Dr. Vess's World Civilization Virtual Library

Japan to 1300 a.d.

OBJECTIVES:


1.  Be able to describe and identify the major geographical

features of Japan.



2.  Be able to discuss how these features kept Japan relatively

isolated.



3.  Be able to discuss the influence of Chinese culture on Japan in

this period.



4.  Be able to chart the succession of power in Japan through 1300

a.d.





FOOD FOR THOUGHT:



Why do you suppose that women were so influential at court during

the Heian period in a society where women were traditionally kept

in the background?  



     Japan struggled to achieve its own unique identity during the

period covered in this unit.  Although heavily influenced by China,

it nevertheless created its own unique version of Chinese models. 

The Heian period produced a flourishing courtly culture, in which

women played an important behind-the-scenes role.  Ultimately,

however, this courtly intrigue was toppled by political in-fighting

amongst wealthy nobles.  We close our period with the rise of the

Japanese samurai, in which Confucian models from China were fused

once again with the native influence of Shinto.





                             OUTLINE



I.  The Geography of Japan

     A.  The four Islands

     B.  isolation from the mainland

          the Straits of Tsushima

     C.  Mountainous terrain:

          i.  settlement patterns on the coastal plain between

          Tokyo and Osaka

          ii. slow economic development:

               only 1/7 of country is cultivated

          iii.  slow political unification



II. The displacement of the Ainu

     A.  Move northward to Honshu

          i.  the Yamato plain

     B.  interaction with Korea

          i.  Chinese written characters:

                    the difficulty of the task

          ii.  Buddhism

     C.  Missions to China 6th to 7th centuries

          i.  Taika (Great Reform)

          ii.  Nara, first permanent capital

               The Nara period (to 794 a.d.)

               copy of Chang-an

          iii.  Chinese currency

          iv.  record keeping: the histories of the T'ang and

               japanese histories       

          v.  spread of Confucianism

     D.  The Unique character of Japan

          i.  retained its own unique character despite infusion of

               Chinese models

          ii.  Shinto and nature:

               the Kami

               mythology of creation

               the Japanese landscape

          iii.  hereditary status vs.  Chinese meritocracy

                    failure of civil service system

III.  The Heian period (794-1185 a.d.)

     A.  capital moved to Heian (Kyoto)

     B.  The Fujiwara Clan         

     C.  the end of missions to China

     D.  the assertion of Japanese identity:

          i.  the phonetic system of writing: kana

               used in popular literature vs. official court

               records, which employed Chinese

          ii.  The Courtly Culture:

          Lady Murasaki's Tale of Genji

          world's first psychological novel

               a.  her name

               b.  her status in society

               c.  the status of women in Japan

     E.  the neglect of the population



IV.  The Kamakura Period (1185-1333)

     A.  Minamoto capital at Kamakura, south of Tokyo

     B.  the rise of the samurai

          i.  origins of word

          ii.  samurai oath: the blood oath

          iii.  samurai code of honor:

               bushido

               the influence of Confucianism

               the 47 Ronin

          iv.  the samurai swordand shinto

          v.  samurai armor

     C.  feudal conflict and decentralization

     D.  The Mongol Invasions

          i.  the divine wind: "the kamikaze"