Medieval Japan

7.5.17.5.2

Geography and Early Japan

The Big Idea

Japan’s early societies were both isolated from and influenced by China and

Korea.

Geography of Japan

• Main Idea 1:– Geography shaped life in Japan.

Geography of Japan

• Japan is a large group of islands located off the Asian mainland.

Geography of Japan

• The islands of Japan are really the tops of mountains.

– The mountains were difficult to live on, so most people lived on flat coastal plains near the sea.

Geography of Japan

The sea influenced Japan by:• Providing food

– Shark, seaweed, and eel

• Separating it from other countries– Japan remained isolated

until its rulers decided to visit other countries.

• Providing easy access to other countries– China and Korea were

only a short distance by sea from Japan.

• Main Idea 2:

–Early Japanese society was organized in clans which came to be ruled by emperors.

The Early Japanese

• The early Japanese were organized into extended families called clans, that lived in small farming villages.

• The head of the clan was called the chief, and he had religious and political power over the people of the villages.

The Early Japanese

• Chiefs were believed to have gained their power through kami, which were nature spirits.

• The Kami, named Inari, helps a Japanese blacksmith make a sword in the late 10th century

• Amaterasu, one of the central kami in the Shinto faith

Shinto

• Rituals to honor the kami became the main part of Shinto.

– Shinto is the traditional Japanese religion.

Shinto

Shinto

• Shinto believes that everything in nature has kami.

• They built shrines to the kami and asked the spirits to bless them.

The First Emperors

• Some clans became more powerful than others and built up armies.

• The Yamato clan was one of the most powerful. The Yamatos extended their control over much of Honshu and began to call themselves the first emperors of Japan.

• Main Idea 3:– Japan learned about language,

society, and government from China and Korea.

• The rulers of Japan sent representatives to China and Korea to gather information about their cultures and invited people from Korea and China to come to Japan.

• Due to these visits, the Japanese learned …

– how to write using Chinese characters

– about the philosophy of Confucianism, which outlined how families should behave

– about new religions, especially Buddhism, which they got from Korea

Prince Shotoku

• Prince Shotoku ruled Japan as regent for his aunt, the empress.

• Prince Shotoku admired Chinese culture and helped bring it to Japan

Prince Shotoku

• Prince Shotoku influenced the spread of Buddhism by writing commentaries and building a beautiful temple.

The Shitennō-ji Temple

Prince Shotoku constructed this temple in 593 in Osaka, Japan.

1. Farming was easy to do in Japan.

A. True

B. False

- Farming was difficult because Japan actually the top of undersea mountains.

2.The early Japanese were organized into ____, which

were extended families that lived in small villages.

C. yamatos

D. camps

A. kami

B. clans

3. What was the traditional religion of

Japan?

B. Buddhism

C. Shinto

D. Hinduism

A. Christianity

4. What is the name the Japanese gave

spirits?

B. yamatos

C. kami

D. heian

A. shinto

5. What did Japan learn from China and

Korea?

B. Confucianism.

C. Buddhism

D. All of the above

A. A written language.

6. Which statement is not true?

B. Prince Shotoku tried change the government to be more like Chinas, but was opposed.

C. Prince Shotoku was Chinese.

D. Prince Shotoku encouraged Confucianism.

A. Prince Shotoku admired Chinese culture.