Chapter 15: Japan

• Section 1: Geography and Early Japan• Section 2: Art and Culture in Heian• Section 3: Growth of a Military Society

Section 1Geography 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 2Art 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-ah-sahk-ee shee-kee-boo) wrote The Tale of Genji– Considered the world’s

1st full-length novel (Japan’s greatest)

• Paintings (bright, bold color and nature)

• Calligraphy (decorative writing)

• Architecture (copied Chinese buildings

• Noh plays (music, 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 3Growth 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.

Samurai comes from

the Japanese word servant

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.

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 noh-booh-nah-gah)– Solders had guns

• Tokugawa leyasu (toh-koohg-ah-wuh ee-e-yahs-ooh) 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.