Background of Japan
•
Japan's isolation as an
island nation
•
Instrumental in its
development as a culture
•
By 500 BCE it was still an
undeveloped agrarian (farm
based) culture without cities
•
Outside influences which
led to cultural advancement
included...
Background
• Japan comes from “ri-ben” –
land of the rising sun
• Borrowed ideas, institutions, &
culture from China
• 4,000 islands make up the
archipelago
– 4 large islands
• 1 B.C. = hundred of clans
– Worshiped local gods
– Shinto “way of the gods”
– Respect nature (kami) &
worship ancestors
Draw a Castle… Compare it to the
ones in Feudal Japan
Warwick Castle, England
Feudal Japan
Japanese Traditional Castle
Japanese Culture
• Buddhism:
– Brought by Korean travelers
– Mixed with Shinto
• Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals
• Chinese culture:
– 607, Prince Shotoku sent 1/3 missions to
China
– Adopted Chinese system of writing
– Painting styles
– Simple arts: cooking, gardening, tea,
hairdressing
– Strong central government
• Civil Service System failed
Prince Shotoku: 573-621
•
Adopted Chinese
culture and
Confucianism
•
Buddhist sects
allowed to develop
•
Created a new
government
structure:
•
17 Article
Heian Period: 794-1156
Characteristics:
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•
•
•
•
Growth of large landed estates
Arts & literature of China flourished
Elaborate court life
• Etiquette
Personal diaries
• The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
Great novel
• The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki
Shikibu
• Moving away from Chinese models in
Heian Court Dress
The Pillow Book
by Sei Shonagon (diary)
The Pillow Book
by Sei Shonagon (diary)
Tale of Genji (first novel)
•
Account of the life of a prince in the imperial court –
considered the world’s first novel
Feudalism Erodes Imperial Authority
• Rich Fujiwara family in
power
• Strong central gov’t
challenged by great
landowners & clan chiefs
– Private armies; countryside
became lawless
– Farmers & small
landowners traded land for
protection – warlords
Samurai Warriors!!!
• Wars between rival lords 
bodyguard warriors of each
lord
• Samurai = one who serves
• Code of behavior: Bushido
– The way of the warrior
* Reckless courage
* Reverence for the gods
* Fairness
* Generosity towards the weaker
* Honorable death > long life
Samurai Warrior Attire
Samurai Sword
Early Mounted
Samurai Warriors
Samurai Charging
• Seppuku ("stomach-cutting") is a form of Japanese ritual
suicide by disembowelment.
• Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai
– Part of the samurai honor code
• Used:
– Voluntarily to die with honor rather than fall into the
hands of their enemies
– Form of capital punishment after serious offenses
– For reasons that shamed them
• Seppuku is performed by plunging a sword into the
abdomen and moving the sword left to right in a slicing
motion
Minamoto Yoritomo
•
2 most powerful
clans fight for
power
• 30 years of war
• Minamoto family
wins
• Leader: Yoritomo
• Deemed
“Shogun”
• Supreme
general
the
Founded
theofKamakura
Shogunate:
emperor’s
1185-1333
Kamakura Shogunate
• Emperor still ruled in Kyoto
• Real power = Shogun’s military
headquarters at Kamakura
• Shoguns ruled through puppet
emperors until 1868!
• Kamakura Shoguns defeated 2
invasions by the great Mongol
ruler Kublai Khan
– Drained shogun’s funds
– Samurais did not get paid
• Aligned more closely with lords
– Shoguns lost power
Japanese Feudal System
Emperor
Shogun
Samauri
Merchants
Peasants
Feudal Hierarchy
• Emperor – Japanese political ruler
• Shogun – Had the powers of a military
dictator; Ruled Japan through
puppet emperors
• Samurai – loyal warriors of local lords
• Merchant - Facilitated trade, earliest
beginnings of the Japanese economic system
• Peasant – Worked the land which belonged to
the local lords
Seppuku:
Ritual Suicide
It is honorable to
die in this way.
Kaishaku – his
“seconds”