Elizabeth Irvin
Advanced World History I
Grade Level: Ninth
Unit: Asia
Lesson: Japan
Standards:
The student will demonstrate knowledge of civilizations and empires of the Eastern
Hemisphere and their interactions through regional trade patterns by (c) describing
Japan, with emphasis on the impact of Shinto and Buddhist traditions and the
influence of Chinese cultures (WHI.10c).
Content Summary:
This lesson will deal entirely with Japan. It is the final lesson in a unit on Asia. The
students will read a selection about the Shinto religion from their textbook.
Objectives:
 The student will understand that:
o China influenced Japanese culture.
o Geography affected Japan’s development.
o Isolation affects a nation’s development.
 The student will know:
o Shinto
 Ethnic religion unique to Japan
 State religion; worship of the emperor
 Coexistence with Buddhism
o The influence of Chinese culture on Japan
 Buddhism
 Architecture
 Writing
o Japanese geography
 Mountainous archipelago (four main islands)
 Sea of Japan
 Proximity to China and Korea
 The student will be able to:
o Complete a guided reading exercise on Japan
o Navigate a virtual tour of Japan
Essential Question:
 How did isolation affect Japanese culture?
Materials:
 Reading
 Projector
 Reading questions
Assessment:
 Formative: Guided Reading
 Summative: Assessment
Procedures:
1. Do-Now
a. Reading on Tangier Island
b. Tangier Island: ESPN’s Biggest Sports Town in America
2. Reading from textbook.
a. Pgs. 316-325
b. The students will work in partners to read the text and answer the
guided questions.
3. Geography Tour of Japan
a. Powerpoint
b. Address the varied geography of Japan
i. Ask guiding questions: How did this affect the development of
the Japanese culture? How did _____ promote isolation? How
did Chinese culture reach Japan? Etc.
4. Exit Slip
a. Why were the Shinto and Buddhist religions able to coexist?
b. How did China affect Japanese development?
Advanced World History I
Japan
Guided Reading
Pgs. 316-326
Geography
1. On what type of landform is Japan located?
a. How many islands make up Japan?
2. Where do most Japanese people settle? Why?
3. “Japan thus had greater freedom to accept or reject Chinese influences than did
other East Asian lands.” Why?
4. What are some ways being an island nation benefited Japan?
5. What is the Ring of Fire?
Early Traditions
1. How was early Japanese society divided?
2. What was the religion of early Japanese clans?
a. Why do you believe the religion did not evolve into an international
religion?
b. What kinds of spirits do the Japanese worship?
3. Explain the relationship between Japan and Korea.
Japan Looks to China
1. How did the Japanese learn about China?
2. What kinds of ideas did the Japanese import from China?
3. In what ways did Buddhism develop in Japan?
4. What does “selective borrowing” mean? In addition to defining the term, provide
at least two examples.
5. What is “Kana”?
The Heian Period
1. When did the blending of cultures take place in Japan?
2. Who produced some of the most important works of Japanese literature?
Provide an example.
Japanese Feudalism Emerges
1. What is a feudal system?
2. How did Japan evolve into a feudal system?
a. Where did the real power lay?
3. Define:
a. Daimyo
b. Samurai
c. Bushido
4. How did the samurai prepare for war?
5. What was the role of the peasant in the Japanese feudal society?
6. Who is Kublai Khan?
7. Why did the Japanese people believe that “they were a people set apart who
enjoyed the special protection of the gods”?
The Tokugawas
1. What were the Tokugawa shoguns determined to do? Why?
2. How did the Tokugawa shoguns create a unified, orderly society?
Zen Buddhism and Japanese Culture
1. What is Zen?
Changing Artistic Traditions
1. What is Kabuki? What did it often portray?