Stage 4 | History Program
TOPIC: Japan under the Shoguns (c. AD 794-1867)
Stage 4
Year 8
Duration:
13 weeks
Detail:
hours/
(Depth Study: 5) (The Asia-Pacific World)
18 lessons
Historical Context of the Overview –
This Depth Study is part of a wider unit on The Ancient to the Modern World. This wider unit looks at the transition period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Christianity
and Feudalism in the Medieval world. This Depth Study will focus specifically on how Japan became part of these changes, and, in many cases, mirrored these changes occurring in Europe.
Western European navigators discovered new trade routes to Asia in this Medieval period and became intent on spreading ideas and new knowledge. The Japanese response to European
expansion will be a key area in this unit as it will highlight how Japan adjusted to the transition from the Ancient to the Modern world. However, Japan will not be framed solely within a European
context. Japan was also heavily influenced by China and (later) America during the Shogunate period. Japanese society also made the transition from the Ancient to the Modern through organic
internal changes that had little to do with outside influence. The Depth Study will end with the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and will focus on exposing how this collapse of power was
indicative of a wider socio-political transition from Ancient or Medieval practices to Modernity.
Key Inquiry Questions -
Historical Skills
(the highlighted historical skills are targeted in this unit)
How did Japanese society change from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the
modern age?
Comprehension: chronology, terms and concepts

read and understand historical texts
What key beliefs and values emerged during the Shogunate period and how did they come to
influence other societies?

sequence historical events and periods (ACHHS205, ACHHS148)

use historical terms and concepts (ACHHS206, ACHHS149)
What were the causes and effects of contact between Europe, China, America and Japan in
this period?
Analysis and use of sources
Which significant people, groups and ideas from Shogunate Japan have influenced the world
today?

identify the origin and purpose of primary and secondary sources (ACHHS209,
ACHHS152)

locate, select and use information from a range of sources as evidence (ACHHS210,
ACHHS153)

draw conclusions about the usefulness of sources (ACHHS211, ACHHS154)
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Framing Questions
Content Question: What is a Shogun? What was life like in Shogunate Japan?
Conceptual Question: How did the Shogunate period change Japanese society?
To what extent was European influence responsible for the decline of the Shogunate period?
Perspectives and interpretations

identify and describe different perspectives of participants in a particular historical context
(ACHHS212, ACHHS155)
Empathetic understanding

Contestable Question: Was the Shogunate period a period of success in Japan?
interpret history within the context of the actions, attitudes and motives of people in
the context of the past (ACHHS212, ACHHS155)
Research

ask a range of questions about the past to inform an historical inquiry (ACHHS207,
ACHHS150)

identify and locate a range of relevant sources, using ICT and other methods (ACHHS208,
ACHHS151)

use a range of communication forms and technologies
Explanation and communication
Outcomes

develop historical texts, particularly explanations and historical arguments that use
evidence from a range of sources (ACHHS213, ACHHS156)

select and use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written and digital) to
communicate effectively about the past (ACHHS214, ACHHS157)
Historical Concepts
(the highlighted historical concepts will be targeted in this unit)

HT4-2: describes major periods of historical time and sequences events, people and
societies from the past.

Continuity and change: what aspects of Japanese society changed, and what aspects
stayed the same, during the Shogunate period?

HT 4-4: describes and explains the causes and effects of events and developments of past
societies over time.


HT 4-6: uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and explanations.
Cause and effect: what were the reasons for the rise of the Shogunate period? How did
political power change under the Shogun? What caused the decline of the Shogunate? How
did this decline come to affect Japan?

HT 4-7: identifies and describes different contexts, perspectives and interpretations of the
past.


HT 4-9: uses a range of historical terms and concepts when communicating an
understanding of the past.
Perspectives: how did Westerners view Japan? How did the Japanese view westerners
during the Shogunate period? How do we assess the Shogunate period from a modern
Western, liberal perspective?


