General Information

Question 1

Who were the 3 unifiers of Japan?

Answer 1

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582)
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598)
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616)

Question 2

What was the name of the imperial family in Japan?

Answer 2

Yamato

Question 3

Who were the first Westeners to arrive in Japan including the correlating date?

Answer 3

In 1543, three Portuguese travelers aboard a Chinese ship drifted ashore on Tanegashima, a small island near Kyushu. They were the first Europeans to visit Japan.

Question 4

What are 4 main islands of Japan called?

Answer 4

Hokkaido, Honshu, shikoku, and Kyushu

Question 5

Who were the Indigenous inhabitants of Japan called?

Answer 5

Ainu

Question 6

What were the 3 Capitals of Japan and correlating dates?

Answer 6

Nara (710 CE-794 CE) first permanent capital of Japan
Kyoto (795CE-1185)
Tokyo

Question 7

Define bakufu

Answer 7

Any of the three military governments ruling Japan during most of the period from 1192 to 1867, as opposed to the civil government under the emperor at Kyoto.

Question 8

Define civil war

Answer 8

A war between citizens of the same country.

Question 9

Define Hereditary

Answer 9

Genetically passed or capable of being passed from parent to offspring

Question 10

Define feudalism

Answer 10

Feudalism was a system in which people were given land and protection by people of higher rank, and worked and fought for them in return.

Question 11

Define Jito

Answer 11

Land steward appointed by the central military government, or shogunate, whose duties involved levying taxes and maintaining peace within the manor.

Question 12

Define Kamikaze

Answer 12

Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and making a deliberate suicidal crash on an enemy target.

Question 13

Define shoen

Answer 13

Any of the private, tax-free, often autonomous estates or manors whose rise undermined the political and economic power of the emperor and contributed to the growth of powerful local clans.

Question 14

Define Shugo

Answer 14

The shugo occupied provincial military and civil supervisory posts. Their duties were to maintain peace, supervise the guard service, and command local retainers in battle.

Question 15

Define tributary state

Answer 15

A state subordinate to a more powerful neighboring state

Question 16

define vassal

Answer 16

a holder of land by feudal tenure on conditions of homage and allegiance.

Question 17

What were the 2 consequences to emperors for shoen?

Answer 17

Reduced the amount of tax they could collect from land since shoen were exempt from taxation; and second, it reduced their authority over large proportions of the population since peasants cultivating shoen were exempt from imperial authority.

Question 18

When were Shoen created?

Answer 18

794 BCE or the Heian period

Question 19

How did samurai emerge as a powerful social class?

Answer 19

Samurai were hired by Shoen governors to police their shoen which were very valuable aspects of this period.

Question 20

How did family rivalries contribute to the rise of Kamakura shogunate?

Answer 20

In 1159 the Taira and Minamoto clans fought and the Taira won. Yoshimoto’s sons then hatched a plan to fight back and they did and succeeded. When they did the last the emperor keep his title but got stripped of his authority. This then eventually led to the capital being moved to increase authority and effectiveness of Kamakura shogunate. The previous emperor then died and Yoritomo fought to the top becoming a shogunate and promoting the new government.

Question 21

Flow Chart (how did Yoritomo establish Kamakura Shogunate?

Answer 21

Win rebellion of clan war
strip previous emperor of power
gain control over one independent shoen
move capital
become a Shogun
change meaning of title so that he and his family would pass down the title

Question 22

How did Oda Nobunaga become on of the most powerful diamyo in Japan?

Answer 22

Oda Nobunaga took up Yoshiaki’s plea for help when his shogun brother was murdered. Oda was successful in having Yoshiaki installed as shogun but Oda held the reins of power, with Yoshiaki little more than a puppet. After unsuccessfully rebelling against Oda’s control over him, Yoshiaki became a Buddhist monk, effectively removing himself from the exercise of power. This allowed Oda to establish a central government and to crush his opponents, including Buddhists

Question 23

Explain why Oda had become know as one of the ‘three great unifiers of Japan’.

Answer 23

Oda established central government and helped to create stability by crushing his opponents, unifying the country under his control.

Question 24

Explain why Hideyoshi had become know as one of the ‘three great unifiers of Japan’.

Answer 24

Hideyoshi took over control after Oda committed ritual suicide. He strengthened central government and took control of Kyushu and Shikoku. He also banned Christian missionaries from Japan and set up a council of five in the hope of ensuring the succession of his son.

Question 25

Explain why Tokugawa had become know as one of the ‘three great unifiers of Japan’.

Answer 25

Tokugawa, a member of the council of five, challenged Hideyoshi’s son. Three years of war ended in the son’s suicide. Tokugawa established himself as shogun, ending the age of the Warring States and beginning the Edo period, when government was transferred to Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and stabilised

Question 26

Identify and explain two examples of the ways in which the Tokugawa shoguns tried to prevent other daimyo from challenging their power.

