Rise of Feudalism

Question 1

Bakufu

Answer 1

A tent government that ruled Japan during most of the period from 1185 to 1868

Question 2

Civil war

Answer 2

A the war between citizens of the same country

Question 3

Hereditary

Answer 3

The title of someone in a social class

Question 4

Feudalism

Answer 4

Feudalism in medieval Japan (1185-1603 CE) describes the relationship between lords and vassals where land ownership and its use was exchanged for military service and loyalty

Question 5

Jito

Answer 5

Jitō were medieval territory stewards in Japan

Question 6

Kamakaze

Answer 6

The kamikaze were two winds or storms that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan

Question 7

Mongols

Answer 7

The Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia.

Question 8

Samurai

Answer 8

Samurai were the military nobility and officer caste of the medieval Japanese military. The word samurai means ‘one who serves

Question 9

Shogun

Answer 9

The literal term is ‘barbarian conquering general’. A shogun was the title appointed by the Emporer given to the top military commander in Japan.

Question 10

Shoen

Answer 10

Shoen was large estate that were free from imperial taxation and administration. Instead, the peasants living on that shoen were taxed and governed by the governor of that shoen

Question 11

Shugo

Answer 11

Shugo was a feudal official of ancient Japan originally appointed by Yoritomo Minamoto. Their duties were to maintain peace and command other officials

Question 12

Tributary State

Answer 12

A state subordinate to a more powerful neighbouring state

Question 13

Vassals

Answer 13

The vassals gave the shoguns soldiers or supplies and fought to control local territories in the name of the shogun.

Question 14

How did shoen grow in the Heian period

Answer 14

Peasants significantly contributed to the growth of shoens as most of them gave up the land they independently controlled to cultivate and asked local governors to include it in their shoen.

Question 15

What impact did the spreading shoen have on the power of the emporer

Answer 15

It reduced the amount of tax they could get from landholders and it reduced their authority over more significant portions of the population. This undermined the political and economic power of the emporer.

Question 16

How did samurai become a powerful social class

Answer 16

In 792 the military system changed from large armies maintained through a system of universal military service or conscription to small troops created from locally enlisted samurai. The Emporer couldn’t fund these troops but daimyo could, which is why the rise of samurai can be traced back to the growth of Shoens.

Question 17

How did Family rivalries effect the rise of the Kamakura Shogunate

Answer 17

Fujiwara controlled Japan but when Emporer Go-sanjo appointed Mimaoto clan members in government offices the Fujiwara’s power declined
The Minamoto clan were then the most powerful daiymo clan
However their authority was challenged by the Taira clan through the Genpei wars

Question 18

Genpei Wars

Answer 18

War spanned from 1180 - 1185
The Minamoto clan began this after the Taira clan defeated them in the Heji Rebellion
Caused as the public believed, Taira clan had too much power
Most of the nation was also loyal to the Minamoto clan

Question 19

Heji Rebellion

Answer 19

This was caused as their were two clans wanting control over the imperial throne: the tiara and the Minamoto

Question 20

How did the first Shogunate form

Answer 20

The leader of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto Yoritomo, gained control over Japan in 1185 after winning the Genpei wars thus taking power from the Tiara clan

Question 21

What were the achievements of the Kamakura Bakufu

Answer 21

Power passed from the emporer to the shogun
The society transferred to a farming economy, with samurai and daiymo granting land to vassals in return for loyalty and military service
Buddhism was introduced to the public and gained power
Cultures such as poetry, music, painting, and wood sculpture advanced

Question 22

Mongol Invasions

Answer 22

These were 2 unsuccessful attempts to invade northern Kyushu from 1274 - 1281
No known cause for these invasions but it is believed that Kublai Khan wanted to re-establish his Mongol heritage and re-kindle trade relationships with China

Question 23

How did the Mongol invasions impact the Kamakura Shogunate

Answer 23

It 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 24

How did the Kamakura Shogunate collapse

Answer 24

In 1333 the rule of nobles was restored when Emporer Go-Daigo revisited the military government
Samurai from the Ashikaga clan supported him and the Kamakura Shogunate collapsed

Question 25

Warring States of Japan

Answer 25

A period of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 - 1615. It wasn’t until Oda Nobunaga and his clan unified Japan that this age of warfare ended.