Chapter 18 Section 3 - Japanese Culture and Society (p562-9)
Japan Develops a Unique Culture
A. Literature (1. What did the nobles of the court at Heian read? 2. What was kana? 3. Murasaki Shikibu is
regarded as the first example of what type of writing?)
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B. Art and Architecture (1. How were the homes of Japanese and Chinese nobles similar and how were they
different? 2. Describe what one might find in a Japanese garden.)
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C. Drama (1.What does emerge mean? 2. Describe a Japanese noh play. 3. Describe a kabuki play. 4. How was
kabuki different from a noh play?)
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Japanese Society
D. Family Loyalty and Harmony (1. What was the primary basic value in Japanese culture? 2. What was Shinto
tradition in relation to the family? 3. What value did Confucianism introduce to Japanese society? 4. What is
consensus?)
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E. Economic Life (1. What was the relationship between the farmer and the daimyo? 2. Who made most of the local
decisions for an area? 3. What does despite mean? 4.In what ways did the Japanese economy grow? 5. In trade with
China, what did Japan have to trade and what did they get?)
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F. Status of Women (1. In early Japan, what was the role of women like? 2. What arrived to change the role of
women? 3. How did the role of women change? 4. In what way did Buddhism view women that also changed the
role of women?)
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Shinto
G. Creation Myths (1. What is Shinto and what does Shinto mean? 2.What caused Shinto to lose popularity? 3.
Describe where Shinto came from and what were its beliefs. 4. Describe the Shinto creation myths. 5. How did this
affect the Japanese view of their emperor?)
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H. Honoring Local Spirits (1.What kinds of things were kami thought to live? 2.What is a shrine? 3. What guided
the Japanese in where to build their shrines?)
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Japanese Buddhism
I. Spread of Buddhism (1. Why did people in Japan oppose Buddhism at first? 2. How did Buddhism adapt to
Shinto?)
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J. Mahayana School (1. What does Mahayana mean and how did it get this name? 2. What are some things that
Mahayana Buddhism teaches? 3. What is a sutra? )
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K. New Sects Emerge (1. What is a sect? 2. What was the Shigon sect and what did they believe? 3. What is a
mantra? 4. What group in society was attracted to Shigon? 5. What did the Pure Land sect of Buddhism believe? 6.
What is a bodhisattva? 7. What group(s) in society were drawn to the Pure Land sect?)
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L. Zen Buddhism (1. What is the most famous Buddhist sect called? 2. What is it called in China? 3. What does
meditation mean for followers of this sect? 4. On what is the focus of this form of Buddhism? 5. Among what group
in society did this form of Buddhism have the greatest appeal?)
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