship between the samurai and the daimyo? • What was bushido? • What strong leaders worked to unify Japan in the late 1500s? • Why did later shoguns not allow guns?