Basics about Japan Flashcards
japans name in Japanese is
ri ben (land of the rising sun) already there is an apparent sense of pride
where does japan have a lot of its influence from
china
size of japan
= to size of US length of east coast
population
it is very dense population
-small homes are a big thing
-activities are expensive like golf since there is less space for it
japans land terrain
very mountainous
japans maritime orientation
close to ocean, no place is more than 80km from ocean
japans climate
year round farming
-warm weather and lots of rain
japans natural resources
japan does not have a lot of antural resources, so they have to import more. Japans lifeline is trade.
what was one reason japan desired to imperalize
so they can get more resources “because we have few resources we are entitled to expand”
shinto
Indigenous Japanese religion comes from Japan.
-focuses on clean vs unclean
what does shinto mean
way of the gods
qualities of shinto
-nature worshipping
-ritual cleanliness
-lack moral connotation
-relationship to Japanese nationalism
two main aspects of shintoism
nature-worshipping and ritual cleanliness
importance of ritual cleanliness
humans are dirty so clean yourself for nature as to not defile it
why is there lack of moral connotation in Shinto
clean vs unclean instead of good vs bads
nationalism
you think your country is best so you do what it takes to show this and spread it
another reason japanese wanted to colonize
japanese are clean compared to other nations. if you are clean you are pure (part of ritual cleanliness)
which clan emerged as powerful in 500 CE
Yamoto clan
what do many japanese people refer to themselves as
yamoto clan/yamato race
from which clan came the first japanese emperor
yamato clan
what happened when yamato clan beat other clans in Japan
they claimed power over all Japan. They won because of their miliatry might but they say they ar descendents of sun goddessess. They had spiritual and military might.
what did the Japanese believe until 1954
that there emperror was a God (fight for God) which is why they committed a lot of war crimes
buddhism in Japan
introduced in 500 Ce
became influential in supporting Japanese bureaucracy for consistency and helped rulers govern by preaching the right conduct
what purpose did introduction of buddhism and confucianism serve
served purpose to Japanese emperor
who were the elites in japan for a long time
samurai
what was the origin of the samurai class
-big families in kyoto and absentee landlordism
-need for country (rural) warriors
-factional wars between the big families
purpose of having palace and capital in kyoto
magnet for rich families
what did having rich families in kyoto cause
a sent landlordism. they needed good warriors to protect them to ensure good crop and collect taxes, etc
-the warriors needed to be strong and have good sword skills and ride horses
characteristics of samurai
loyal, brave, strong and good with horses/swords
what is kamakura shogunate
kamakura is the name of the place
-government of shogun
-shogun are top generals that oversee men and fighting. Samurai are foot warriors
status of amurais
class gives them “status”> gives them political power. samurai were only ones who can hold/use swords. called by last names, could send kids to school. they were privleged
who made the real calls about japan: shogun or emperor
they had two capitals and shogun made real calls
bakufu and nature of the shogunate government
bakufu was used interchangeably with shogunate
-tent government: means it was mobile and impermanent
bushido
way of samurai/code of conduct. need to be capable of killing rivals but they also would not hesitate killing themselves in honor of those around them. wanted to convey to others they were not scared to die
sappuku
means ritual suicide
what are contradictory elements of the samurai
militant brutality vs delicacy and refinment
what were samurai connected to
nature, delicacy, refinmnet, and education.
what were samurai well versed in
confucian teaching
who introduced western weapons to japan
samurai from dutch. guns did not play a huge role until 19th century
what did samurai study and help bridge with this knowledge
studied western medicine and industrialization and helped with bridging east and west, unlike china who was more resistant to change
summarize samurais
they were warriors but were prideful of craft and values. reason they lasted so long was mostly because of Confucian values and education. samurai also meditate. Nature is permanent and humans are not so acceptable you will die one day to reach nirvana (Buddhism)
