Medieval Japan

Medieval Japan

1. Geography

   • is an island nation isolated from the rest of the world
   • mountains cover most of the islands
   • was a fishing culture
   • Times were from the 12th to the 19th century

2. Jomon People

   • Traveled from China around 10000BC
   • Types of evidence of their existence:
     • Jomon= cord pattern on pottery
     • Stone tools
     • clay figures
     • Middens= remains of food

3. Social Structure

   • society was structured according to a hierachy
   • was based on Confucian belief that a person's worth was related to the value of their contribution to the society
   • Emperors and the imperial court and the shogun were both at the top of the hierachy.
     • The daiymo and samurai.
       • the farmers and fishmermans
         • Artisans and craftspeople.
           • Merchants
             • Eta hinin. 'outsiders' e.g. butchers, criminals or samurai without lords

4. Role of the Family

   • needs of family came first. Family was very important in medieval Japan
   • often several generations lived together
   • elders to be respected
   • father was the head of the household and had total control
   • women expected to fulfill traditional roles
   • children to learn about roles and obligations

5. Belief Systems

   • Confucianism
   • Shintoism
   • Buddhism

6. The Military

   • Samurai meant 'those who serve'. They served a daiymo or lord
   • earlier times samurai were solely warriors, but as Japan created peace role became important
   • samurai were supposed to follow bushido (code) for correct behaviour
   • 7 virtues:
     • Morality, courage, benevolent, respect, honesty, honour and loyalty

7. Japanese Art and Literature

   • Pottery/ Painting
     • Jomon pottery
     • Paintings: religious ideals, portraits or landscapes
     • woodblock prints
   • Calligraphy
     • called shodo
     • two types: Kanji and Hiragana
   • Origami
   • Haiku
     • Have three lines

8. Tokugawa Japan

   • Tokugawa Shogunate was named after a ruling clan that was in power 1603-1868
   • began by Tokugawa leyasu winning a battle for control of Japan
   • also known as the Edo period after the ruling city

9. End of isolations

   • isolation ended in 1853 with a visit from Mathew Perry
   • He presented a letter from the President asking them to open up trade
   • threatened Japan with technologically advanced warships which forced Japan to sign treaty in 1854
   • unfair trade agreements was one of the reasons why the shogun collapsed

10. Legacy

    • food= sushi
    • traditions, beliefs, family roles and confucian beliefs
    • architecture
    • martial arts
    • gardens and gardening such as zen gardens
    • clothing such as kimonos
    • art and film such as animations