Transcript Document

JAPAN
Origins and History Overview
Japan: Origins
• According to Shinto Myth:
Izanagi and Izanami were given a jewel
tipped spear by the gods of Creation,
Order, and Chaos. They took the spear
to earth and dipped the tip into the sea.
As drops of water fell from the tip, they
created the islands. Together they create
the gods of Storms, Fire, Water, and
Thunder.
More Origins
• The Sun goddess, attacked and fearful
of her brother, the Storm god, hides in a
cave. The other gods tried to coax her
out, but she would not come out. So,
they tricked her by getting a mirror and
positioning it at the entrance, making
the light shine, as she came out, they
grabbed her and brought her back to
the sky.
Meaning of Origins
• These myths tell the story of the kinds of lives
the Japanese have faced and the beginning
of the Imperial line
• Understanding Storms, Volcanoes, the Sea,
Earthquakes, and the Sun are important to
figuring out how to live in this harsh
environment.
• These stories also provide the basis for the
divine lineage of the Emperor.
Reality
• Japan sits on the Western edge of the Pacific
Ocean and is an archipelago nation
• It is marked by its position on the Ring of
Fire—making it susceptible to Volcanic
eruptions and strong earthquakes (much like
the Western U.S.)
• Its location on the ocean also puts it in the
path of hurricanes, called cyclones
Japan is made up of 4 islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and
Kyushu.
It has 150 volcanoes, 60 of which are active.
Its location has helped to keep Japan isolated from the rest of the world
Ancient Japan
• The first people to arrive on Japan were hunter-gatherers
some 10,000 years ago.
• The Ainu who live on Hokkaido are the descendents of the
original inhabitants
• Other early cultures were Jomon from Korea and the Yayoi,
who settled on Honshu
• The Yayoi brought rice to Japan and introduced metal tools
and irrigation to the people
• The early religion was Shinto
• Around 400, the first emperor arose
• Buddhism was introduced to Japan in 552 CE
• In 593, Prince Shotoku began encouraging the spread of
Buddhism
• Shotoku also brought many other ideas and inventions from
China into Japan
• After Shotoku’s death, the government brought about the
Taika Reforms which declared all farmland the property of the
emperor
• The land was then divided up among the ruling clans
• In 710, the new govt. set up a new capital called Nara
Changing Culture
• new capital at Kyoto created in 794 after Buddhist clergy
became too powerful in Nara (Heian)
• Fujiwara clan gained great power with emperor and
served as regents between 858 and 1185
• During this time, the court and nobility flourished and
produced art and literature adopted from China
• Japanese developed their own writing based on Chinese
writing in order to make it their own
• The Tale of Genji becomes a huge hit
• While nobles were involved in court life, provincial
leaders began taking bits of land for themselves
• They set up estates separate from the govt. and built up
armies--many peasants looked to them for protection
Rise of the Shogun
• As control was lost in the
provinces, the govt had to turn
to provincial leaders with
strong armies to put down
revolts
• many of these provincial
leaders had more money and
power
• 1185, Minamoto clan had
overthrown the government
• In 1192, he was given the title
of Shogun, or “great general”
• He created a headquarter at
Kamakura while the emperor
stayed in Kyoto
• The shogun were supported by nobles who owned
large estates in the provinces--the Daimyo
• The Daimyo needed the protection of the warriors
and rewarded them with land and rice
• These warriors were the Samurai, or, “those who serve”
• Samurai often became important officials in the
provinces
• The new shogun government brought stability and trade
was going well with China
• In 1274, Kublai Khan launched an attack on Japan, but
were turned back
• In 1281, Mongol forces landed on Kyushu with 150,000
soldiers
• The samurai were able to win with the help of a typhoon
they called, “kamikaze,” or, divine wind
• After the battles, the government was destabilized and
the samurai revolted
• They attacked Kamakura and burnt it to the ground
• After the sacking of Kamakura, a shogunate was
founded by the Ashikaga family
• In 1392, they moved the shogun headquarters
back to Kyoto and adopted the ways of the nobles
• The Kamakura and Ahikaga shogunates from 1185 to
1600 make up the medieval period of Japan
Religious sects
• During this time, Buddhism in Japan took different
forms
• Amida Buddhists believed in finding happiness in the
afterlife
• Pure Land Buddhism made finding enlightenment
simple and appealed to peasants.
• Nichiren Buddhists believed in the “Truth” of the Lotus
Sutra and were fervent believers, attacking all other
types of Buddhism
• Zen Buddhists concerned themselves with individual
enlightenment, stressing physical and mental
discipline and was very popular with the samurai
Unified and Isolated
• By late 1400’s the Ashikaga shogunate weakened from
too much court life
• The Daimyo fought for control of the country again
• Oda Nobunaga rose to power using guns provided by
the Portuguese
• By his death, he controlled more than a third of Japan
• Toyotomi Hideyoshi took over and completed the
conquest
• When he died in 1598, another power struggle broke
out
• 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu won and became shogun in
1603
• Ieyasu moved his headquarters to Edo, now
Tokyo
• In 1605, he gave the shogunate to his son, setting
up a line of succession
• The Tokugawa shogunate would last for 250 years
• The Tokugawa required the Daimyo to swear an
oath of loyalty to them and serve in Edo once
every other year
• In 1542, Portuguese traders brought Christian
missionaries to Japan
• The Tokugawa saw these foreigners as a threat
and between 1612 and 1635, they issued decrees
outlawing Christianity, restricting travel, and
nearly banned European trade
• Japan would not open its doors until 1854
Social Classes
• There were four official classes under the shogun and
daimyo: samurai, artisans, peasants, and merchants
• Daimyo had to swear loyalty to the shogun, the samurai
began to be paid by the shogun as well
• Artisans had no restrictions
• Peasants were not allowed to travel and had to pay
heavy taxes
• Merchants had to live in towns and were not allowed to
get involved in politics
• Despite restrictions, the merchants grew strong and
wealthy as the services they provided became more
needed and money became more popular