HT 4-10: selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital forms to
Empathetic understanding: what was it like to live in Shogunate Japan? How was
everyday life different to that of the Shoguns? How was life in Shogunate Japan different to
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Outcomes
Historical Concepts
(the highlighted historical concepts will be targeted in this unit)
communicate about the past.
life in Australia today? Is life in Shogunate Japan the same as life in any other modern day
society?

Significance: the importance of the Shogun and the Daimyo and its impact on Japanese
society and politics. The importance of European influence and its impact on the decline of
the Shogunate period.

Contestability: Did the Tokugawa Shogunate collapse because of external influence,
internal factors, or both? Was the Shogunate period a time of “success” in Japan’s history?
Key Historical Terms & Concepts
Site Study
Samurai, Daimyo, Emperor, Shogun (seii taishogun), Shogunate, Modernisation,
Westernisation, Feudalism (Shi-No-Ko-Sho), Clans, Vassals, Provinces (domains),
Palanquins, Seppuku, Bushido, Ronin, Shintoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism,
Isolationism, Restoration, Treaty.
British museum
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articles/j/japanese_samurai_and_shoguns.aspx
https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articles/j/japan_edo_period.aspx
Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shga/hd_shga.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=08&region=eaj
Resources
Resources
Books
You Tube Clips, Documentaries, DVDS –
Robert Darlington (et al), History Alive: For the Australian Curriculum. Jacaranda (2012)
Chapter 8.
http://documentarystorm.com/kublai-khans-lost-fleet/ (good on the invasion of the Mongols)
Ken Webb (ed.), History 9 (Stage 5): NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Cambridge
(2013) Chapter 6.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/japan-memoirs-secret-empire/ (the fantastic PBS series on
Shogunate Japan)
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Resources
Resources
Bruce Dennett and Stephen Dixon, Insight History: Australian Curriculum for NSW- Stage 4- 8.
Oxford (2013) Chapter 12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmTZnnbqfsc (comprehensive)
Richard Storry, A History of Modern Japan. Penguin (1960)
Vic Guest (et al), Tradition and Change. Jacaranda (1984) Unit 2 (C).
Stuart Fewster and Tony Gorton, Japan: From Shogun to Superstate. Paul Norbery
Publications (1988)
Websites
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articles/j/japanese_samurai_and_shoguns.as
px
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=08&region=eaj
http://teacherlibrarianhelp.com/research-guides/61-2/
http://www.samurai-archives.com/historyindex.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/541431/shogunate
http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/resources_3.html (connected with the PBS documentary
series)
http://japan.mrdonn.org/index.html (free extra lesson plans on this topic)
http://www.socialstudies.com/c/worldlinks.html?s@_cfLZwdregPSQ#5 (great overview of
whole topic)
http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/forestry_japan/chap1.pdf (about forestry in
Shogunate Japan)
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/tps/1450_jp.htm (great info on all Japanese history)
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-samurai/ (documentary on the Samurai)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mN-AKhzNH0 (short clip that shows how Katana swords
are made)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9NBZRl9aD4 (Shogun: The Supreme Samurai- Doco)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqX0_QPNVmE (Lost Treasures of the Ancient World- Doco)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVYa6dp_94 (a run through of how Age of Empires 3
works)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIW6a1BsUcU (gameplay trailer for Shogun 2:Total War)
Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai (1954)
Akira Kurosawa, Throne of Blood (1957)
Edward Zwick, The Last Samurai (2003) (looks more at the period of Meiji, but good for
showing connections between Japan and outside cultures (American)
http://akirakurosawa.info/akira-kurosawa-movies-on-dvd/ (has excellent information on where to
purchase all Kurosawa films on DVD)
Computer Games
Age of Empires 3 – The Asian Dynasties (Japan Campaign Mode) (simulation game that
involves the building up of the Tokugawa Shogunate)- (available on PC) and Shogun: Total War
(or Shogun 2: Total War) updated 2011 version.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa (info on Kurosawa)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Samurai (Seven Samurai)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throne_of_Blood (Throne of Blood)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun:_Total_War (explanation of “Shogun: Total War”)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Empires_3:_The_Asian_Dynasties
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Assessment overview
Depth Study 5
Semester 1/2
Stage 4- Year 8
Japan under the Shoguns (A.D. 794-1867)
Terms 2 and 3 , Weeks 2-8 (T2), Weeks 1-6 (T3)
Assessment for learning
Assessment as learning
Assessment of learning
The following are a list of opportunities throughout the unit of
work to check on student learning and understanding:
The following are a list of opportunities throughout the unit of
work that will allow a student to monitor their own learning and
assess their progress:
Weighting: 50%

Group presentations (oral) in front of class.

