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MEDIEVAL
JAPAN
SECTION 3
(29 Slides)
1
RELIGION
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a part of everyday life
most believed in Buddhism & Shinto
worshiped at Shinto shrines & Buddhist
temples
each religion met different needs
Shinto – concerned with everyday life
Buddhism – prepared people for the life to
come
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Mahayana Buddhism
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began in India
spread to China & Korea
developed into many different sects
sects – smaller religious groups
two most important sects …
Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism
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Pure Land Buddhism
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won many followers
message – a happy life after death
looked to Lord Amida
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Buddha of love and mercy
believed to have founded a paradise above the
clouds
to get there…
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have faith in Amida
chant his name
4
Zen Buddhism
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Buddhist monks brought from China
taught people to find inner peace
learned to control their bodies through…
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martial arts
or sports that involved combat & self-defense
appealed to samurai
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trained to fight bravely & fearlessly
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MARTIAL ARTS
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term literally means “art of war”
appealed to samurai who trained to fight bravely
and fearlessly
Bodhidharma
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Indian monk
taught Chinese monks martial arts to strengthen their
bodies
single objective:
 to physically defeat other persons
 to defend oneself or others from physical
threat
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originally, samurai were expected to be
proficient
 in many weapons
 as well as unarmed combat
 attain the highest possible mastery of combat
skills
 for the purpose of glorifying either
themselves or their feudal allegiance
 over time, this purpose gave way to a
philosophy of achieving spiritual goals by
striving to perfect their martial skills
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Meditation
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person sits cross-legged
motionless for hours
mind cleared of all thoughts and desires
helped people to relax and find inner peace
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CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS
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beauty in simplicity
Noh Drama
Haiku Poetry (5/7/5 syllable arrangement)
tea Ceremony
landscape gardening
Ikebana (flower arrangements)
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Art
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borrowed ideas from China & Korea
learned to do landscape painting
 used ink & watercolors
 painted scenes of nature or battles on paper scrolls
or silk
developed own style
revealed Japanese love of beauty & simplicity
made wooden statues, furniture, & household items
used lacquer, shiny black & red coating
nobles in emperor’s court learned origami, folding paper
& arranged flowers
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Buddhist monks and samurais turned
tea drinking into beautiful ceremony
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ARCHITECTURE
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builders used Chinese or Japanese styles
Shinto shrines
 Japanese style
 near sacred rock, tree, or other natural feature
 usually wooden, single room, & rice straw roof
 people enter through torii, sacred gate
Buddhist temples
 Chinese style
 massive tiled roof
 thick wooden pillars
 richly decorated, many statues, paintings, and altars
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ARCHITECTURE
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around their buildings
 miniature gardens to imitate nature
 carefully placed rocks, raked sand, &
a few plants
 built to create a feeling of peace &
calmness
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Ryoanji Temple
Stone Garden
shows influence
of
Zen Buddhism
(Ashikaga Period)
14
WRITING SYSTEM
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borrowed from Chinese
Japanese found it difficult to use Chinese characters
added symbols that stood for sounds
similar to our alphabet (phonics)
made reading & writing easier
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men wrote with Chinese characters (kanji)
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calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing
 much admired
 every well-educated person expected to practice it
 person’s handwriting considered to reveal education,
social standing, and character
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CALLIGRAPHY
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the art of beautiful writing
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much admired
every well-educated person was expected to
practice it
person’s handwriting was considered to reveal
their education, social standing, and character
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ASHIKAGA CULTURE
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POETRY
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tanka
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oldest form of Japanese poetry
unrhymed poem of five lines
captured…
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nature’s beauty
joys and sorrows of life
18
Lady Murasaki Shikibu
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wrote The Tale of Genji
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describes adventures of Japanese prince
world’s first novel
long fictional story
Author of Heian times
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helped to develop a native script (kana) for the
Japanese language
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JAPAN’S WRITERS
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turned out stirring tales about warriors in
battle
The Tale of Heike
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greatest collection
describes fight between Taira and Minamoto
clans
Tomoe – female samurai
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NOH PLAYS
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oldest type of play
created in 1300s
used to teach Buddhist ideas
performed on a simple, bare stage
actors wore masks & elaborate robes
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danced
gestured
chanted poetry to music of drums and flutes
21
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
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under shoguns, produced more goods &
grew richer
only small group benefited from wealth
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emperor
nobles at his court
leading military officials
merchants & traders prospered
however, farmers remained poor
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FARMERS
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hard work
grew rice, wheat, millet, and barley
some owned land
most lived & worked on daimyo estates
life improved in 1100s
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better irrigation
planted more crops
sent more crops to market
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ECONOMY GROWS
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artisans began making weapons, armor, & tools
merchants sold these items
new roads made travel & trade easier
trade increased with Korea, China, & Southwest Asia
lacquered goods, sword blades, & copper
 for…silk, dyes, pepper, books, & porcelain
each Japanese region focused on making
goods it could best produce
 pottery, paper, textile, & lacquered ware
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GUILDS
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medieval business group formed by craftspeople
& merchants
Kyoto became major center of production & trade
more artisans settled there
formed guilds to protect & increase their profits
members relied on daimyo for protection from
rival artisans
sold daimyo goods not attainable from his estates
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ROLE OF WOMEN
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must obey her father, husband, & son
wealthy women
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arranged marriages to increase family’s wealth
high position in society
several were rulers
could own property
when Japan became a warrior society with
samurai and daimyo, upper-class women lost
these freedoms
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ROLE OF WOMEN
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farming women
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greater say in who they married
worked long hours in fields planting or harvesting
rice
cooked, spun & wove cloth, & cared for children
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ROLE OF WOMEN
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artisan & merchant women
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helped with family businesses
ran the home
merchant wives were best off
some women contributed to Japan’s culture
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gained fame as artists, writers & even warriors
The Tale of the Heike describes a female
samurai named Tomoe
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