Medieval Japan

Medieval Japan

1. social strucuture

   • emperor/shogun
     • Daimyo
       • samurai
         • Peasants
           • artisians
             • merchants
         • role was to serve the emperor and daimyo
           • emperor and daimyo are both very important

2. samurais

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     • armour was very strong, flexible and light compared to Europe
   • weapons
     • bows and arrows
     • nagitana
     • wakizashi
     • katana
   • Bushido
     • Bushido is a strict morel code of behaviour
   • Seppuka
     • the cutting of the belly
       • used to kill themselves before enemies do
         • to keep honor

3. shogunate

   • impacts:
     • introduced a no weapon rule (Sword Hunt)
       • stopped peasants fighting
         • limited the amount of samurais in a daimyo
           • shogun made daimyos spend much of their time away from their land ans spent every 2nd year in Edo.
             • daimyos were seperated from their area of control
               • limited power of samurai and daimyo
     • very controversial on weather it was a good or bad impact.
     • Tokugawa Shogunate
       • ended warring states period
   • shogunate was a new gov. in which the shogun not the emperor is in charge.
   • ran from 1185 to 1868
   • shogunate in Japanese means 'office in the tent'
     • the tent refers to the military origins in the shoguns
   • Kamakura shogunate
     • first shogun was Minamoto no Yoritomo
       • last power- 1333
   • Muromachi Shogunate
     • moved capital to Kyoto
     • emperor went back to Nara
     • In this time, the nobles began to get more power and fought amongst themselves and against the shogun
       • this lalsted over 100 years
         • known as Sengoku (Warring states)

4. geography

   • 80% is mountains
   • 20 % is land
     • the 20% of land was fought over
   • there is a lot of rivers and lakes
     • people rely on fish dishes e.g. sushi
   • is made out of islands
   • in Asia

5. Jomon people

   • called this because of their pottery
   • came from mid-land Asia
   • their pots were used to wrap rope around
     • jomon means rope in Japanese
   • evidence for them includes-
     • pottery
     • midden
     • figures called dogu
       • 15 000 dogu have been found
   • last 10 000 BC to 300 BC

6. Nara Peroid

   • 710- 794 AD
   • when emperors and empresses came
   • first coins and taxes used
   • first literature and books
   • roads came in

7. Hein peroid

   • 794- 1184 AD
   • ran by emperor but no empress
   • capital moved to kyoto
     • so the priest could be isolated
   • shoguns got powerful
     • at fist they lead the emperors
       • soon the emeperors become weak and the shoguns started seizing power
         • 2 biggest shoguns came from rival clanes- minamato and Kiyonori
           • fighting for control over japan
             • Minamoato wins after the Gopi wars in 1185
               • this begins the 1st shogunate- the Komakura shogunate