japan Flashcards
Shintoism
Facts about Shintoism include:
- Shintoism is a Japanese religion that originated around the sixth century C.E
- Shintoism is non-denominational and can be practiced alongside other faiths
- Shintoism is polytheistic and views nature and god as one
- The gods or kami are spiritual essences that can be found in anything
- There are three main variations of kami: heavenly, earthly, and human
Kami
- Kami are objects of worship in Shinto and other indigenous religions of Japan.
- Kami can be translated as “god”, “lord”, or “deity”, but they also include other forces of nature, both good and evil.
- Kami are of two minds, not visible to the human realm, and mobile, visiting their places of worship but never staying forever.
- There are many different varieties of kami, and each one has a different guardianship or duty to the people around them.
- Kami are attracted by purity and repelled by disharmony, and are particularly associated with natural sites such as mountains, waterfalls, trees, and rocks.
Prince Shotoku
Prince Shotoku (573-621) was a semilegendary prince who is revered as a cultural hero, a Buddhist patron, and a civilizing ruler in Japanese history. He served as regent and trusted advisor on matters of civil administration during the reign of Empress Suiko. He was a great supporter of Chinese culture and Buddhism, spreading both during his reign by encouraging closer ties with China, introducing principles of Chinese government, creating a constitution, and building many temples across Japan. He is known for composing a Seventeen Article Constitution that expresses basic governmental ideals along with pious Buddhist and Confucian sentiments. He is also credited with mastering Buddhism and Confucianism under the tutelage of Korean teachers. Prince Shotoku is sometimes called the founder of the Japanese nation and has appeared on Japanese banknotes more than any other person.
Shogun
- The shogun was the highest ranking position in the noble military class during feudal Japan.
- Although the shogun was ranked below the royal class, he was often considered more powerful and the actual leader of the country.
- Samurai took up the sword as their symbol under the shogunate.
- The later shoguns closed Japan to the West, especially to Christianity.
- Japan urbanized and its merchant class grew under the shogunate despite restrictions on class mobility
Confucianism
- The history and culture that you can find on East Asia were influenced by the social, moral, philosophical or even political belief of Confucius. He was a Chinese philosopher who lived in 551 until 478 BC.
- Some say Confucianism is not a religion, since there are no Confucian deities and no teachings about the afterlife. Confucius himself was a staunch supporter of ritual, however, and for many centuries there were state rituals associated with Confucianism.
- Confucianism is an ancient Chinese ethical & philosophical method originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese philosopher Confucius. There are many facts about Confucianism which are still prevalent and being followed.
Samurai
- The samurai class was established after the Taika Reforms in the 7th century.
- Samurai made up approximately 5% of Japan’s population at their peak.
- Samurai organized into clans, which fought each other for power.
- The samurai followed a strict honor code called bushido, which emphasized loyalty, courage, and honor.
- Samurai may have been descended from the Ainu people, the indigenous inhabitants of Japan.
Bushido
Bushidō is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle, formalized in the Edo period (1603–1868). It is the code of conduct for Japan’s warrior classes from perhaps as early as the eighth century through modern times. Bushido varied under the influences of Buddhist and Confucian thought, but its warrior spirit remained constant, including an emphasis on military skills and fearlessness in the face of an enemy. Bushido also emphasized frugality, kindness, honesty and care for one’s family members, particularly one’s elders. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan.
Daimyo
Daimyo were powerful Japanese feudal lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to the emperor and the kuge. Daimyos were large landowners and vassals of the shogun. They hired an army of samurai warriors to protect their family’s lives and property. Great tax-free estates were built up from the 8th century onward by the alienation of lands to members of the imperial family who could not be supported at court.
Heian period
The Heian period is a significant era in Japanese history that lasted from 794 to 1185 CE. It was named after the capital city of Heian-kyo, which was established by the Emperor Kammu in 794 CE. The Heian period was a time of relative peace and stability in Japan, and it saw the flourishing of Japanese culture and art.
Torii
Torii, symbolic gateway marking the entrance to the sacred precincts of a Shintō shrine in Japan. The torii, which has many variations, characteristically consists of two cylindrical vertical posts topped by a crosswise rectangular beam extending beyond the posts on either side and a second crosswise beam a short distance below the first.
Animism
Animism is a belief that all material phenomena have agency, that there exists no categorical distinction between the spiritual and physical world, and that soul, spirit, or sentience exists not only in humans but also in other animals, plants, rocks, geographic features, and other entities of the natural environment.Other interesting facts related to animism include:
- Pythagoras, the great mathematician, was the first vegetarian. He forbade the pupils of animals because of the presence of their souls exactly the same as in man.
- A small child in his early animistic notions thinks that when he goes, the moon “runs” after him.