Individual written reports based on timelines and
questions.

Table showing the roles of different groups in Japanese
social system.

Group research findings on google doc – written report.

Powerpoints/Prezi on Japanese castles.

Travel brochure on timber structures in Japan.

Primary and secondary source work- extracting quotes,
analysis of origins, nature, content, context and
perspective of sources.

Class debate on Japanese modernisation.

Group presentations. Poster work on legacy of Shogun
period in modern Japan.

Peer-marking/review of Japanese castles Powerpoint/Prezi
task.

Peer review can also take place on written reports and
travel brochure exercise.

Student written reflection before and at end of class debate
on whether Japan needed to modernise or not.

Students develop marking criteria for poster exercise at the
end of topic (Content Area 4, Lesson 6). At the completion
of the task, student groups mark the posters of other
groups based on an agreed criteria (whole-class
developed criteria). Groups come to a consensus on a
mark and then write a comment for the poster work.
Discussion and reflection of marking process at end of
topic.

Reflection survey at end of assessment task

Student/teacher plenary session to conclude unit of work
and findings of survey. Student outlines what they have
learnt in the unit (content and skills) and strengths and
weaknesses in their knowledge and skills.
Description of Task:
Students conduct a critical analysis into a computer game or
film that relates to the Shogunate Japan topic. Students will
present a research paper that looks at three distinct questions
that relate to their computer game or film text. They will firstly
explore the historical context which their media text is situated
in. Then they will critically assess the historical accuracy of
their text. Lastly, they will draw wider conclusions on the
values and limitations (usefulness) of media texts to historians
and historical understanding.
Outcomes: HT4-2, HT4-6, HT4-7, HT4-9, HT4-10
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
Stage 4 - Depth Study 5: AsiaPacific World
Content Area 1:
The way of life in Shogunate Japan,
including social, cultural, economic and
political features
(including the feudal system and the
increasing power of the shogun)
(ACDSEH012)
Students:

sequence the Nara and Heian periods
and the Kamakura, Muromachi and
(5 lessons)
Darlington (et. al) Chapter 8 p.231-243.
Lesson 1: Geography of Japan. Use google earth to locate key cities and islands of
Japan. Students should copy map into their books with key cities of Nara, Kyoto, Edo
(Tokyo), Kamakura, Osaka, Nagasaki indicated. Also, students should label islands of
Kyushu, Shikoko, Honshu and Hokkaido. In groups, students should be allocated a key city
to research. Students conduct a web-based inquiry looking specifically at two areas:
Google Earth
i)
the historical importance of your city
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/j
apan/jptimeln.htm (for time line of Japanese History)
http://www.timemaps.com/history/japan-1648ad
(more help with timelines)
ii) the importance of your city in modern-day Japan.
Vic Guest, Tradition and Change pp92-99.
Findings of research are presented to class through group presentation.
Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai
Lesson 2: Chronology of Japanese history. Students develop timeline of key periods of
Japanese rule from 794-1867. Key periods are Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Ashikaga, Warring
States and Edo (Tokugawa). Darlington (p231) has a good table on this. Students also
outline how and why power transitioned between Shogunates through a written
report.
http://documentarystorm.com/kublai-khans-lost-fleet/
(if time, can watch doco on Mongol invasions as an
addition to lesson 2)
Tokugawa Shogunates.

identify key places in Japan during this
period.

outline key cultural, economic and
political features of this society,
including the increasing power of the
shogun.

