Transcript Japan: An Island Empire… Essential Question:

Japan - Geography
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Japan is an archipelago. (an island chain
consisting of many small islands)
Japan is within reach of many countries
including Korea and China.
Geography
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Japan developed out of Volcanic activity lava
hardening and reaching surface. There is an island
growing off the coast of Japan as I speak.
Japan has 108 active volcanoes.
4 main islands (Shikoku, Honshu, Hokkaido,
Kyushu)
Japans geography will lead to specific agriculture.
Economy and Trade
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Mainly an agrarian society (agriculture focus)
Main product grown rice. Cultivation was passed up
on from Chinese, then spread throughout Japan.
Rice was main product traded (KOKU) along with
cloth. (Japanese did not manufacture much, lack of
resources on volcanic rock)
In return Japan received silks and other fine goods
through trade with Korea/China and much later
Europeans. (very isolated at times much like China
under ming)
Chinese and Korean Impact
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Japanese embraced Social Changes and Religious
changes from China and Korea, presented by regent
(substitute ruler) Prince Shotoku.
Written/Spoken (China influenced Japan)
Social Change – Confucianism played a large role.
Father is the head of the family. Wives obey
husbands, children obey parents, siblings obey older
siblings.
Religion- Buddhism grew amongst nobles
(interesting) people will live by Confucious policies
but have a Buddhist religious mindset.
Politics & Government: Prince Shotoku
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4-8-1
-Prince Shotoku:
-ruled as regent (someone
who rules for someone who
cannot rule alone) for his
aunt, the empress
-great leader
-brought Buddhist ideas to
Japan (built Buddhist
temple, wrote about
Buddhist ideas)
-ruled 573-621 (rule began
when he was 20)
Politics & Government : Heian (Hay-ahn) Rule *204*
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-Heian (Hay-ahn) rule:
-794 empress and emperor moved to Heian *PG. 204*
-created imperial court to help rule-very wealthy and
disconnected from common people…
-golden age of arts in Japan (794-1185)
-silk robes
-gold jewelry
-decorative fans to complete outfit
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-Emperor continued to focus on court life and lost touch with people…
Politics & Government: Daimyo and Samurais
-Daimyo (Dy-mee-oh) hired samurais to protect their land
-samurais were trained warriors *PG. 214*
-samurais (“servant”) served lords
-samurais were paid in land and/or food
-samurais were well-respected (people could be killed if they
disrespected a samurai)
Politics & Government: Samurai--Bushido
-Bushido (“the way of the warrior”) –both men and women in samurai families followed
this code
-brave and honorable (honor MOST important)-if he lost honor (lost a fight,
disobeyed an order, failed to protect lord), he was expected to kill himself
-men and women learned to fight (men for war and women to protect homes)
-live simple, disciplined lives (bonsai trees)
-loyal to his lord
-eventually, local nobles outside Heian got angry
-Minamoto clan won power around 1180 (kept emperor as
figurehead-took over as shogun in 1192)
-when he died, he passed power to his son
-shoguns (dictators) ruled Japan for the next 700 years
Politics & Government: Mongol Invasion *PG. 216*
-Mongols invaded (under Kublai Khan) in 1274 and 1281
-Japanese and Mongols fought and suffered loss
-Both times, storms defeated the Mongols
-Japanese referred to these storms as kamikazes (“divine wind”)
-daimyo unhappy because they didn’t believe the shogun gave them
enough credit for their fighting
-emperor was unhappy that he did not have any real power
-by late 1400s, the shoguns had lost power, the emperor remained
powerless and the daimyo ruled their own territories
-made laws
-collected taxes…
-no central authority
Politics & Government: Mongol Invasion Cont’d.
-by 1500s daimyos began to rise to power to unify Japan
-Oda Nobunaga (Ohd-ah noh-booh-nah-gah) gained power by giving his warriors
guns from Portugal
-Tokugawa Ieyasu (toh-koohg-ah-wuh ee-e-yahs-ooh)-established Tokyo as capital
-Tokugawa family ruled until 1868
-let Christian missionaries in
-much trade with other countries
-some shoguns outlawed trade and technology (fear of becoming like Europe and
fear of rebellion)
Religion
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-Shinto:
-traditional religion of Japan
-belief that everything living and non-living has a kami (spirit)
-respect for nature and ancestors
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-Buddhism:
-Prince Shotoku brought Buddhism into everyday life
-Buddhism varied by class (upper class had elaborate rituals and lower class did not
have time or money for the rituals)
-After time, different forms of Buddhism came about:
-Pure Land Buddhism (for common people-no rituals- chanted Buddha’s name to
gain salvation)
-Around 1100 Zen (“meditation”) Buddhism was popular with warriors (focused on
wisdom gained through quiet reflection rather than faith or being good—
enlightened nature through martial arts, gardening, calligraphy)
Society & Culture
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-the first Japanese people lived in clans with a chief leader
-isolated from other Asian civilizations, but by mid-500s, Japanese leaders sent
representatives to Korea and China *PG. 201*:
-Chinese characters in writing (Japanese was spoken language, but they wrote
in Chinese characters for 200 years)
-Confucius’ ideas
-wealthy people wore elaborate outfits:
-silk, gold jewelry, decorative fans
-writing very important (women wrote in Japanese instead of Chinese-so
many of the early writings are by women)…
Society & Culture Cont’d.
-Lady Murasaki Shikibu *PG. 209*
-The Tale of Gengi is considered to be the first full-length novel—written in 1000— about
a prince’s quest for love
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-Social Classes (after Minamoto took control in 1192) *PG. 213*:
1. Emperor (as figurehead)
2. Shogun (ruled in emperor’s name)
3. Daimyo and Samurai (lords and warriors)
4. Peasants (most Japanese people)
-Bushido:
-values of Bushido still honored in Japanese culture
Science & Technology *PG. 174*
4-8-2
-literature (women, Lady Shikibu, Haiku, Tanka)
-paintings:
-bright, bold colors
-paintings told stories
-often painted on doors and furniture
-calligraphy (decorative writing):
-wanted poems to look as beautiful as they sounded
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Science & Technology Cont’d.
-architecture:
-modeled Heian after Chinese capital
-surrounded buildings with gardens and ponds to add
to the elegance
-performing arts:
-jugglers
-musicians
-acrobats
-later this art became known as Noh (1300s)—plays that
combined music, speaking, and dance