japan #1 - #3 Flashcards
1
Q
archipelago
A
- chain of islands
- most people settle in narrow valleys, much of land is too mountainous to farm
1
Q
ring of fire
A
- a region very frequent to earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis
2
Q
four main islands
A
- hokkaido
- honshu
- kyushu
- shikoku
3
Q
role of sea
A
- both protected and isolated japan
- close enough to learn from korea and china
- far enough for china to not conquer
- freedom to accept and reject chinese inlfucence
- provided trade routes and fishing economy, inland sea is important link between japanese islands
4
Q
korean bridge
A
- language, writing
- buddhism
- japanese interest in china
5
Q
feudalism
A
- a political system where a king grants nobles use of his lands in exchange for their loyalty, military assistance, and services
- in japan, the king was replaced by a shogun and nobles were replaced by daimyos
- many different clans ruled parts of japan
- prevented the establishment of a centralized government, country was not united
- clans often fought one another, so historians say that japan never had a true golden age
6
Q
shinto
A
- japan’s earliest religion, “the way of the gods”
- worshiped forces of nature, kami (sacred powers viewed as original ancestors), divine nature spirits, ancestor spirits
- never evolved into an international religion
7
Q
chinese influences
A
- buddhism
- artistic styles
- simple acts of living
- writing
- art
- landscape paintings
- cooking
- gardening
- tea
- hairdressing
- early government (strong central control, civil service system)
8
Q
social structure
A
social structure
- emperor
- highest rank
- mythical figurehead
- reigned but did not always rule (puppet)
- shogun
- military commander distributed land to daimyos
- the actual ruler
- daimyo (lords, nobles)
- warrior lords
- head of great noble families
- served the shogun
- controlled land estates (governers)
- granted land to lesser warriors (samurai)
- samurai
- those who serve
- lesser warroir, loyal to daimyo
- fighting aristocracy
- controlled tracts of land
- lived by strict warrior code, code of bushido
- “the way of warrior”
- emphasizes bravery, honor, and absolute authority to one’s daimyo
- if betray bushido, expected to commit seppuku
- peasants (peasants and artisans are on the same level)
- 3/4 of population
- worked the fields, fished
- could become ninjas
- artisans
- make swords and armor
- merchants
- low status, but gradually gains influence
9
Q
women
A
- position declines during samurai age
- inheritance limited to sons
- wives must accept hardships of their husbands and owe loyalty to the overlord
10
Q
shogunates in order
A
- kamakura
- ashikaga
- tokugawa
11
Q
yamato period 300ce - 710ce
A
- japan’s first and only dynasty
- yamato clan had established itself as japan’s leading clan (uji)
- uji: on of japan’s clans, each with their own speaical god or goddess
- 500 - yamato dominated honshu
- yamato clan claimed to be descended from the sun goddess, amaterasu (rising sun)
- yamato cheifs calls themselves the emperors of japan, the people gradually accepted it
- the yamato dynasty lacked real power, but was never overthrown
- japan starts adopting chinese culture
12
Q
heian period 794ce - 1156ce
A
- a period of great cultural development
- highly refined court society among the upper class
- imperial court and many japan’s noble families moved to heian
- moved away from chinese models in art, literature, and government
- flourishing art and literature (poetry and painting)
- elaborate court life, emphasis on rules and etiquette
- works of literature
- personal diaries by sei shonagon (the pillow book, diary of lady murasaki)
- a strong central government
13
Q
prince shotoku
A
- sent three missions to tang china
14
Q
ashikaga age
A
- fought for power
- laws are unclear
- less effient than the kamakura
