Sea of Japan
Sea of Okhotsk
Hokkaido
Tsuguru Strait
Mt. Fuji
Korea Strait
Honshu
Inland Sea
Kyushu
Shikoku
East China Sea
Japan is an archipelago, or chain of islands
in the Pacific Ocean
that is shaped like a
dragon. 4/5 of
Japan is
mountainous so
most people settled
in arable or
farmable river
valleys and along
coastal plains.
Ring of Fire
Japan is in the Ring of Fire or Pacific Rim of Fire,
a region with many earthquakes and volcanoes.
Mt. Fuji
A Tsunami is a huge tidal wave.
A Typhoon are hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan is also called the “Land of the Rising Sun.”
Farming is
harder
Mountains
Less unity
Islands
Close to
China
and
Korea
Geography
of
Japan
Shintoismreligion based
on nature spirits
Sea provides food,
transportation,
isolation, protection
Cultural diffusion
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social system that
exchanges land for loyalty and military service.
Japanese Feudalism
Japan had an emperor,
but rival clans
battled for land.
Warlords formed
groups loyal to
them, not the
emperor.
A shogun is
supreme military
commander.
A daimyo is a
powerful
landowner.
The shogun gave
land to daimyo in
exchange for
protection.
Daimyos gave land
to lesser warriors
called samurai, or
warriors whose
name means
“those who serve.”
Samurai followed
a code of
honor, bravery,
and loyalty
known as
bushido, or
“way of the
warrior.”
 A samurai who
betrayed the
code of bushido
was expected to
commit
seppuku, or
ritual suicide,
rather than live
without honor.
 The samurai
would impale
himself on his
sword.
 Unlike the solid
steel plates used
by European
knights,
Japanese armor
consisted of thin
strips of steel
held together by
brightly colored
silk cords.
 The true samurai was supposed to have no
fear of death.
 “If you think of saving your life,” it was said,
“you had better not go to war at all.”
 Samurai prepared for hardship by going
hungry or walking barefoot in the snow.
 It was said, “When a samurai’s stomach is
empty, it is a disgrace to feel hungry.”
Below the samurai
were the
peasants (7590% of Japan),
artisans, and
merchants.
Don’t write!
Peasants formed the
backbone of
feudal society.
What does that mean?
Don’t write!
Peasant families
cultivated rice
and other crops
on estates of
samurai.
Some peasants
served as
soldiers; rarely,
some even
became samurai.
C
A
S
T
L
E
S
Don’t write!
Noblewomen
Some noblewomen
trained in the military
and became warriors.
There was no chivalry;
warriors’ wives
endured hardships
and also owed loyalty
to the lords.
China’s influence on Japan
Writing
Buddhism
Japan
adapted the
Chinese
writing
system to
their
language.
Spread and
flourished
Zen Buddhism
Values peace,
simple living, nature
and beauty.
Confucianism
proper behavior,
loyalty,
honoring
parents (filial
piety) and
respect for
learning
“Harmony should be valued and quarrels (argument)
should be avoided. Everyone has his bias (prejudice) and
few men are far-sighted. Therefore some disobey their
lords and fathers and keep up feuds (arguments) with their
neighbors. But when superiors are in harmony with each
other an inferiors are friendly, then affairs are discussed
quietly and the right view of matters prevails (do well).”
~Prince Shotoku
What philosophy does Prince Shotoku seem to
be influenced by? Why?
•
The Japanese practiced Selective borrowing,
keeping some Chinese ideas and rejected others.
Don’t write!
Polytheism
Shinto
Minimize
sin &
guilt
Don’t write!
Failure to Conquer Japan
A. In 1274 and again in
1281, Kublai Khan
sent huge fleets to
invade Japan.
B. Both times, the
Japanese turned
them back.
C. A typhoon
(kamikaze) even
destroyed one
Mongol fleet.
Japanese Culture:
Past and Present
Japanese Art
Title: The Great Wave Off Kanagawa
Museum/ Source: Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii
Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Medium: Polychrome woodblock print on paper
Date: Edo period, c. 1828
Size: 9 7/8" X 14 5/8" (25 X 37.1 cm)
Japanese artists recreated historical events on scrolls.
Colorful woodblock
prints became
popular.
Torii Gate, Miyajima
Island
Torii Gate in Winter
Torii Gate
Japanese Theater
A. Kabuki plays
often portrayed
family or
historical events.
B. Dressed in
colorful
costumes, actors
used
exaggerated
movements to
convey action.
Kabuki Theater
An interior of a Kabuki theater.
Literature
Japanese poets
adapted
Chinese
models,
creating
miniature
poems called
haiku.
In only 3 lines
and 17
syllables, a
feeling is
expressed.
Haiku : 17-syllable
poem
Spring departs.
Birds cry
Fishes' eyes are
filled with tears.
Matsuo Basho, Master of Haiku
Zen Buddhism
A. During Japan’s
feudal age, Zen
Buddhism
emphasized
meditation and
duty.
B. Zen stressed
compassion for
all yet samurai
fought to kill.
 At Zen monasteries, upper-class men learned to
express devotion to nature in such activities as
landscape gardening.
 Zen monks were the leading scholars and
artisans of feudal Japan. The temple served as a
Zen monastery and a peaceful retreat for visiting
shoguns seeking advice.
Chanoyu : Tea
Ceremony
A Japanese Tea
Master
A Japanese Tea
House
Origami : The Art of
Japanese Paper Folding
Origami : Modern
Adaptations
Calligraphy
 The elaborate rituals of the tea ceremony
reflected Zen values of peace, simplicity, and
love of beauty.
Bonzai : A Unique Method
of Meditation
Japanese Garden for
Meditation
Japanese Zen Garden
Japanese Sand Garden
Miniature Rock/Sand
Garden
DOMO ARIGATO!
Japanese Feudalism
European Feudalism
Emperor - Highest position but
no political power
Pope
Shogun - Actual ruler
King
Lords and nobles
Daimyo -Powerful landowners
Samurai- gave protection for
land
Knights
Code of Bushido- behavior code
Seppuku- ritual suicide, rather
than live without honor
Code of Chivalry
Peasants and artisansprovided food and weapons
Merchants- gained status slowly
Serfs
Later
Merchants- High
Middle Ages
Let’s compare European Feudalism to
Japanese Feudalism!
Similarities between a samurai
and a knight are…
Differences between them are…