Feudal powers in japan Flashcards
-japan:
location shape growth of civilization, 120 miles separates japan from korea, 500 miles separate from china, close enough to feel civilizing effect of china, far enough away from invasion
-geography of japan:
400 island make up japanese archipelago or island group that extends in arc more than 1200 miles long, japanese people lived on hokkaido, honshu, shikoku, kyushu, southern japan: mild climate, plenty of rainfall, mountainous, 12 percent is suitable for farming, natural resources = coal, oil, iron, summer and early fall: typhoons, earthquake and tidal waves are threats
-first mention:
chinese writings of first century B.C. (not a united country)
-early japan:
clans controlled territories, clan worshiped own nature gods and goddess, different parts people honored local gods
-shinto
varied customs and beliefs combined to form japan’s earliest religion, means way of gods, based on respect for forces of nature and worship of ancestor, worshipers believed in kami
-kami:
divine spirits that dwelled in nature, unusual or especially beautiful tree, rock, waterfall or mountain was home
-yamato empire
yamato clan established itself as leading clan, claimed to be descended from amaterasu sun goddess,
-forming of emperors
yamato chiefs called themselves emperors, early emperors did not control entire country but japanese gradually accepted idea of emperor
-yamato overthrowing:
yamato rules lacked real power, dynasty was overthrown, rival clans fought for power and winning clan claimed control of emperor and ruled in emperor’s name
-power in japan::
emperor (figurehead) and ruling power (reigned behind throne)
emperor (figurehead) and ruling power (reigned behind throne)
japanese began to have more contact with mainland asia, came under influence of chinese ideas and customs
-buddhism:
important influence brought by korea travelers, japanese imperial court officially accepted buddhism, ideas and worship spread through japanese society
-shinto and buddhism:
japanese did not give up their shinto belief, some buddhist rituals became shinto rituals and some shinto gods and goddesses were worshiped in buddhist temples
-prince shotoku:
most influential convert to buddhism, served regent for his aunt empress suiko, sent first of three mission of china, his people studied chinese civilization firsthand, planned strong central government like that of tang rules, tried to introduce china’s civil service system, attempt failed
-noble birth:
remained key to winning powerful position, continued to be a country where few great families held power
-adapted chinese ways to suit their own needs:
retained own traditions, imperial court decided it had learned enough from tang china, ended formal missions to tang empire (fallen into decline)
-chinese things adopt:
writing, japanese artist painted landscapes in chinese manner, followed chinese styles in everyday living, cooking, gardening, drinking tea, hairdressing, modeled government on china’s
-regent
rules when monarch is absent, ill or too young to rule
-beginning of heian period:
imperial court moved its capital from Nara to heian (modern kyoto), japan’s noble families moved to heian, among upper class in heian highly refined court society arose
-heian period
people filled days with elaborate rituals and artistic pursuits, rules dictated every aspect of life- length of swords, color of official robes, forms of address, number of skirts a woman wrote,
-etiquette:
was important, laughing aloud was bad, everyone at court was expected to write poetry and to paint
-accounts of heian society:
comes from diaries, essays and novels written by women of the court,
- lady murasaki shikibu:
the tale of genji, account of life of a prince in imperial court, considered world’s first novel
-heian period government:
elatively strong, strength was soon to be challenged by great landowners and clan chiefs who acted more and more as independent local rules
