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1 Japan JAPAN

2 FILE:///USERS/WDEMERSE/ DOWNLOADS/HISTORY%20OF %20JAPAN.MP4

3 GEOGRAPHY 400 islands, 125 million people Main islands: Hokkaido Honshu (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto) Shikoku Kyushu

4 GEOGRAPHY Japan was physically created by tectonic / volcanic activity Only 1/5th of Japan can be farmed due to mountainous terrain Agriculture is intensive Energy resources such as oil are imported Abundance of fish and vegetables

5 CLIMATE Temperate (not too extreme) abundant rainfall several climate zones Sapporo (on northernmost island) Japan is known for its fruit orchards and blossom season Nagasaki (on southernmost island)

6 People live longer in Japan than in any other country. Can you explain?

7 INFLUENCES & IDENTITY - Japanese culture has been largely influenced by China and Korea - especially during the 6th and 7th centuries No revolutionary thinkers influenced Japan greatly from within Japan s stability has come from their belief in the divinity of the emperor and the hereditary ruling class of aristocrats and warriors. - Shinto and Buddhist leaders have supported these classes.

8 FIRST INHABITATANTS years ago the first settlers to Japan crossed a land bridge from Korea - These people were eventually joined by migrants from China and perhaps even Polynesia. The resulting blended culture was called the Jomon. It lasted until about 300 BCE

9 We be Jomon The Jomon were hunters, fisher and gatherers They had took their name from a type of pottery. The pottery later included human figures with very large eyes - depicting perhaps a window to the soul. Females were drawn larger than men - perhaps indicating a societal dominance.

10 RANDOM FACT The earliest archeological remains ever found were pottery fragments discovered in Yamamoto, Japan. They are thought to be between 15 and years old. Jomon pottery

11 3rd century BCE - the Yayoi people showed up from Korea with a knowledge of irrigated rice cultivation, bronze tools, glass and mirrors. The Yayoi blended with the Jomon.

12 HOKKAIDO S FIRST PEOPLE Coinciding with the Jomon culture in the south, the Ainu people settled in Hokkaido, the northernmost island. They are thought to have been fair skinned people with facial hair.

13 Yeah I m Ainu There are only about Type a quote here of us left -Johnny Appleseed

14 HONSHU 300 CE the Japanese on the main island of Honshu began forming a distinct state All we know about these people is from Chinese records dating to about 297 CE. These describe the Japanese people walking barefoot, eating raw vegetables and bowing to each other a lot. The Chinese records also indicate the early Japanese governed themselves with queens rather than kings.

15 QUEEN PIMIKO It is claimed that Pimiko was chosen to rule because male rule had resulted in wars. It is said she ruled in a fortified palace with 1000 female servants and only one male servant.

16 THE YAMATO PERIOD During the Yamato era, archeological finds indicate the Japanese were a warlike people who fought horseback. on Haniwa figures made of clay tell us a lot about clothing, armour and weapons of this time. Early Japanese society was aristocratic - each region was ruled by a clan called a uji one clan rose to supremacy by claiming the Sun Goddess as an ancestor - the origins of the Sun-line which still rules today

17 SHINTOISM Shinto means The way of the Deities Shintoism is a blend of earlier forms of animism, shamanism, fertility rites and nature worship. Shinto deities are called Kami These are personalities that inspire awe or respect such as mountains, lakes or mythical figures, clan ancestors or the emperor. The kami were responsible for the good fortune of humans but there was no guarantee they would answer prayers. Kami could be placated with offerings of rice, cloth, cakes and horses. The greatest Kami is the Sun Goddess - her temple is empty - which it is believed adds to the awesomeness of her presence.

18 Human suffering resulted from the unhappiness of the kami. This suffering came in the form of pollution or curses. There does not appear to be a correlation between bad behaviour and punishment or in good behaviour and reward. Purification was the cure for pollution and it involved a period of isolation and a water ritual -possibly the origins of the daily baths in contemporary Japan. Respect for the beauty of nature was a prominent value in Shintoism. Read more about Shinto religion on page in Echoes.

19 LATE YAMATO AND NARA PERIODS Before 552 CE, Japan was not a unified country and did not have a system of writing, law or significant artistic expression. In 552, however, a Korean king sent Japan a gift of a Buddhist images and scriptures. This rattled the Japanese ruling class. The Sun-line and their ally the Soga clan adopted and promoted the new faith. They made the Buddha their chief kami. Their enemies rejected the Buddhist beliefs, however. A war resulted and the Soga clan defeated the critics of Buddhism. The Soga then formed an even tighter alliance with the Sun-line and began to reform Japan.

20 CHINESE INFLUENCE& THE GREAT CHANGE Prince Shotoku ( CE) was the quarterback of Japan s transformation. His image still appears on Japanese currency. He ruled as a regent for his aunt. Under his rule, Chinese culture was imported with impressive effectiveness. Several missions of up to 500 people were sent to China to study - some stayed for as many as 30 years Others returned more quickly with knowledge of Chinese science and technology, books and writing, clothing, customs and governing methods.