describe the everyday life of men,
women and children in Japan under
Lesson 3: Feudal structure of Japan. Students look at the social structure of Shogunate
Japan and develop a diagram of the social classes (social pyramid). Look specifically at
the increasing role of the Shogun and why this role became so important in Japanese
culture. Look at role of Daimyo and potential tension between Daimyo and Shogun. Who
would become Shogun? What role did the Emperor have? Students create table with two
columns. On the left hand side they list Emperor, Shogun and Daimyo. On right hand
side they explain the importance and role of each. To develop IT skills, table can be
constructed using Microsoft Word or Pages.
the shoguns.

identify the roles and relationships of
key groups in this society using
sources.
Lesson 4: Everyday life. (Teacher-directed discussion using sources as stimulus- use
paintings, diary entries, letters, secondary sources, clothing, weapons) What was life
like for everyday people in Japan during the Shogunate period? How much was life
dominated by war? Who could become Samurai? What role did religion play in Japanese
life? Who made up the majority of the Japanese population (what social class)? What was
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
| 6
Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
life like for women in Shogunate Japan? Students look at extracts from Sei Shonagon’s
The Pillow Book and extract points/quotes that explain what life was like for women.
Lesson 5: Case study- Who were the Samurai? Brainstorm asking students what they
know about this term. Who were Ronin? Allow students to do a web search to find a
definition of Ronin. Who were the 47 Ronin? Watch select scenes from Kurosawa’s Seven
Samurai. As they watch the scenes, students note down points on what they learn
about the Samurai from Kurosawa’s film. Class discussion at end of scenes to allow
students to contribute their ideas.
Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
Content Area 2:
(4 lessons)
Darlington, pp230,231, 250, 251.
The role of the Tokugawa Shogunate in
re-imposing a feudal system (based on
daimyo and samurai) and the increasing
control of the shogun over foreign trade
(ACDSEH063)
Lesson 1: The rise of Tokugawa. The transition from Ashikaga Shogunate to Tokugawa.
Study of key individuals. Students conduct research in groups on the following
individuals, explaining their role in the transition from Ashikaga to Tokugawa power: Oda
Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Students develop written report and
oral presentation for class on their individual.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articl
es/j/japan_edo_period.aspx (this is one of several
good links on the Edo period).
Students:
Lesson 2: Maintaining power in Tokugawa Japan. How did the Tokugawa Shoguns
keep control of daimyo during the period of their rule? What were “palanquins”? Do you
feel it was justified that the Tokugawa Shoguns kept such strict control? What problems
may arise from such tactics? Can you think of alternative methods they could have used?
Students research these questions in groups of five where each student is allocated
a particular question. Collaborate and present final report on Google Doc.

outline how the Tokugawa Shogunate
took control of Japan by AD 1603.

describe how the Tokugawa Shoguns
http://www.us-japan.org/edomatsu/ (virtual tour of life
in Edo during Tokugawa period)
http://www.hokusaionline.co.uk/code/edo_period.html
(breaks up social, economic and cultural change well
from this period)
http://www.japanese-castle-explorer.com/ (link with
some extra information on Japanese castles).
revived the feudal system.

explain how foreign trade was
Lesson 3: Case study- Japanese castles. Spend a period researching TWO Japanese
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
controlled by the Tokugawa Shoguns.
castles that remain in modern-day Japan. Example could be Himeji Castle. Were castles
owned by the Emperor, the Shogun or Daimyo? http://www.jcastle.info (will help students
find information on castles). Students should create a Powerpoint or Prezi on their
castle identifying its key features and providing a brief history of its historical
importance.
Lesson 4: Foreign trade. How was foreign trade controlled by Tokugawa Shoguns? Why
did they wish to control foreign trade? Why would this be hard to do? Students conduct
research into Nagasaki and Dejima Island.
Was any contact allowed with foreign traders? What was “Rangaku”? Were traders ever
allowed to visit the Shogun? Work is presented as written report.
Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
Content Area 3:
(3 lessons)
Google Earth
The use of environmental resources in
Shogunate Japan and the forestry and
land use policies of the Tokugawa
Shogunate (ACDSEH064)
Lesson 1: Timber and forestry. Why was timber so important in Japan? Where was
timber obtained? What problems occurred with timber usage in the Tokugawa period?
How did Tokugawa Shoguns try to fix these problems? Students use Google Earth to
locate areas in Japan that are heavily forested today and add these locations to the
map they created in Content Area 1, Lesson 1.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4100.html (info on
Todai-ji temple)
Students:

describe how the Japanese used land
and forests as resources.

