Aim: How was feudalism in Japan similar/different to feudalism in Europe?

Do Now: For review, create a definition for feudalism and explain why a system of feudalism might develop

Aim: How was feudalism in Japan similar/different to feudalism in Europe? (Day 2)

Do Now: Take your handout out from yesterday! On your assignment sheet, add to homework Friday night: Study for your quiz on Monday.

Geography: Japan, a Land Apart

Japan is located on an archipelago, or chain of islands off the Asian mainland. Its four main islands lie off the east coast of the Korean peninsula.

Japan is about the size of Montana, but four fifths of its land istoo mountainous to farm. As a result, most people settled in Narrow river valleys and along the coastal plains.

A mild climate and sufficient rainfall, however, helpedJapanese farmers make the most of the limited arableland. As in ancient Greece, the mountainous terrain at first was an obstacle to unity.

The surrounding seas have both protected and isolated Japan. Unlike Korea, Japan was too far away for China to conquer, and Japanese thus had greater freedom to accept or reject Chinese influences.

Japan’s Feudal Society

Shogun

Daimyo

Samurai

PeasantsArtisans

Merchants

Monarch

Lords(Vassals)

Knights

PeasantsSerfs

Japan’s Feudal Pyramid Europe’s Feudal Pyramid

Emperors served as a figurehead but held no political power

Popes and the Church held much political power

Japan’s Feudal Society

In Theory, the emperor headed Japanese society. In fact, he was apowerless, though revered, figurehead. Real power lay in the hands of the shogun, or supreme military commander. Yoritomo Minamoto was appointed shogun in 1192. He set up the Kamakura shogunate, the first of three military dynasties that ruled Japan for almost 700 years. Often the shogun controlled only a small part of Japan. He distributed lands to vassal lords who agreed to support him with their armies in time of need. These great

warrior lords were later called daimyo. They, in turn, granted land to lesser warriors called samurai meaning “those who serve. Samurai were the fighting aristocracy of a war-torn land. At the bottom of the social period were the peasants, artisans, and at the very bottom, merchants.

The Code of Bushido

The Code of Bushido Code which conducted the way of life for

Samurai Means “The way of the warrior.” Emphasized honor, bravery, and absolute

loyalty to one’s lord Taught samurai not to fear death: “If you

think of saving your life,” it was said,

“you had better not go to war at all” A samurai who betrayed the code of bushido was expected to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide, rather than live without honor

The Code of Chivalry Code which conducted the way of life for

KnightsRequired knights to be brave, loyal, and true

to their word. In warfare, they had to fight fairly and be

generous to their enemies for example, they would not attack another knight before he had a chance to put on his armor and prepare for battle.

Chivalry raised women to a new status as the code called for women to be protected and cherished

The Role of Women in Japanese Feudal Society

During the Age of the samurai, the position of women declined steadily. At first, some women in feudal society trained in the military arts or supervised their family’s estates. A few even became legendary warriors. As fighting increased, though, inheritance was limited to sons.

Unlike the European ideal of chivalry, though, the samurai code did not set women on a pedestal. Instead, the wife of a warrior had to accept the same hardships as her husband and owed the same loyalty to his overlord

Religions of Feudal Japan

Early Japanese society was divided into uji, or clans. Each uji had its own chief and special god or goddess, called kami, who was seen as the clan’s original ancestor. Kami were generally nature spirits. This worship of the forces of nature became known as Shintoism, meaning “way of the gods.” This idea was similar to the African beliefs of Animism which also believed that everything in nature had a spirit. Although Shintoism never evolved into an international religion, its traditions survive to the present day.

During Japan’s feudal age, a Buddhist sect from China won widespread acceptance among samurai. Known in Japan as Zen, it emphasized meditation and devotion to duty. Zen Buddhists believed that people could siik enlightenment, not only through meditation, but through precise performance of everyday tasks. Zen reverence for nature also influenced the development of fine landscape paintings.

Close: 1) Explain 2 ways Japanese and European feudalism were similar. 2) Explain 2 ways they were different