Transcript Chapter 15: Japan

Chapter 15: Japan
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Section 1: Geography and Early Japan
Section 2: Art and Culture in Heian
Section 3: Growth of a Military Society
Section 1
Geography and Early Japan
• Islands
– Largest is Honshu
• Mountain and
Volcanoes
• Seafood
• Islands separated from
other Asian people
• Korea (100 mi) and
China (200 mi) are very
close to Japan, but not
attached
Early Japan
• There were two cultures:
Ainu (EYE-noo) in the North
and who became Japanese
in the South
• Lived in Clans
– Yamato rulers were the
most powerful and called
themselves emperors
• Believed in kami (KAH-mee)
• Traditional religion was
Shinto
• Rulers of Japans sent
missionaries to Korea and
China to learn about other
cultures
– Japanese wrote in Chinese
first
• Prince Shotoku (shoh-toh-koo)
served as a regent, loved
Chinese culture
– Built Buddhist temples
• Confucianism spread
throughout Japan
• Koreans had introduced
Buddhism to Japan, but
Shotoku helped spread it
Section 2
Art and Culture in Heian
• A court was built in Heian (Kyoto) by the nobles
and became a center of culture and learning.
• Nobles lived apart from poorer citizens and
called themselves “dwellers among the clouds.”
• Nobles:
– Beauty and elegance
– Valued their appearances (silk robes/gowns, gold
jewelry, and decorative fans)
– Great care in how they spoke and wrote (men in
Chinese and women in Japanese)
Literature and Arts
• Lady Murasaki
Shikibu (moohr-ahsahk-ee shee-keeboo) wrote The Tale
of Genji
• Paintings (bright, bold
color and nature)
• Calligraphy
(decorative writing)
• Architecture (copied
– Considered the world’s
Chinese buildings
st
1 full-length novel
• Noh plays (music,
(Japan’s greatest)
speaking and dance)
Zen Buddhism
• Religion became an art form in Japan
– Pure Land Buddhism (no rituals)
– Zen Buddhism came from China and wisdom
comes from self-discipline and meditation.
This became popular in Japan, especially
among the warriors.
Section 3
Growth of a Military Society
• Nobles and rebel were fighting for land
and power in Japan.
• Japan’s rulers were too focused on courtly
life to notice other problems in their
country.
• So…Japan’s large landowners decided
they needed to protect their lands and a
new social class is created.
This system and
social class is
similar to what
system in
Europe?
Though two major
clans fought for
almost 30 years,
the Minamoto clan
won. The
Minamoto leader
established the
shogun title.
Samurai
comes from
the Japanese
word servant
The Samurai
• Lived honorably
• Respected
– Could be killed if you
disrespect a Samurai
• No Entertainment
• No trade or Commerce
• Must follow Bushido
“the way of the warrior”
• Live simple, but
disciplined
• Bushido influenced
much of Japanese
society
• Values: Loyalty, Bravery,
and Honor
• A samurai’s entire family,
men and women learned
how fight to protect
Mongols attack Japan
• Mongolian invasion helped Japanese
nobles put aside their differences to fight
the enemy.
• The weather help Japanese warrior
combat the Mongols and the Mongols
never invaded again.
• The grateful Japanese called the storms
“kamikaze” or divine wind.
• After the war, nobles began to resent the
shogun’s power over them.
Samurai Order Changes
• Emperor fights shogun for
control.
• Daimyo fought to break
free from shogun.
• Shoguns lost power by
1400s and daimyo ruled
much of Japan.
• Japan unifies
• 1st leader was Oda
Nobunaga (ohd-ah nohbooh-nah-gah)
– Solders had guns
• Tokugawa leyasu (tohkoohg-ah-wuh ee-e-yahsooh) became shogun
after fighting off enemies
– Ruled all of Japan
– Opened up Japan to the
rest of the world
– Became known as
Tokugawa Shogunate
Isolation
• Some shoguns feared that Japan would
become too much like Europe and
shoguns could lose their power.
• Japanese rulers banned guns with fear
peasants would revolt.
• Isolation with limited technology allowed
samurai period in Japan to last until the
1800s.