outline the Tokugawa Shogunate's
policies on forestry and land use.
Lesson 2: Site study- timber structure in Japan. What is Todai-Ji? What is Kinkaku-ji?
Have these timber structures been restored or re-built, or are they in original condition?
Students develop a travel brochure for modern-day tourists travelling to these
sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkaku-ji (info on
Kinkaku-ji temple)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVYa6dp_94
(youtube clip introducing gameplay of Age of Empires
III: Asian Dynasties).
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
| 8
Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
Lesson 3: Simulation of Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties (can be done on PC).
What role does timber play in this simulation game? In what period of Japan’s history is
this game set? What areas of Japan is the timber obtained from? What can be made with
timber in this game? Is this an accurate reflection of how timber was used in the
Shogunate period? Students answer these questions in their notebooks after
experimenting with the game.
Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
Content Area 4:
(6 lessons)
Darlington (et al), pp238-241, 25-255, 234-235.
Theories about the decline of the
Shogunate, including modernisation and
westernisation, through the adoption of
Western arms and technology
(ACDSEH065)
Lesson 1: Western and Eastern religious influence in Japan during the Tokugawa
period. Teacher exposition on the influence of Buddhism (including Zen), Christianity and
Confucianism in Tokugawa Japan. Where did these religions originate from? Was there
an indigenous Japanese religion (Shintoism)? Was the Emperor considered a descendant
of Japanese gods/goddesses? Student research into religious
buildings/shrines/statues in modern-day Japan. Present a written report on THREE
different buildings/shrines/statues from Buddhism, Shintoism and Christianity (one
from each). When were they built? How do these religious buildings reflect the
diversity in Japanese religious history? What religion(s) do the people of Japan
follow today? Students use gapminder.org to look for these statistics. Record
findings in a table.
Vic Guest, p. 95 and 116.
Students:

explain why the Tokugawa Shoguns
isolated Japan from the rest of the
world from AD 1639.

identify examples of modernisation and
westernisation in Japan in this period
and explain their impact.

assess the importance of Western
influence on the decline of the
Shogunate.