Answer 26

Every daimyo had to travel to Edo every two years to express his loyalty. The daimyo had to leave their families in Edo as hostages. The daimyo had to meet the expenses of feeding their samurai, maintain a residence in Edo as well as in their homeland, and provide gifts for the shogun. By depleting their wealth and reducing their independence, these measures lessened the danger of the daimyo mounting future challenges against the shogun

Question 27

What methods were used in the Tokugawa period to isolate Japan from the rest of the world?

Answer 27

Christian missionaries — one conduit for outside information — were banned. Japanese were forbidden to travel outside of Japan. Traders from Korea, China and The Netherlands (Dutch) could trade only through Nagasaki, in southern Kyushu. Edo (Tokyo) on Honshu was now the capital with an expanding population

Question 28

Why might Hideyoshi and the Tokugawa shoguns have wanted to keep foreign religions out of Japan?

Answer 28

Christian missionaries brought in ideas from abroad, including news of what was happening elsewhere, and even what people in other countries thought of them, their shogun and emperor. Christian values and beliefs conflicted with some of the practices of the Tokugawa shoguns in maintaining power and control. Christians were opposed to traditional practices such as ritual suicide. Missionaries could act as agents for people in Japan who sought outside assistance in overthrowing an unpopular shogun. Buddhism had long been the official religion of the ruling class and had spread to the common people during the Kamakura shogunate (see spread 8.3). Christianity threatened the status quo

Question 29

Who was emperor Go-Sanjo?

Answer 29

One of the few Japanese rulers of the period not born of a Fujiwara mother, Takahito became emperor in 1068, taking the reign name Go-Sanjo (Later Sanjo); he ascended the throne over the objections of the great clan, which, since 857, had dominated the government, usually by making Fujiwara daughters principal

Question 29

In what way did the Emperor Go-Sanjo break with the traditions and policies of earlier emperors?

Answer 29

In 1068 Emperor Go-Sanjo appointed members of the rival Minamoto clan to important government positions, thus reducing the power of the Fujiwara clan who had dominated Japanese politics from the seventh century.

Question 30

What was the power and status of the Fujiwara clan?

Answer 30

Dominated Japanese politics from the seventh century until the end of the Heian period in the twelfth century. But in 1068 their domination and influence were reduced when members of the Minamoto clan were appointed to senior positions.

Question 31

What was the power and status of the Taira clan?

Answer 31

Between 1180 and 1185 civil war raged between the Minamoto and Tiara clans. The Minamoto clan eventually won this conflict.

Question 32

What was the power and status of the Minamoto clan?

Answer 32

Emperor Go-Sanjo was the first emperor in more than 200 years whose mother was not a member of the Fujiwara clan. He also married into the Minamato clan. His heirs were loyal to the Minamoto. In 1192 their clan head was appointed shogun by the emperor. The Kamakura shogunate saw real power pass from the emperor to the shogun. End of the classical period and beginning of the feudal period in Japan.

Question 33

Why was the outcome of the civil war of 1180-1185 so significant in Japanese history?

Answer 33

The civil war of 1180–85 essentially established the dominance of the Minamoto clan, leading to their shogunate in 1192 and the establishment of the emperor as a religious and symbolic figure, as real power was transferred to the shogun

Question 34

Why did the Mongols attempt to invade Japan in the thirteenth century, and how were they defeated?

Answer 34

The Mongols under Kublai Khan demanded that the Japanese respect the Khan’s supreme authority and become a tributary state of the Mongol Empire. When Japan refused, the Mongol army twice tried to invade, but on each occasion their fleets were destroyed by typhoons.

Question 35

Explain why the period of the Ashikaga Shogunate came to be described as the ‘age of the warring states.’

Answer 35

While the Ashikaga shogunate was a period of great artistic achievement, the shoguns were unable to maintain order among the nobles (daimyo) in the provinces. The daimyo fought one another to acquire more land and political power. This led to widespread chaos and war, as vassals and farmers fought one another and the lords. The economy was weakened and everyone suffered during this turbulent period.

Question 36

What is Heian culture?

Answer 36

Culture of the upper class

Question 37

Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote the novel (World’s first novel) titled?

Answer 37

Tale of the Genji

Question 38

The Heian aristocracy was dominated by?

Answer 38

a craze for things Chinese

Question 39

Society was divided into how many grades based on ones birth (Heian culture)

Answer 39

30

Question 40

The Heian aristocracy was rigidly...

Answer 40

hierarchical.

Question 41

Where was the centre of aristocratic court life during the Heian Period?

Answer 41

Heian-Kyo

Question 42

State one of the central ideas of Buddhism that influenced Heian thought, philosophy and culture

Answer 42

Everything is fleeting

Question 43

How was land ownership different in Japan to Europe?

Answer 43

Technically the nobles didn’t own the land outright as they did in much of Europe. They owned the rights to income from the land. Women could also own rights to land.

Question 44

How did the Kamakura Shogunate rise to power?

Answer 44

Kamakura Period (1192 - 1333) In 1185, the Minamoto family took over the control over Japan after defeating the Taira clan in the Gempei war.

