JAPAN AND
ITS
LEGACIES
By: Joshua, FeiFei, and Brendan
Samurai
• Samurai were members of the military
class in Japan.
• They were the Japanese warriors.
• Samurai followed the Bushido Code which
means “the way of the warrior.”
• The Bushido Code had stressed concepts such
as loyalty, self discipline, and honour.
• A samurai would rather die in battle than be
captured by their enemy.
• A samurai could use a range of weapons but
their favorite was the sword.
Rise of the Samurai
• The samurai importance rose dramatically in the Heian
Period(794-1185).
• During this period, powerful landowners hired private
warriors (samurai) to protect their property.
• In the Muromachi Period(1333-1573) Japan was locked
in civil wars between several independent states.
• This made the demand for samurai very high which also
contributed to the rise of the samurai.
• Finally, in the Edo Period(1603-1868) the official
hierarchy system place the samurai at the top. Only a
samurai was allowed to carry a sword in Japan.
• Samurai were forced to lie in castle towns and received
income from their owners in the form of rice.
Decline of the Samurai
• In 1615 the Osaka Castle was defeated, this
was Tokugawa’s last potential enemy.
• When this happened the need for
military skill fell and a lot of samurai
became bureaucrats, artist,
or teachers.
• By 1868, Japan’s feudal era
ended and the samurai class
was abolished.
• Although samurai do not exist today,
it is a legacy that we all remember.
Shinto
• Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion.
• It started in 500 BCE and its name was
derived from the Chinese word shin tao
which means “the way of the gods”
• Unlike other religions, Shinto has no real
founder, scriptures or religious law.
• Shinto creation stories tell of the lives of
Kami (gods).
The Kami
• Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto were
a divine kami couple, who in gave birth to the
Japanese islands and many other kami.
• Amonth these kami was the Amaterasu Omikami
(sun goddess) and was considered as the chief
deity.
• Most kami have shrines dedicated
to them and Amaterasu’s shrine
is at Ise.
• Shintoist follow the code of
Confucianism.
Four Affirmations
• There are four affirmations in Shinto:
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Tradition and Family: The family is seen as the main
mechanism by which traditions are preserved.
Love and Nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature
is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as
sacred spirits.
Physical Cleanliness: Followers of Shinto take baths, wash
their hands, and rinse out their mouth often.
Matsuri: The worship and honor given to the Kami and
ancestral spirits.
Noh and Kyogen
• Traditional Japanese performing arts developed
in the fourteenth century during
the Muromachi period (1333 to 1573) under the
playwrights Kannami
(1333–1384) and his son Zeami (1363–1443).
• There were two types called Noh
and Kyogen. However, they have been
combined to form "the art of Nogaku".
Noh and Kyogen
• Noh is a combination of dance, drama, music
and poetry. Kyogen, on the other
hand, is more comical and puts emphasis on
dialogue.
• Noh tends to be more serious and uses subjects
from history or classical literature, while Kyogen
generally uses everyday life as its subject.
• Often, Kyogen is performed during intermissions
of Noh performances to change the mood.
Facts
• There are about 1500 people who make a living
from Noh, including musicians
and performers
• There are about 250 plays in the classical
repertoire of Noh
• Noh aims to express "yuugen", which means
"elegant and ideal beauty". To show this, the
main actor wears a very beautiful mask when
performing.