Homework 1
Part 1
Foundations of Traditional Japan
A.
Early Society
The early Japanese were organized into clans, family groups who
traced their origins to a common ancestor. Within the clan, people lived
in extended families with each family's position in society inherited. The
Japan that emerged slowly into history was primarily a tribal society
divided into a great number of clans called uji. Each uji worshipped a
specific god believed to be that family’s ancestor, and followed a
hereditary chief. The chief was responsible for both religious leadership
and government rule. As a result, the worship of uji gods, combined with
the early Japanese awe of nature, developed into a national religion
which came in later times to be called Shinto, the “Way of the Gods.”
About 400 CE, the Yamato emerged as the strongest clan in Japan.
They established the first and only Japanese dynasty. The present
Japanese emperor traces his origins to the Yamato clan. According to
legend, the sun goddess Amaterasu created Japan, and one of her
descendants became the first emperor. The Yamato traced their
ancestors back to that first emperor. By claiming divine descent,
Japanese emperors gained the respect and support of the people.
B.
Selective Borrowing
Between the fifth and ninth centuries BCE, the Japanese borrowed
many ideas from China. They adapted Chinese writing to their own
language, and that opened the way for further borrowing. However, the
Japanese kept only the ideas that fit their own social, political, and
religious traditions.
In 552, the Yamato ruler welcomed Chinese Buddhist missionaries
who came to Japan by way of Korea. In doing so, he set Japan on a new
path. Just as Christianity transmitted the Greco-Roman heritage to the
people of Western Europe, Buddhism became the vehicle for spreading
Chinese culture to Japan. Japanese rulers accepted many Buddhist
beliefs. Yet they also kept their traditional role as chief priests in Shinto.
Buddhist monks also introduced Confucian ideas about the family and
ancestor worship. Because these ideas reinforced Japanese traditions,
they were easily absorbed.
Prince Shotoku, a scholar and member of the Yamato ruling
family, was fascinated by Chinese civilization. Under his leadership, the
pace of borrowing from China increased. In 607, he sent representatives
to China to study its government, history, and philosophy as well as its
arts and sciences. The Japanese returned with dazzling reports of
Chinese achievements.
In a wave of enthusiasm, Japanese rulers set out to remodel their
society along Chinese lines. The court eagerly adopted Chinese styles in
art and literature. Nobles studied Confucian and Taoist philosophy.
When the Japanese built a new capital at Nara in the 700s, they modeled
it on the splendid T'ang capital in China. Palaces and Buddhist temples
reflected Chinese styles of architecture. Even Japanese clothing and
furniture showed the impact of Chinese culture.
Japanese rulers also to reform the government based on Confucian
teachings. They set up a series of civil service exams which people could
take in order to gain positions in the government bureaucracy. But the
exam system was eventually dropped because it was based on merit and
did not fit in with the Japanese tradition that a person's position in
society was inherited. For the same reason, the Japanese could not
accept the Confucian idea of opening offices to all social classes. As a
result, hereditary nobles - rather than scholars - held official positions in
Japan.
HW#1 Japan’s Roots
Part I, A-B
1. Define archipelago. B) Why is Japan’s geography good for the
development of a nation? C) How did the Japanese create more
farmland?
2. Define clans. B) How were clans organized? C What was the name
of the strongest clan? D) Define Uji.
3. Why did emperors claim divine descent?
4. What did the Japanese borrow from China?
5. How did the Japanese change Buddhism to fit their needs? B) Why
was Confuciansim easily absorbed?’
6. Why did Prince Shotoku send representatives to China? B) What
aspects of Chinese culture and religion did the Japanese incorporate
into their society? C) What ideas were incompatible with Japanese
society?