explain how the Shogunate have
Lesson 2: Coming of America. What role did America play in destroying Japan’s
isolation? What happened in Edo in 1853? Who was Admiral Perry? Why was America
looking to break Japanese isolation? What was happening in America at the same time
as Perry’s excursion to Japan? Do you think this influenced America’s increased interest
in Japan? What was the Treaty of Kanagawa? Primary source work. Students find
FOUR primary sources (two American, two Japanese) related to the period of early
American involvement in Japan. Students record quotes, labelling them with
http://www.gapminder.org/
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1750_perr
y.htm (introduction to Admiral Perry and siege of Edo)
https://history.state.gov/milestones/18301860/opening-to-japan (official State Department
record of America’s role in Japan under Perry)
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1750_meiji
.htm (information on the Meiji restoration)
http://www.history.com/topics/meiji-restoration (will
show the transition between Tokugawa period and
Meiji)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2310033/EndSamurai-Stunning-portraits-Japan-s-warrior-classcaptures-men-height-power-19th-century-demise.html
(some great primary sources showing Samurai dress
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
| 9
Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
influenced modern Japan
author, date and source where they found it.
Lesson 3: Civil war and the end of Tokugawa power. What happened in the ten years
after the Treaty of Kanagawa? Why did fighting break out between the Japanese? What
was the Nagasaki Naval Training Centre? Is this an example of Western influence helping
Japan? Students conduct research into these areas and answer questions on a
Google Doc prepared by teacher.
Lesson 4: The Meiji Restoration and modernisation. Teacher led discussion.
Students are presented with a range of sources on the Meiji restoration. They read
these sources (from suggested textbooks) and then engage in class discussion
based on the following questions:
in the last days of Samurai power)
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1000ce_s
amurai.htm (explains the rise and fall of the Samurai)
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/end-of-samuraias-warriors (reasons for the collapse of the Samurai)
http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2010/mar/23/
akira-kurosawa-100-google-doodle-anniversary (great
article on the essential films of Kurosawa)
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2099_list.html (the
great gardens of Japan)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun:_Total_War (a
brief overview of what Shogun: Total War is about).
What happened after Edo fell and Yoshinobu (last Tokugawa shogun) was removed?
Why do you think the Emperor was put back in power? What does this suggest about
Japan and its traditions? Who really held power during the Meiji restoration? Was this a
change from the past? How was Japan “modernised” during the Meiji restoration? This
discussion should then culminate in a class debate where class is divided into two teams,
affirmative and negative.
Topic of class debate: Did Japan need to modernise?
Lesson 5: What happened to the Samurai?
What happened to the Samurai class during this period of modernisation? Why did they
lose influence? Watch clips from Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai. Students look at
scenes and record the ways in which Zwick represents the Japanese and the
Americans in his film. They also reflect and record their ideas on the comparisons
and contrasts between Zwick’s representation of the Samurai (Japanese) and
Kurosawa’s (connect with Content Area 1, Lesson 4).
Lesson 6: Influence of Shogunate period in modern-day Japan. The following can be
done as group work where each group covers a specific area and then presents to
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Resources
including opportunities for extension activities & adjustments
the class (see areas below).
Stimulus clip: The code of “Bushido”- did the warrior code continue in WW2? Look at
the following clip about a Japanese soldier who refused to surrender in WW2 and link it to
what you know about the code of Bushido. Students record ideas in books as they
watch the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvT86194rs4
Areas to be explored:
Sport- How is “jujitsu” related to the Samurai? What modern sport derives from jujitsu?
What is Kendo? What are its links with the Samurai? What is the Japanese national
football team’s nickname? Why would they choose this?
Films- Locate information on three movies by Akira Kurosawa on Samurai Japan. When
were the films made? Were they popular with audiences when they were released? Why
do you think Kurosawa set his films in the Samurai period?
Japanese gardens- What are the features of a traditional Japanese garden? Where are
some of these gardens located in modern-day Japan? Where are the most famous
traditional gardens in Japan? Are there any in other parts of the world that follow this
Japanese pattern?
Computer games- Find out about the game, Shogun: Total War. When was it
developed? When is the game set? What is involved in the game play? Why do you think
computer game developers use the setting of Shogunate Japan for their games?
Students should present their research findings on posters which can then be
displayed around the classroom. Students can decorate posters with pictures and
explanations of their topic based on the questions outlined.
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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Teaching and Learning Program Evaluation
Program or Unit Title: ___________________________________________________________
Element
Class: ________________
Teacher: _____________________________________
Evaluation
Program

Was the program well-structure and coherent?

To what extent did the program engage all students in the class?

Did the program assist all students to achieve the learning
outcomes?

What improvements could be made?
Resources

Were the resources used appropriately in terms of age level,
variety and the ability to engage the students?

What improvements could be made?
Assessment

Did the program incorporate a range of quality, valid assessment
tasks?

Reflect and comment on the level of student achievement in this
program.

What improvements could be made to assist students to achieve
the outcomes?
Date Commenced: ____________________________
Date Completed: _____________________________
Signature: _________________________________________
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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These materials have been developed by the AIS through funding provided by the NSW Government to support new syllabus implementation. Copyright is owned by AISNSW.
Except as set out below or permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced, stored or communicated without the approval of AISNSW.
Not for profit organisations may reproduce, store in a retrieval system and communicate the whole or any part of the materials without payment of a fee or other remuneration provided:
a)
The institution does not sell, hire or otherwise derive revenue from such reproduction, storage or communication
b)
The copyright of AISNSW is noted on any part which is copied or noted
If any other licence is sought, inquiries should be directed to the Executive Director of AISNSW.
This unit of work was written by Marco Scali, Newington College. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
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