Sinification: The Influence of
the Middle Kingdom
Writing into the day (possible
test question)
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Compare and contrast the
sinification of Asia in the
post-classical period with
the Helenization of Greek
Culture in the Classical
Period
Reading Quiz
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These were the attempts to revamp the Japanese political system to
more closely resemble the Chinese one.
Warrior leaders that administered law were called_______
Mounted troops loyal to their local lords and who lived by a strict
code were called __________
Ritual suicide by disembowelment, also known as Hari-Kiri, was
called:___________
This type of Buddhism taught that those who lived upright lives on
earth might enjoy the bliss of Heaven.
These were military warlords that ruled while the emperor was
simply a figurehead.
The adoption of Chinese culture is referred to as ____________
This earliest Korean Kingdom was conquered by the Han emperor
Wudi.
These women led uprisings in Vietnam in 39 CE
The ________family and the Trinh families were rivals for control of
North Vietnam
Shinto (Animism)
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Shinto-"the way of the kami"- is rooted
deeply in pre-historic Japanese
religious and agricultural practices.
The term kami can refer to Japanese
mythological deities, but also can mean
divinity manifested in natural objects,
places, animals, and even human
beings.
Shinto rituals and celebrations stress
harmony between deities, man, and
nature -- a key feature of Japanese
religious life and art to the present
time.
Reflecting the understanding that the
kami resides in nature, Shinto shrines
were traditionally near unusual
"concentrations" of nature such as
waterfalls, caves, rock formations,
mountain tops, or forest glens. Nachi
Waterfall, pictured, is an example of a
Shino Shrine
I. Japan: The Imperial Age
Taika reforms were a series of laws attempting to revamp the Japanese Imperial
administration along Chinese lines. These took place in the follownig periods:
Taika-645-710
Nara 710-784
Heian 794-857
A. Crisis at Nara and the Shift to Heian (Kyoto)
The goal of the Taika reforms was to refashion the Japanese
monarch into
a more absolutist monarch as existed in China (Son of Heaven). The plan was
also to create a Chinese style bureaucracy and conscript army, but the
aristocrats and Buddhist monastic orders resisted these changes.
B. Ultra-civilized: Court Life in the Heian Era
Court culture was gracious and well mannered on the surface, but seething
with intrigue underneath. The aristocratic classes focused on artistic/aesthetic
beauty through art, poetry, and fashion.
Codes of behavior-strict rules of etiquette followed in the imperial court.
The Poetry of this period focused on beauty and simplicity in nature and often
was written by women, who were a strong cultural force in Japan in this period.
I. Japan: The Imperial Age
(continued)
C. The Decline of Imperial Power
The Fujiwara family recognized that the Emperor and others in the court were
focused on fashion, poetry and art, and there was a lack of real leadership in
Japan. Therefore, they, through a series of political marriages, ran the country
by proxy, building the infrastructure and strengthening the power of Buddhist
monasteries. They ignored, however, the growing power of regional warlords,
who led to the Japanese Feudal Period
D. The Rise of the Provincial Warrior Elite
bushi –warrior leaders from the mini-sates/provinces. They administered the
law,
Samurai- Mounted troops that were loyal to local lords. The warrior class
developed out of these Bushi and samurai, and these samurai were
What was the samurai code?
Identify Seppuku
Describe Salvationist Buddhism
II. The Era of Warrior
Dominance
A. The Declining Influence of China
In 838 the Japanese began its discontinuation of emissaries to Chinese courts.
The Japanese emperors stopped seeing ht importance of bowing before the
Chinese “son of Heaven.” The Gempei wars raged at this time, culminating in
Bakufu government (military dictatorship) lead by the Minamoto.
B. The Breakdown of Bakufu Dominance
Yoritomo-the leader of the minamoto that established an early shogunate.
Minamoto -a powerful Japanese family that formally ruled Japan on behalf of
the emperor, though it was the Hojo family that had real military power. The
role of the Emporer during the Feudal period was mostly as a figurehead.
-Ashikaga Takuaji was a minamoto warlord who established a powerful
shogunate that lasted from 1336-1573, called the Ashikaga Shogunate?
-From 1467-1477, a massive civil war erupted between rival factions, fracturing
the country. The Emperors at this point had lost all power, and the Daimyo had
control, ruling over nearly 300 tiny kingdoms.
II. The Era of Warrior
Dominance (continued)
C. Toward Barbarism?
Military Division cause Social Change in that, while the
society was set up for the warrior class to fight and operate
under Bushido, or the Samurai Code, the peasantry were
starving and the infrastructure weak, Daimyos recognized this
and began to stabalize their territories by creating incentives to
farm as well as irrigation sytems to aid in the productivity of
their region.
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Warfare changes as armies become larger. Less emphasis is
placed on the individual battles of famous samurai, and more
importance was placeed on large armies, often made up of
peasants and Ronin.
II. The Era of Warrior
Dominance (continued)
D. Artistic Solace for a Troubled Age
Zen Buddhism is important in securing a
place for the arts during a period of war
and strife. Zen monasteries also
provided diplomatic and trade contacts
with China. Zen ideology also
influenced the architecture of the
Period.
III. Korea: Between China and
Japan
Korea was influenced by China and Japan, but despite being
considered simply a northern Appendage of China, Korea developed its
own unique dress, cusine, and social class system quite independent of
China and Japan.
Unlike China, the ancestors of Korea came from eastern Siberia and
Manchuria.
A. Tang Alliances and the Conquest of Korea
The Choson kingdom in 109 BCE was conquered by the Han emperor
Wudi. This led to the channeling of Chinese culture into Korea.
The Koguryo people in the North of Korea resited Chinese rule and
began civil war, leading to a fractured society
This splintering of Korean power allowed Chinese culture to seep into
Korea, leading to a mass adoption of Chinese ideas, referred to as
Sinification?
III. Korea: Between China and
Japan (continued)
B. Sinification: The Tributary Link
The Silla and Koryo dynasties (668-1392)
saw the greatest influence of Chinese culture,
with sinified versions of Buddhism entering as
well as an adoption of Chinese writing and
bureaucracy.
C. The Sinification of Korean Elite Culture
The Silla capital, Kumsong mirrored the
Chinese capital during the tang empire.
III. Korea: Between China and
Japan (continued)
D. Civilization for the Few
the Aristocracy was highly influenced by
China and were very civilized, bu thtis was a
tiny segment of the population.
E. Koryo Collapse and the founding of the Yi
dynasty
The Yi dynasty was formed in 1392, and
lasted mostly uninterrupted until 1910.
Writing into the day (possible
test question)

Compare and contrast the
sinification of Asia in the
post-classical period with
the Helenization of Greek
Culture in the Classical
Period
IV. Between China and Southeast
Asia: The Making of Vietnam
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A. Conquest and Sinification
Describe the Han expansion into
Vietnam
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B. Roots of Resistance
Describe the 39 C.E., Revolt of Trung
sisters
In what way was this unique?
IV. Between China and Southeast
Asia: The Making of Vietnam
(continued)
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D. Describe the Vietnamese Drive to the
South
E. Expansion and Division
Identify Hanoi
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Describe the Nguyen dynasty