Background of Japan • • Japan's isolation as an island nation Instrumental in its development as a culture • By 500 BCE it was still an undeveloped agrarian (farm based) culture without cities • Outside influences which led to cultural advancement included...

Background

• Japan comes from “ri-ben” – land of the rising sun • Borrowed ideas, institutions, & culture from China • 4,000 islands make up the archipelago – 4 large islands • 1 B.C. = hundred of clans – Worshiped local gods – Shinto “way of the gods” – Respect nature (kami) & worship ancestors

Draw a Castle… Compare it to the ones in Feudal Japan

Warwick Castle, England

Feudal Japan

Japanese Traditional Castle

Japanese Culture

• Buddhism : – Brought by Korean travelers – Mixed with Shinto • Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals • Chinese culture: – 607, Prince Shotoku sent 1/3 missions to China – Adopted Chinese system of writing – Painting styles – Simple arts: cooking, gardening, tea, hairdressing – Strong central government • Civil Service System failed

Prince Shotoku: 573-621

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Adopted Chinese culture and Confucianism

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Buddhist sects allowed to develop

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Created a new government structure: 17 Article Constitution

Heian Period: 794-1156

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Characteristics: Growth of large landed estates Arts & literature of China flourished

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Elaborate court life Etiquette

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Personal diaries The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon

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Great novel

The Tale of Genji

by Lady Murasaki

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Shikibu Moving away from Chinese models in religion, the arts, and government

Heian Court Dress

The Pillow Book

by Sei Shonagon (diary)

The Pillow Book

by Sei Shonagon (diary)

Tale of Genji ( first novel)

• Account of the life of a prince in the imperial court – considered the world’s first novel

Feudalism Erodes Imperial Authority

• Rich Fujiwara family in power • Strong central gov’t challenged by great landowners & clan chiefs – Private armies; countryside became lawless – Farmers & small landowners traded land for protection – warlords

Samurai Warriors!!!

• Wars between rival lords  bodyguard warriors of each lord • Samurai = one who serves • Code of behavior: Bushido – The way of the warrior * Reckless courage * Reverence for the gods * Fairness * Generosity towards the weaker * Honorable death > long life

Samurai Warrior Attire

Samurai Sword

Early Mounted Samurai Warriors

Samurai Charging

• Seppuku ("stomach-cutting") is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.

• Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai – Part of the samurai honor code • Used: – Voluntarily to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies – Form of capital punishment after serious offenses – For reasons that shamed them • Seppuku is performed by plunging a sword into the abdomen and moving the sword left to right in a slicing motion

Minamoto Yoritomo

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2 most powerful clans fight for power

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30 years of war Minamoto family wins

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Leader: Yoritomo Deemed “Shogun”

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Supreme general of the emperor ’s : army

Kamakura Shogunate

• Emperor still ruled in Kyoto • Real power = Shogun’s military headquarters at Kamakura • Shoguns ruled through puppet emperors until 1868!

• Kamakura Shoguns defeated 2 invasions by the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan – Drained shogun’s funds – Samurais did not get paid • Aligned more closely with lords – Shoguns lost power

Japanese Feudal System

Emperor Shogun Samauri Merchants

Peasants

Feudal Hierarchy

• Emperor – Japanese political ruler • Shogun – Had the powers of a military dictator; Ruled Japan through puppet emperors • Samurai – loyal warriors of local lords • Merchant - Facilitated trade, earliest beginnings of the Japanese economic system • Peasant – Worked the land which belonged to the local lords

Seppuku:

Ritual Suicide

It is honorable to die in this way.

Kaishaku

– his

“

seconds

”