Japan Flashcards
What land form is Japan?
Archipelago, 4,000 islands
What are the 4 largest islands of Japan?
Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu
What type of geography do the islands have?
12% of is suitable for farming, the rest is mountainous
What was Japan’s earliest religion?
Shinto, “the way of the gods”
What was he Yamato clan?
The prevailing clan, said to be descendants of the sun goddess, were the first rulers of Japan but had very little power in the beginning. It was eventually accepted that they were the rulers and the emperor had total power. The Yamato ruled as figureheads for the most part.
Buddhism
- Brought to Japan by Korean travelers
- Japanese combined Shinto believes with Buddhism
Prince Shotoku
He was the most influential convert to Buddhism. He served as a regent for his his aunt who was an empress.
Heian Period
The heian period was an era in Japanese history where etiquette was a very important aspect of life. The best accounts of this are found in the book “The Tale of Genji.”
The Fuedal Period
The feudal period eroded imperial power in Japan. It was the period in which large landowners became warring warlords and lawlessness ran rampant.
Samurai
- Warriors that first began was tax collectors for the emperors, then as body guards and warriors of warlords.
- The samurai warriors followed an unwritten code called bushido.
- Samurai means “one who serves.”
Bushido
The unwritten code for samurai that emphasized reckless courage, fairness, reverence for the gods and generosity for the weaker. They believed that dying an honorable death was more important than living a long life.
Shogun
“Means supreme leader of the general’s army,” was a military dictator
The Kamakura Shogunate
-Was the period when shoguns ruled through puppet emperors. -The Kamakura shoguns were strong enough to turn back the invasions sent by Mongols but drained the treasury.
How many miles spectate Japan and its closest neighbor Korea? What about China?
120, between Korea and Japan, 500 between China and Japan
