Japan
- Geography
- Volcanic Islands off the coast of Asia
- ¾ covered in Mountains
- Surrounded by water
- Good defences
- Good fishing
- Rocky cliffs
- Frequent rainfall and relatively warm temperatures (especially in south)
- Good for rice and forests
- Volcanic Islands off the coast of Asia
- Early influences from Korea and China
- Chinese Gov’t
- Early Japanese gov’t (c.5th Cent.) was controlled by local uji; emperor only loosely controlled the various uji
- By 7th and 8th Cent. Japan adopted Chinese bureaucracy to establish various controlling offices in Japan; emperor gained more power
- Merit based officials
- Heavy taxation to support gov’t
- Art and Architecture
- Japan’s first capital(Nara), built in 710, was a mini copy of Chang’an
- Borrowed design of upturned roofs
- Sculpture
- Borrowed Korean sculpting styles and techniques
- Koreans borrowed from Chinese
- Borrowed Korean sculpting styles and techniques
- Religion
- Buddhism arrived by 6th cent. from Korea
- Japanese incorporated it into local religion, Shinto
- Buddhism arrived by 6th cent. from Korea
- Writing
- Japanese had no written language
- Used Chinese characters to write Japanese words (Kanji)
- Was made difficult due to different sounds in languages and the many characters of Chinese
- Later developed Kana; a simplified version of Chinese characters to write Japanese syllables
- Poetry
- Japanese new use of writing began a flourishing tradition of poetry
- Japanese copied the Chinese tanka (5-7-5-7-7)
- Later developed the haiku (5-7-5)
- Wrote great epics
- Chinese Gov’t
- Heian Period (794-1185)
- In 794, Emperor Kammu moved capital to Heian-kyo along the Yodo river
- Worried about Buddhist priest influence in old Nara
- Modeled after Chang’an (with walls)
- Spacious city with much wildlife/nature present
- Lifestyle
- Rank in society dependant on birth
- Birth > personal quality or skill
- 9 Ranks in Heian Court
- 1-3 Emperor and Nobles
- 4-5 Gov’t officials
- 6-9 minor officials, clerks, and experts in law and medicine
- Class systems within rank
- Beauty, elegance, fashion > generosity, honesty
- Prized a very specific fashion
- Literature
- Highest form of artistic expression
- All members of Heian nobility expected to write good poetry
- Specific structure and tone in poetry was essential
- All members of Heian nobility expected to write good poetry
- Writing
- Katakana- formal way of writing used by men
- Hiragana- “cursive” version of Japan used informally by women
- Handwriting revealed inner character and goodness
- Flouring Female Authors
- Murasaki Shikibu wrote the greatest classical work of Japan Tale of Genji
- Sei Shonagon wrote Pillow Book
- Most women kept regular diaries of their experiences
- Highest form of artistic expression
- Rank in society dependant on birth
- Politics
- Emperor was supreme leader by birth
- Family line was descended of the sun goddess
- De facto rulers of Japan were the noble families especially the Fujiwara Family
- Controlled gov’t rule by serving as advisors to emperor
- Fujiwara Michinaga
- Greatest leader of family for 30 years
- Father of 4 empresses, uncle of 2 emperors, grandfather of 3
- Greatest leader of family for 30 years
- Fall
- Nobles were given large tax free estates
- Decreased revenue to the emperor; increased for noble families
- Decentralized power from the gov’t
- Noble family hired warriors (samurai) to defend land
- Decentralized power from the gov’t
- Decreased revenue to the emperor; increased for noble families
- Nobles were given large tax free estates
- Emperor was supreme leader by birth
- In 794, Emperor Kammu moved capital to Heian-kyo along the Yodo river
- Feudal Japan 1185-19th cent.
- Rise of the Shogunate
- 2 ruling families, Taira and Minamoto clans, fought for power
- Minamoto Yoritomo successfully defeated rival clan and claimed power as shogun
- shogun – the head of the military gov’t of Japan
- Emperor was still the supreme ruler but without much power
- Minamoto Yoritomo successfully defeated rival clan and claimed power as shogun
- 2 ruling families, Taira and Minamoto clans, fought for power
- Feudal society
- Shogun ruled like a king over the land
- Hired families of samurai to fight in army (like knights)
- Samurai rewarded with offices and land grants
- Some family leaders became daimyos- local warrior lords (like a european lord)
- Hired families of samurai to fight in army (like knights)
- Shogun ruled like a king over the land
- Ashikaga Shogunate (mid 14th- late 16th cent.)
- Period of civil war and dramatic violence
- Developments in samurai code “Bushido”
- National Unification 1568-1600
- Oda Nobunaga, a lesser daimyo successfully defeated a very powerful daimyo
- Later conquered the capital at Kyoto
- Ruled by force
- Destroyed daimyos that threatened him
- Razed a buddhist temple that housed conspirators
- Gave titles and authority to defeated daimyos to gain trust
- Built strategic castles
- Encouraged trade and industry
- Opened Nagasaki to foreign commerce
- Destroyed daimyos that threatened him
- Oda Nobunaga murdered in 1582, succeeded by his General Hideyoshi
- Hideyoshi conquered remaining territories
- Made daimyos swear total allegiance
- Died trying to conquer China
- Hideyoshi conquered remaining territories
- Oda Nobunaga, a lesser daimyo successfully defeated a very powerful daimyo
- Tokugawa Shogunate 1600-1867
- Consolidated power
- Limited power of daimyos through many laws
- Had to live alternately at the capital
- Enforced Bushido code
- Controlled noble marriages
- Required samurai to live in castles
- Limited power of daimyos through many laws
- Urbanization
- Increased investment in farming boomed economy and pop.
- Movement of daimyos and construction of castles lead to town and road growth
- Capitalist economy sprung from booming economy and castle towns
- Sakoku- closed borders and trade to outside world
- BUT- dutch trade in south increase western information exchange
- Increased interest in western technologies
- Christian evangelization begun by St. Francis Xavier in 1549
- By 1600, 300,000 Christians baptized
- Later Christians persecuted by gov’t
- BUT- dutch trade in south increase western information exchange
- Consolidated power
- Rise of the Shogunate