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Medieval Japan

Medieval Japan. Chapter 14, sections 1-3. Geography of Japan. Japan is an archipelago of 4 major and over 4,000 smaller islands. The land is mostly mountainous with only 15% of its land cultivable.

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Medieval Japan

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  1. Medieval Japan Chapter 14, sections 1-3

  2. Geography of Japan

  3. Japan is an archipelago of 4 major and over 4,000 smaller islands. The land is mostly mountainous with only 15% of its land cultivable. • Hokkaido(hah-KY-doh), Honshu(HAHN-shoo), Shikoku(shih-KOH-koo) & Kyushu(kee-OO-shoo) are the 4 main islands.

  4. How do you think Japan’s geography effected its socialization? • Where were most likely places for cities to be established? • What type industries would be established first?

  5. First Settlers • Earliest people came from northeast Asia between 30,000 and 10,000 B.C. • Hunted and gathered foods as other early peoples. Lived in pits dug into the ground. • Jomon culture develops around 5000 B.C. • Jomon made clay pottery with a knotted cord to create patterns in the clay.

  6. Yayoi Culture • Introduced farming in rice paddies, which they may have learned from the Chinese or Koreans. • Buried their chiefs in large dirt mounds known as kofun.Were filled with personal belongings such as pottery, weapons, tools and armor.

  7. Mythological Origins • 2 gods dipped a spear into the sea, when they pulled it out, drops of salty water fell on the water’s surface and formed the islands of Japan. • The 2 gods then created the sun goddess, Amaterasu to rule over Earth. They also created the storm god, Susanowo, as her companion.

  8. A.D. 500’s, the Yamato clan became strong enough to bring most of Japan under their rule. Yamato chiefs claimed they were descended from the sun goddess, therefore had the right to rule. Jimmu took the title, “emperor of heaven,” founded a line of rulers that has never been broken.

  9. Imperial Palace in Tokyo

  10. Prince Shotoku • Looked to China to improve Japan • Writes a constitution, plan of gov’t. giving all power to the emperor • Learned about Buddhist teachings, philosophy, medicine and art • Built Horyuji (HOHR-yoo-jee) Buddhist temple that stands today

  11. Horyuji 1300 year old Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan

  12. Shinto • Animism:belief that all natural things have spirits (wind,rivers,trees, etc) • Nature spirits=kami • Honored kami in shrines, or holy places • Shinto means “way of the spirits” • Kami will only help a person if they are pure

  13. Section 2 Shoguns & Samurai • During 700’s, capital is moved to Nara, it becomes the center of gov’t and religion. Known as the Nara Period. • Emperor’s power came from his control of land & its crops.

  14. Buddhism Spreads • 500’s Buddhism came to Japan from Korea. Gov’t officials were the 1st to accept its ideas but by 770 when a Buddhist monk tried to seize power, the emperor turns away from Buddhism.

  15. The Rise of the Shogun • Series of emperor children weakens the gov’t. Regents come from the Fujiwara clan and spend most of their time writing poetry or studying Buddhism. • Gov’t gave away land to nobles as a way to compensate them for their work. Puts them in charge of governing the land, collecting taxes from peasants.

  16. To protect their lands & enforce laws, nobles form private armies and gave land away to warriors, or samurai, who agreed to fight for them. • Samurai = one who serves • Bushido code = way of the warrior • Strict code that required the samurai to be loyal, courageous, & honorable • Pledged to die in battle rather than betray his lord.

  17. By 1100’s most powerful Japanese families are fighting each other using their samurai armies. • Gempi War begins in 1180, a civil war between the 2 most powerful clans, Taira & Minamoto • 1192, Minamoto is given the title of shogun, commander of all emperor’s military forces in an effort to keep him loyal, but it creates a dual government in Japan.

  18. Mongols Attack • 1274 & 1281, Kublai Khan sent ships & warriors to invade Japan. Both times the Mongols were defeated because of violent Pacific storms. • Japanese named the typhoons, kamikaze, or divine wind, in honor of the spirits they think saved them from the Mongols.

  19. Daimyo 1300’s • Breakdown in the shogunate leads to Japan being divided into small territories. These areas were led by powerful military lords known as daimyo who pledge their loyalty to the shogun & emperor, but ran their lands as if they were independent kingdoms. • Many samurai became vassals of a daimyo.The samurai gave an oath of loyalty to the daimyo, in return the daimyo gave land to his warriors.

  20. This bond of loyalty between a lord and vassal become known as feudalism.

  21. Section 3 Life in Medieval Japan • Most Japanese practice both Shinto and Buddhism, each meet a specific need. Shinto for daily concerns, Buddhism for the afterlife. • Many sects, a smaller religious group, of Buddhism developed • Zen Buddhism teaches people can have inner peace through self control & a simple way of life.

  22. Followers of Zen learned to control their bodies through martial arts or sports that involve self defense. • Zen Buddhists also practice meditation to help them relax and find inner peace.The person will sit cross legged and remain motionless for hours.

  23. Art & Architecture • Japanese borrowed artistic ideas from China & Korea. The arts reveal the love of beauty and simplicity. • Japan’s oldest form of poetry was the tanka, an unrhymed poem of 5 lines about nature.

  24. Tanka Poetry • Beautiful mountainsRivers with cold, cold water.White cold snow on rocksTrees over the place with frostWhite sparkly snow everywhere.

  25. Lady Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji, a book about a Japanese princein 1,000 believed to be the world’s 1st novel. • Shinto shrines built in Japanese style close to a sacred natural feature. Buddhist temples were wooden structures built in Chinese style.

  26. Economy & Society • Japanese wealth came from its farmers, artisans & increased trade. • Capital city of Kyoto became a major center of production and trade.Artisans & merchants formed guilds to increase their profits.

  27. Role of Women • Medieval families included grandparents, parents & children all in one household. • Women were expected to obey their father, husband & son. • Marriages were arranged. • When Japan became a warrior society, upper class women lost freedoms of owning property and serving as rulers they enjoyed in early Japan under Prince Shotoku.

  28. AT LAST !!!

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