2. Japan is a chain of many islands. The population
is concentrated on four main islands: Hokkaido,
Honshu (the main island), Kyushu, and Shikoku.
Japan is mountainous; the mountains were
volcanic in origin. Only about 11% of Japan’s
land can be farmed. The area is also prone to
earthquakes!
Because they were isolated by their geography,
the Japanese grew independent of other Asian
influences and believed they had a destiny
different from people on the continent.
3. The Ancient Japanese settled primarily in the
Yamato Plain (in red on map) sometime near the
first century of the common era.
Their society was based on clans and the people
were divided between a small aristocratic class
(the rulers) and a large population of rice farmers,
artisans, and household servants. The local ruler
was responsible for protecting the population and Prince Shotoku centralized the
in return was given a share of the harvest or an government under a supreme
artisan’s wares. ruler so he could limit the
power of the aristocrats and
In the early seventh century, Shotoku Taishi, a enhance the ruler’s power. He
Yamato prince, tried to unify the clans of Japan so portrayed the ruler as a divine
the Japanese could resist invasion by the Chinese. figure and the symbol of the
Japanese nation.
Shotoku sent representatives to China to learn how
they ran their government. He then began to
create a new centralized government in Japan.
4. After Shotoku’s death in 622, the Fujiwara clan
took over, although a Yamato was still emperor.
A new capital was established at Nara in 710.
The central government had difficulty collecting
taxes from the aristocracy, who kept the taxes
for themselves.
In 794 the capital was moved to Heian (present
day Kyoto). The Fujiwara clan still controlled the
emperor.
The government decentralized, with wealthy
landowners collecting taxes, confiscating lands
from the poor, and protecting their interests.
5. Aristocrats were responsible for protecting their
interests: land, farmers, and small towns in their
domain.
They employed military servants whose purpose
was to protect the security and property of their
employers
Called samurai, they resembled the knights of
Europe
They fought on horseback
Wore helmets & armor
Lived by a strict warrior code called Bushido
Loyal to the aristocratic lords
6. By the end of the 12th century, Japanese
aristocratic families (clans) were in a state of
almost constant civil war.
Minamoto Yoritmo defeated several rivals and
set up a new capital near the modern city of
Tokyo.
He created a more centralized government
under a powerful military leader known as the
shogun. In this new system – called a shogunate One of the first tests of the
– the emperor remained ruler in name only; it Shogunate was an invasion y the
was the Shogun who actually exercised power. Mongols. In 1281, Kublai Khan
invaded Japan with 150,000
The Kamakura Shogunate was founded in 1192 soldiers. Fortunately for the
and lasted until 1333. The system worked will, Japanese, nearly all of Khan’s fleet
with a strong central government backed up by as destroyed in a massive typhoon.
military power. Japan was not invaded again until
World War II in 1945!
7. Aristocrats continued to grow in power during the 14th and 15th
centuries
Heads of noble families, called daimyo, controlled vast land estates that
paid no taxes to the government
Daimyo’s relied on samurai for protection and political power
became concentrated in the hands of a loose coalition of noble
families
By 1500, Japan was again in chaos
Onin War: 1467 – 1477, a civil war that destroyed Kyoto from armies
moving back and forth, burning temples and palaces
Central authority disappeared
Aristocrats became increasingly powerful and seized large territories
that they ruled as kings
Rivalries among families created a state of almost constant warfare
8. Early Japan was mostly a farming
society. The primary crop was
wet rice, which could be grown in
the mountainous regions. The
abundant rainfall flooded fields,
making them perfect for rice.
Manufacturing began to develop
during the Kamakura period;
markets appeared in larger towns
and industries such as iron
casting, paper making, and
porcelain emerged.
Foreign trade developed in the
11th century, mainly with Korea
and China; Japan exported raw
materials, paintings, swords, and
manufactured items in exchange
for silk, porcelain, books, and
copper coins.
9. In early Japan, women were equal to men;
women could inherit and own property, or
divorce and remarry.
In later Japan, women became subordinate to
men
Wives were divorced for not producing male
children or committing adultery
They could also be divorced for talking too much,
being jealous, or having a serious illness!
Women played an active role in society; wealthy
women were prominent at court, or were artists
or writers
10. Early Japanese people worshipped spirits called Kami,
whom they believed lived in trees, rivers, streams, and
mountains
They also believed the spirits of their ancestors were
present in the air around them
Eventually a state religion based on these beliefs was
formed, called Shinto, and is still practiced today
Shinto is nature-based religion
Buddhism became popular in Japan in the sixth
century
A sect of Buddhists called Zen became popular with the
samurai
11. Women were most productive story writers in
Japan from the 9th to the 12th centuries
Primarily because aristocrats thought prose was
vulgar, and thus beneath them.
The Tale of the Genji was written around 1000
CE, by Murasaki Shikibu (a woman); it is
considered one of the world’s greatest novels
In art and architecture, nature and landscape
plays an important role and is a means of
expression
Japanese seek harmony with nature and natural
surroundings
12. The Korean Peninsula, between China and
Japan, is relatively mountainous.
Korea was heavily influenced by the Chinese. In
109 CE, the northern part of Korea came under
the control of the Chinese. By the third century,
the Koreans drove the Chinese out. Three
kingdoms emerged afterwards: Goguryeo (also
spelled Koguryo), in the north, Paekche in the
Southwest (Baekje), and Silla in the southeast.
Eventually, the kingdom of Silla gained control of In the 13th century, the Mongols seized
the entire Korean Peninsula, but the king was northern Korea and the Koryo dynasty
assassinated. After the assassination, Korea was fell under Mongol power. Koreans
embroiled in civil war. suffered under Mongol rule, as many
were forced off their farms and into
By the tenth century, a new dynasty called the labor for the Mongols
Koryo (Korea) came to power and instituted a
Finally, in 1392, Yi Song-gye seized power
Chinese-style government. The Koryo remained and reunited Korea under the Yi dynasty.
in power for 400 years.
