Use the outline given to you to create the
Thinking Maps.
Use the other notes on the Power Point to fill in
your Vocab List
Use your notebook to write down any other
info you find significant on the Power Point.
Sea of Japan
Hokkaido
Honshu
Kyushu
East China Sea
Shikoku
Japan is located in
the Pacific
Ocean on an
archipelago, or
chain of islands.
Four-fifths of Japan
is mountainous so
most people
settled in arable
or farmable river
valleys and along
coastal plains.
Ring of Fire
Japan lies in a Pacific region known as the Ring of
Fire or Pacific Rim of Fire. This region is
subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.
Mt. Fuji
Tsunamis, or huge tidal waves, can sweep over
land without warning. Typhoons are hurricanes in
the Pacific Ocean.
What impact has geography had on Japanese life?
Farming is
difficult
Mountainous
terrain
Island
nation
Close to
China
and
Korea
Geography
of
Japan
Barrier to
political unity
Shintoism
developed
Sea used for food,
transportation,
isolation, protection
Cultural diffusion
Polytheism
Shinto
Minimize
sin &
guilt
How did Chinese culture influence Japan?
Writing
Buddhism
Japan
adapted
Chinese
system
to their
own
language
and
ideas.
Spread and
flourished
Zen Buddhism
(a sect) spread
Values peace,
simple living, nature
and beauty.
Confucianism
Stresses
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?
B. The Japanese
kept some
Chinese ideas,
and rejected
others.
C. This is known as
selective
borrowing.
D. For example,
there are Chinese
symbols in written
Japanese.
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
Feudalism Emerges
While Japan had an
emperor, rival clans
battled for control
of rural
countryside.
Local warlords formed
groups loyal to
them, not the
emperor.
Real power lay in
the shogun, or
supreme military
commander.
The shogun gave
land to vassal
lords called
daimyos.
Daimyos gave land
to lesser warriors
called samurai, or
“those who serve.”
Like knights, samurai
were heavily
armed and trained
in fighting.
They also had a code
of values, known
as bushido, or
“way of the
warrior.”
Bushido emphasized
honor, bravery,
and loyalty to the
daimyo.
 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.
Everybody Else
Far below the samurai
were the peasants,
artisans, and
merchants.
Peasants, who made
up 75% of Japan,
formed the
backbone of feudal
society.
Peasant families
cultivated rice
and other crops
on estates of
samurai.
Some peasants
served as
soldiers; rarely,
some even
became samurai.
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.
Failure to Conquer Japan
A. In 1274 and again
in 1281, Kublai sent
huge fleets against
Japan.
B. Both times, the
Japanese turned
them back.
C. A typhoon
(kamikaze) even
destroyed one
Mongol fleet.
C
A
S
T
L
E
S
 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.”
Similarities between a samurai
and a knight are…
Differences between them are…
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social system based
on loyalty, the holding of land, and military
service.
Japan:
Shogun
Land - Shoen
Land - Shoen
Protection
Samurai
Peasant
Daimyo
Loyalty
Daimyo
Samurai
Peasant
Loyalty
Samurai
Peasant
Food
Peasant
Let’s compare European Feudalism to
Japanese Feudalism!
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.
Chanoyu : Tea
Ceremony
A Japanese Tea
Master
A Japanese Tea
House
Origami : The Art of
Japanese Paper Folding
Origami : Modern
Adaptations
Calligraphy
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.
 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
ARIGATO!