C: Japan 12. Shaping a Unique Worldview p. 260 Flashcards
How is Japan isolated?
Japan is an island country so it is isolated from nearby Korea, China, and Russia
However, even in the mid 200s there is evidence that Japan and China had contact. The waters are very rough and it would have been challenging to make contact.
Europeans did not have the means before 1500 to reach Japan by sailing, and even later with better technology it was still very dangerous and took several months.
Where does Japan’s writing system come from?
They borrowed the Chinese system of writing in characters and called the Chinese characters kanji.
At first they just wrote in Chinese, but over time they wrote the Japanese language using Chinese characters.
kana is the name of the new system that was developed that combined kanji with Japanese characters.
What do cherry blossoms mean to the Japanese?
- new beginnings
- beauty
- the shortness of beauty and life
and other meanings
What is the name of Japan’s Indigenous people?
How were they treated by the Japanese?
Ainu
(Eye-noo)
They lived in the northern part of Japan for several thousand years in Ezochi, Land of the Ezo (Ainu).
The Japanese began to take over the Ainu lands and the Ainu were repeatedly defeated in wars between them. Hokkaido is what they renamed the territory of the Ainu where most of the Ainu lived after these wars.
Ainu were assimilated, and were forbidden to speak their language or practice their customs. They could only live in areas the government gave them. This changed them to farmers since they were given land to farm, but they traditionally were a hunting and fishing society.
For a long time Japan refused to acknowledge the Ainu as a minority. Japan did not want to acknowledge their existence.
Who are the kamuy?
gods of fire, water, wind, thunder, animals, and plants as recognized by the Japanese
they visit the earthly world
What is Shinto?
the ancient religion of Japan
- inspires a love of nature
What are kami?
sacred spirits that take the form of objects in nature such as mountains, trees, and stones
What is the name of the most important kami, the sun goddess?
Amaterasu
What do human beings become when they die?
kami
What is the name of a festival that pleases and celebrates the kami?
matsuri
Does Shinto religion/culture have laws?
No
What religion/culture do Japanese people believe in that has laws?
Chinese religions/cultures such as Buddhism and Confucianism
The Japanese word tsunami means what?
harbour wave
Why are Japanese people considered stoic?
stoic: a person who controls their emotions and endures difficult experiences with patience
They have learned to adjust and adapt to the harsh natural disasters common to their country such as tsunamis, typhoons, and earthquakes.
They start over and rebuild a lot after each disaster.
Before 1853 did Japan trade with other countries?
Very little trade occurred with other countries before 1853.
Japan was considered self-sufficient. Unless there was an absence of monsoons, Japanese were fed well enough. Monsoons were needed for the rice to grow. Famines followed when monsoons failed to appear.
