Ancient Japan

Ancient Japan

1. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

   • Shogun
     • Emporer
       • Daimyo
         • Samurai
           • Artisans
             • Merchants
               • Outcasts(Hinin/Ronin)
                 • Ronin: samurai without a master
                 • Hinin: people with unpleasant jobs e.g. butchers
               • buyers and sellers
             • artists (painters, scripters, sculptures, musicians)
           • Warriors, mostly hired by Daimyos
           • could become outcasts (without masters, they were called Ronin)
         • Wealthy families that owned private armies and much land
       • Fingurehead, not of real importance
     • Head of Shogunate

2. Timeline

   • Jomon (10,000 - 300BC)
     • Nara (710 - 794 AD)
       • Heian (794 - 1184 AD)
         • Shogun (1185 - 1868 AD)
           • Tokugawa Shogunate held influence on Japan from 1603AD - 1868AD
         • Capital city moved to Kyoto, as the emperor was unhappy with the influence of Buddhism
           • Emperor starts to loose power to the Shogun
           • 2 most powerful Shogun's were the Minamoto and the Kiyomori
           • Geian war in 1185AD determined the Minamoto as the winner
             • New era begins, the Shogun empire
       • first currency and literature
       • emperor/empress
     • Jomon means 'chord', named this because of the chord like imprints on their pottery
       • evidence includes 'Dogu' small human figures and Midden

3. Tokugawa Shogunate

   • 1603 - 1868 AD
   • Ended Waring States Period (Sengoku) and took power in 1603
   • brought peace and at the same time confinement
   • made many changes
     • restricted Daimyo's power
     • peasants could not make weapons
     • more time for the arts

4. Belief Systems

   • Buddhism
     • arrived in Japan from China/Korea 6th century
     • Zen Buddhism teaches meditation and discipline
     • at first accepted by the wealthy and eventually all members of society
     • had so much power over Japan the capital was moved in 794AD as the emperor was unhappy with its influence
   • Shinto
     • Belief that all things in nature has a spirit (Kami)
       • based on animism
   • Christianity
     • was banned in 1603 AD by the Tokugawa Shogunate
   • Confucianism
     • much like china confucianism had great influence on Japan's
       • it affected the social structure and the way people related to one another

5. Art and Literature

   • Pottery/painting
     • Jomon pottery
     • paintings
     • woodblock prints
     • Origami
       • folding paper to create beautiful shapes
   • Calligraphy
     • called shodo
     • two types
       • Kanji- hard to master
       • Hiragana- easier used by most people
     • Poetry
       • Haiku poems
         • has three lines
         • 5 syllabloes
           • 7 syllables
             • 5 syllables

6. Samurai

   • role was to serve and protect their emperor/daimyo
     • they were the warriors of ancient japan
   • Weapons commonly used in battle
     • Naginata
     • Bow and Arrows
     • Wakizashi
     • Katana
   • their armour was light strong and flexible compared the medieval europe armour which was heavy metal
   • Bushido
     • 'the way of the warrior'
     • strict code of behaviour
       • e.g. total loyalty to feudal lord