Japan Under the Shoguns

Brief Overview
1. lots of earthquakes
2. collection of islands
3. city:
  1. skyscrapers
  2. lots of people
4. good farming land
5. gets very cold in North
6. varied terrain
7. 200 BCE:
  1. population quite small
  2. early settlers arrive from Korea (Yayoi)
    1. bought:
      1. technology
      2. ideas
      3. religion
    2. used bronze + iron
  3. nomads already living in Japan
8. 30 BCE:
  1. hunter gatherers pushed North
  2. Yayoi population expands
  3. many chiefdoms appear
    1. built castles out of wood
      1. wooden forts
9. 200 CE:
  1. lots of war + fighting
  2. forts expand
10. 500 CE:
  1. Yayoi takes over most of Japan
  2. Yamato kingdom established
  3. Jomon last people living ancient lifestyle
    1. resisted growth of kingdom
    2. relied on fishing
    3. last people to come under control
11. 750 CE:
  1. now called Japan
  2. began to flourish:
    1. started to develop:
      1. music
      2. art
      3. writing
      4. Buddhism
Ancient Japan
1. Emperor's power fluctuated
2. humans lived in Japan at least 30000 years
3. during last ice-age Japan connected to mainland Asia by land bridge
  1. ended c.10000 BCE
4. Jomon period:
  1. learn to make pottery c.8000 BCE
  2. c.8000 BCE - 300 BCE
  3. Jomon=cord marked
  4. Jomon people were hunter gatherers
    1. hunting
    2. fishing
  5. nomadic lifestyle
5. Yayoi Japan:
  1. c.300 BCE - 300 CE
  2. began new era
    1. agriculture
      1. rice
    2. bronze + iron tools
    3. weaved cloth
      1. part of culture
  3. lived in villages of wooden huts
  4. influenced by Korea + China
    1. mainland Asia
  5. farming + other skills led to society becoming divided into classes
6. Heian period:
  1. c.794 CE - 1185 CE
  2. during, arts + learning flourished
  3. coincides with Med. Europe
Japanese Society
1. 1. Emperor + Shogun:
  1. Emperor:
    1. first emperor believed descendent of sungoddess
      1. sun is most obvious link to life
    2. power was inherited
    3. power fluctuated over history
    4. in Heian period, control over whole Japan
    5. figure head
      1. no real power
  2. Shogun;
    1. military leader/warrior
    2. control all defense attacks
    3. Shoguns moved in when Emperor failed
    4. began very power in 10th Cent
    5. period of time, when they ruled Japan
2. 2. Warrior class:
  1. included samurai
    1. highly trained
  2. included noble family
    1. respected + rich
    2. daimypos
  3. owned land (estates)
3. 3. Farmers/Peasants:
  1. farmed
  2. made up 90% of Japan
    1. largest group
  3. spent life working on fields
  4. respected because of value
    1. like China
  5. different types of peasants
  6. forced to pay heavy taxes
4. 4. Artisans + Craftsmen:
  1. skilled craftsmen
  2. not much value to society
  3. made:
    1. furniture
    2. silks
    3. decorative objects
5. 5. Merchants:
  1. business people + shopkeepers
  2. not very respected
    1. big part of job based on personal wealth
6. 6. Hinin including Ronin:
  1. not valued
  2. outcats
  3. not considered part of society
  4. jobs considered wrong
    1. executioner
    2. butcher
Religion and Belief
1. Shinto:
  1. religion
  2. worship sacred spirits in nature
2. Buddhism reach Japan in 6th Cent.
  1. first most popular around wealthy members
3. Confucianism reach Japan in 3rd Cent.
4. Kami=sacred spirits found in nature
5. Shintoism became popular during Muromachi period
  1. just after attempted attacks from Mongols
    1. got destroyed by typhoons
6. according to Buddhist belief, one has to follow 'eight-fold' path to avoid suffering
  1. knowing the truth
  2. wanting to do good
  3. speaking well of others
  4. respecting all life
  5. working at a job that does not harm others
  6. not thinking evil thoughts
  7. controlling one's thoughts
  8. practising meditation
7. Zen Buddhism was popular with samurai
  1. emphasised the importance:
    1. right-mindedness
    2. duty over self-interest
8. main principles of Confucianism:
  1. respect one's elders
  2. correct social relationships
  3. worship one's ancestors
  4. family loyalty
9. Confucianism influenced Japanese culture in Tokugawa period:
  1. writing Japanese legal codes
  2. encouraged idea that Japan was 'centre' of the world
  3. other countries were inferior
The Tokugawa Shogunate
1. most important shogunate period
2. came to power in period of instability
  1. 14th and 15th Cent.
3. needed a change of leaders before
4. three men (the three unifiers) restored peace:
  1. Odo Nobunga:
    1. conquered most land
    2. first unifier
  2. Toyotomi Hideyoshi:
    1. reintroduced Feudal System after years of chaos
      1. restricts class mobility
        e.g. only children of samurai could be samurai
    2. introduced law that only samurai could carry weapons
    3. began hostile campaign against followers of Christianity
    4. died of Bubonic plague 1598 CE
    5. wanted to take weapons off peasants
      1. to make nails for a statue of Buddha
      2. peasants would go to heaven
      3. wouldn't have risk of an uprising
  3. Ieyase Tokugawa
    1. first Tokugawa shogun
    2. came to power in 1603 CE
    3. 1st shogun for 30 years
    4. ended period of instability
    5. reintroduced Feudal System = order
    6. ended conflict through rules + restriction
    7. helped create Modern Japan

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Japan Under the Shoguns

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	Created by Joanna Li over 10 years ago