Chapter 4 Flashcards
Geography of Japan
Japan is located between the Pacific, and is next to North Korea, South Korea, Russia, and China. It has four main islands, called Hokkaido, Shikoku, Honshu, and Kyushu. There is mainly mountains, but also water, and some forest.
Know the three main shoguns who influenced the unification of Japan and their accomplishments
Oda Nobunaga reduced the influence of Buddhist control, built many castles, and introduced new administrative ideas.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi worked on centralizing government power, changed tax forms from money to rice, created class structure, formed a standing army, disarmed farmers, attempted expanding territory, and supported painters.
Tokugawa Ieyasu established government base in Edo, and finalized unification of Japan.
Know the three main shoguns who influenced the unification of Japan and their accomplishments
Oda Nobunaga reduced the influence of Buddhist control, built many castles, and introduced new administrative ideas.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi worked on centralizing government power, changed tax forms from money to rice, created class structure, formed a standing army, disarmed farmers, attempted expanding territory, and supported painters.
Tokugawa Ieyasu established government base in Edo, and finalized unification of Japan.
Understand the hierarchical class structure in Japan during the Edo period. What were their roles in society?
Shogun - The man in charge of the government (Bakufu).
Samurai - Men who were hereditary warriors. Some samurai were daimyo.
Farmers - People who farmed the land.
Artisans - People who made decorative or useful objects.
Merchants - People who distributed goods but did not contribute directly through labour.
Outcasts (eta) - People who had jobs related to the death of animals and humans, such as tanning hides and removing corpses.
Non-humans (Hinin) - People who survived by begging, acting, telling fortunes, and other activities that were frowned upon.
Confucianism
A system of beliefs that focused on morals, education, and a strict order in government and society. It started in Korea, and migrated to China, and then to Japan.
Focuses on the relationship between human beings.
Believes the past is important.
The people were expected to be loyal and kind to the Tokugawa shoguns.
Schools were set up to follow a form of studying based on observation and questioning.
Roles of the Samurai
The samurai had to keep the people safe. In return, they would pay for his salary.
They were skilled in martial arts, and were the only ones allowed to carry swords.
Their family got a good education, and was part of the higher classes.
During the Edo period, there was no one to protect. They learned to be literate, and they learned to be administrators and warriors.
What were some of the negative and positive aspects of isolation for Japan?
Negative
Lost contact with the outside world.
Had limited supplies and food.
Did not develop relationships with possible allies.
People became rebellious because there was no change.
The worldview of people stayed the same, and new ideas were not developed.
Positive
Brought stability to Japan.
Turned the focus away from war, and towards education.
It let Japan develop at it’s own speed.
Citizens stayed loyal.
Decreased the chance of becoming a colony.
Why did the rulers isolate Japan from the rest of the world?
To control the influence of foreigners and to tighten control over the daimyo.
To stop the spread of christianity.
They didn’t want to travel with Westerns.
Culture in Edo
The daimyo became patrons of the arts because they wanted more decorated houses, and beautiful gardens. Theatre also became popular, because it was able to entertain many people.