Question 45

How did Minamoto Yoritomo establish the Kamakura Bakufu

Answer 45

After his decisive victory over the rival Taira family at the battle of Dannoura (1185), Yoritomo created his own military administration (bakufu) to serve beside the imperial court.

Question 46

How did emperors survive in the medieval period after being stripped of power?

Answer 46

They existed through only cultural and spiritual beliefs

Question 47

How did the mongol invasions impact the kamakura shogunate

Answer 47

The Mongol Invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281 devastated Japanese resources and power in the region, nearly destroying the samurai culture and Empire of Japan entirely before a typhoon miraculously spared their last stronghold.

Question 48

Compare the Kamakura shogunate period to Ashikaga period.

Answer 48

The period from 1192 to 1333 during which the basis of feudalism was firmly established (Kamakura) In the Ashikaga Period the first Europeans arrived in Japan, Portuguese missionaries and traders who sailed ashore at southern Kyūshū in 1543.

Question 49

How was feudalism established in Japan

Answer 49

shoguns or military dictators replaced the emperor and imperial court as the country's main source of government.

Question 50

Define Buddhism

Answer 50

Buddhism is a religion that offers a spiritual path for transcending the suffering of existence.

Question 51

Define bushido

Answer 51

Define bushido

Question 52

Define Ronin

Answer 52

(in feudal Japan) a wandering samurai who had no lord or master.

Question 53

Define seppuku

Answer 53

a form of ritual suicide that originated with Japan's ancient samurai warrior class

Question 54

Define shi-no-ko-sho

Answer 54

The Shinokosho, or four divisions of society, composed of the Shi, being the warrior castes, the No, or farming peasants, Ko being craftsmen and artisans, and Sho being the merchant class.

Question 55

Define Shintoism

Answer 55

the way of the gods A Japanese Religion

Question 56

Define social castes

Answer 56

The samurai warriors were at the top, followed by farmers, artisans, and merchants, in that order.

Question 57

Define Zen Buddhism

Answer 57

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School, and later developed into various sub-schools and branches.

Question 58

How did Oda Nobunaga come to power?

Answer 58

Nobunaga emerged as the most powerful daimyō, overthrowing the nominally ruling shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and dissolving the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573.

Question 59

why did toyotomi hideyoshi expell christian missionaries

Answer 59

Concerned that the Jesuits were encouraging the persecution of Buddhist and Shinto believers and that Portuguese traders were selling Japanese as slaves, another edict was passed in 1597 CE.

Question 60

how did tokugawa leyasu use diplomacy and war to gain control over japan

Answer 60

Ieyasu preserved his strength in Toyotomi's failed attempt to conquer Korea. After Toyotomi's death, Ieyasu seized power in 1600, after the Battle of Sekigahara.

Question 61

Why was the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 so significant?

Answer 61

the critical episode in the unification of Japan by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616), who would subsequently found the last of the Japanese shogunal governments based at Edo (Tokyo) in 1603.

Question 62

What are the 8 social classes of Japan

Answer 62

merchants, artisans, peasants, ronin, samurai, daimyos, shogun, and finally, the emperor at the top.

Question 63

How was the social status established in Japan?

Answer 63

established a relatively equal class structure due to the rapid economy growth as well as its life-time employment system, progressive tax policies, and social security policies.

Question 64

What was samuari life like?

Answer 64

Samurai were expected to live according to Bushido ("The Way of the Warrior"), a strict ethical code influenced by Confucianism that stressed loyalty to one's master, respect for one's superior, ethical behavior in all aspects of life and complete self-discipline. Girls also received martial arts training.

Question 65

What was Shintoism and Buddhism?

Answer 65

Buddhists believe in a cycle of death and rebirth that continues until a person achieves an enlightened state. Shinto tradition holds that after death a person's kami passes on to another world and watches over their descendants. This is why ancestor worship is still an important part of modern-day Japanese culture.

Question 66

What were the key ideas and values that emerged in feudal japan

Answer 66

the relationship between lords and vassals where land ownership and its use was exchanged for military service and loyalty.

Question 67

Define Black ships

Answer 67

Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries.

Question 68

Define Corroborate

Answer 68

to support with evidence or authority

Question 69

Define Meji Restoration

Answer 69

In 1868 the Tokugawa shôgun ("great general"), who ruled Japan in the feudal period, lost his power and the emperor was restored to the supreme position.

Question 70

Define Rangaku

Answer 70

Rangaku is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners from 1641 to 1853 because of the Tokugawa shogunate's policy of national isolation

Question 71

Why were the shoguns afriad of western influence?

Answer 71

Because they caused sengoku through influence of christianity, they tried to populate Japan

Question 72

How did Commodore Perry open Japan to trade from western countries

Answer 72

Perry, on behalf of the U.S. government, forced Japan to enter into trade with the United States and demanded a treaty permitting trade and the opening of Japanese ports to U.S. merchant ships.