Medieval Japan

Medieval Japan

1. Social Sructure

   • Emperor
     • figurehead but had no real power
   • Daimyo
     • nobel families
       • owned lots of land
         • called shoen
     • collected taxes on their land paid in rice
   • Samurai
     • knights/warriors
     • controlled by the daimyo
       • helped control his land
         • paid in rice
   • Shogun
     • had the real power
   • Peasants/ farmers
     • grew food for society
     • paid taxes to daimyo and loyalty to samurai
   • Artisans/ craftsmen
     • crafted non essential things
     • not highly regarded
   • Merchants
     • could be very wealthy
     • not respected as they didn't contribute to society
   • Outcasts: Hinin and Ronin
     • butchers or warriors without leader
   • ranked on what you gave to society and not wealth

2. Beliefs

   • Shinto
     • Based all things had spirits
     • Spirits called kami
     • closely linked to nature
     • when you die you enter the spirit world
     • shrines were put in natural places
     • in homes for worship
   • Buddhism
     • Arrived in Japan 6th century
     • teaches meditation and discipline
     • first accepted by wealthy but eventually everyone in society
     • four nobel truths
     • Eightfold path
   • Confucianism
     • great influence
     • affected social structure e.g. what you gave to society
     • respected elders and higher class

3. Art and Literature

   • pottery+paintings
     • Jomon pottery
       • wrapped rope around the pot to create intricate detail
       • jomon means rope
     • paintings
     • woodblock prints
       • Ukiyo-e
   • calligraphy
     • shodo
     • kanji
       • hard to master
     • hiragana
       • easier used by most people
   • Poetry
     • Haiku poems
     • three lines long
     • 5, 7, 5 syllables
   • Oragami
     • folding paper to create beautiful shapes

4. Shogunates

   • Tokugawa
     • 1600-1868
     • Ended warring states
     • numerous changes and strict adherence
     • peasants couldn't own weapons to stop the peasant uprisings
       • Samurai increased in power but peasants decreased
     • Daimyo
       • limit on how many samurais a daimyo could have
         • daimyos lost power
       • Shogun sent daimyos away from their land
         • separated from their areas of control
         • cost of travelling to Edo kept their wealth down and diminished their power
     • Samurai
       • limit on how many could work for daimyo
       • became ronin or took government positions
     • Trade
       • reduced japans contact with foreign influences
       • Shogun gave permission to daimyos to trade with foreigners but it was very limited
     • put high taxes on peasants & daimyos
     • no freedom of religion - had to be Buddhism or Shinto
   • Muromachi
     • moved capital city to Kyoto- emperor went back to Nara
     • daimyos began to get more power and fought against themselves and shogun
     • 1366-1538
     • warring states
   • Kamakura
     • 1185-1333
     • first shogun Minimoto no Yorkiomo
   • Despite all of this
     • great stability
     • strict order and peace
     • 250 years no war
     • time for entertainment
   • Was a new gov in which the shogun NOT the emperor was in charge
     • ran from 1185 to 1868

5. Samurai

   • role was to serve and protect emperor and daimyo
   • only boys
   • armour
     • tiny scales of lacquered iron laced together with silk
     • strong, flexible and light
     • helmet of reveted iron
     • neck protecters
     • face mask
   • weapons
     • naginata- long pole with spear
     • Wakizashi- short sword
     • Katana- long sword
   • absolute loyalty, bravery and honesty
   • Seppuku
     • Rather than allowing himself to be shamed by being taken prisoner and beheaded by his enemies, he would cut his bowel out with his own sword

6. Jomon Period

   • 10,000BC - 300BC
   • first to arrive from mainland
   • style of pottery called Jomon
   • evidence: midden, dogu, pottery

7. Nara Period

   • 710AD - 794AD
   • ruled by emperor or empress
   • capital city Nara
   • first coins and taxes
   • first literacy/books
   • 794AD emperor moves capital to Kyoto

8. Heian Period

   • 794AD - 1184
   • no more empresses were allowed
   • emperor became weak and shoguns got power
   • two biggest shogun families fighting for control
   • becomes first shogunate of japan