21 Shotoku implemented his famous Constitution of 17 articles which committed Japan to Chinese ideas like: a single ruler a civil service chosen by merit a centralized government roles for both Confucianism and Buddhism in Japanese society

22 THE HORYUJI TEMPLE Under Shotoku, the exquisite Horyuji Temple was built near Nara in 600 CE - it is a Buddhist temple. it is the world s oldest wooden building

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24 Although Shotoku died in 622, his successors continued his reforming ways. The wave of reform starting in 645 begins a period referred to as Taika, or Great Change. Examples: Supreme authority of the emperor or tenno the first census was carried out the Chinese system of taxation was introduced schools were founded and many Buddhist temples were built these reforms were made law in the Taiho Code of 702 No death penalties occurred after 820 due to Buddhist beliefs This code lasted until Japan s modern constitution of 1889.

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26 THE FIRST CITY In 710 the Empress Gemmyo established Japan s first city called Nara, which also became the first capital city. Sadly Nara was plagued by many health epidemics such as smallpox and measles. These diseases came from newly arrived immigrants from Korea. Fires were another major cause of tragedy there. On a happier note, this period and region produced Japan s first literary works the Kojiki and a collection of 4500 poems called the Manyoshu. Eventually the Buddhist leaders became a power threat to the Sun-line emperors. Empress Koken fell in love with a Buddhist monk & gave him a high ruling status. After Koken died, her successor moved the capital to Heian-kyo (Kyoto) to distance himself from his Buddhist rivals. Kyoto remained the capital from 794 to 1868.

27 THE HEIAN PERIOD Beginning in 894, Japan began to sever its connection to China. While it continued to copy many Chinese religious, literary and architectural traditions, Japan blended these with their own customs to create a distinct Japanese culture. During the Heian period, high ranking clans came to be known as part of the kuge, a totally closed class whose members married only other kuge members. Although they consisted of only 1% of the country s population, the kuge monopolized government posts. They have been referred to by scholars as Dwellers Among the Clouds

28 Komorebi - means sunlight filtering down through trees.

29 page 372 questions or write a Haiku poem over a picture.

30 DAILY LIFE IN HEIAN-KYO The Heian period was from There was a lot of literature written at this time in the capital of Heian-kyo (Kyoto) It was mostly written by women They wrote in the kana, a phonetic alphabet developed by the Japanese. Much of this literature exists to this day - poems, diaries and pillow books (reflections about the past day, recorded in the evening) In fact, the world s first novel was written by a Japanese women named Lady Murasaki Shikibu. It was written over 20 years b/w and is called The Tale of the Shining Prince. It is over 1200 pages long and a must read for educated Japanese even still.

31 GENJI S DESCRIPTION OF PERSONAL APPEARANCE Another name for this novel is The Tale of Genji. It tells a lot about the appearance of the Japanese people during this Heian period. Both men and women wore heavy, light coloured make up and only a small goatee beard would distinguish a male s from a female s face. Men powdered their faces and women plucked their eyebrows and painted new ones higher up. Women also rouged their cheeks and mouths. They dyed their teeth black. A woman s hair was very long and parted in the middle. It could be as long as 2 meters but would often at least reach the ground.

32 HEIAN WOMEN

33 HEIAN MEN Men s clothing styles was more drab than women s They wore still black caps and a waist-length robe over billowing pants.

34 THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY Appreciation of beauty was central to Japanese culture at this time. There was considerable social pressure to conform to this value system. Homes had gardens with running water, small trees and moss covered rocks to mimic famous Japanese landscapes. This focus on beauty was reinforced by Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. In the homes, furniture was scarce - just a chest, a low table, and a decorative screen. People sat and ate on the floor, storing their clothing and bedding in wall cupboards.movable partitions created bedrooms.

35 WOMEN IN ANCIENT JAPANESE CULTURE Customs disallowed women to be seen by anyone but their own husbands and members of her immediate family. Women did have some significant freedoms too. For example, many women took lovers of their choice and were active in politics and managed large estates. There were laws against physical abuse.

36 THE KAMAKURA SHOGUNATE he age of the Samurai arose out of conflicts between ovinces within Japan. om the 12th century onwards, a new class - the warrior bushi dominated Japan s history. inamoto Yoritomo came to power and demanded to be to make shogun (general) in Even after his death, oritomo s wife held his regime together until 1203.

37 ASSIGNMENT Skim the rest of the chapter and answer the questions on page 389. OR After reading page , describe Yoritomo the first shogun with at least a paragraph, then answer question 1 on page 379. OR Draw / sketch a Samurai on 11/17 paper and describe the Samurai code. (rules they have to live by).