Name:
Period:
Date:
14.2 Shogun and Samurai
Essential Question: How did new ideas change the way people live?
Guiding Questions:
1. Why did military leaders rise to power in Japan?
2. What are shoguns and samurais and what influence do they have on the government?
3. Why did Japan experience disunity from the 1300s to the 1500s?
Nara
Nara Japan: During the A.D. 700s, Japan built a strong national government at Nara, and
_________________________ became a popular religion.
The Emperor’s Government:
Compare the way Japan chose government officials with the way China chose government
officials.
China
Japan
What problem can develop over time with the Japanese method for choosing government
officials?
Buddhism spreads in Japan:
 Came from _________________________ in the 500s and greatly influenced government
and society
 500s- government officials and ________________________ were the first to accept
Buddhism
 600-700s= spread rapidly among the ___________________ people
 Buddhism became powerful religion: _______________________ nobles fought with
Buddhist nobles for power
What happened in 770 which resulted in the emperor leaving Nara (the capital) and creating a
new capital?
Was he right to leave the capital? Why/Why not?
The Rise of the Shogun: Japan’s civilian government and the emperor became dominated
by military rulers known as _________________________.
The Government Weakens:
 A.D. 800s= emperors’ _________________________ decreases. This is due to a line of
weak rulers; mostly __________________________. As a result,
“________________________”, a person who rules for an emperor when they are too
young or sick, governed Japan. Most of these rulers came from the
_________________________ clan.
How did the emperors of Japan lose their power?


The nobles also gained wealth and power; government would give them
_________________________ in exchange for their _________________________
Government did not charge the nobles _________________________; gave them
_________________________ of ruling the lands, which included collecting taxes.
What problem would result in giving the nobles land in exchange for loyalty?
Who were the Samurai?
List 5 qualities and skills a samurai possesses (include Bushido):
What is a Shogun?
 In 1180, _______________________ was fought between two powerful Japanese clans.
 The Minamoto Yoritomo won the war in 1185.
What did the emperor do as a result?
Japan’s government was split into two, with the ________________ having little power.
What did Yoritomo do to protect his power? Would this happen in our world today?

The Mongols Attack
 A ____________________ or “divine wind” saved the island of Japan being attacked by
Kublai Khan and the Mongols of China.
The Daimyo Divide Japan:

As the _________________ power weakened, Japan broke into warring kingdoms run by
rulers known as _________________.
Why did the samurai help the emperor when he rebelled?
Why did they eventually turn against him?
Explain the system of “feudalism” in Japan.
Why did the Ashikaga shogunate eventually fall apart in the mid 1500s?