Japanese History Exam 1

Jomon

Yayoi

Kofun

Asuka

Nara

Heian

Kamakura

Periods (order)

Differences between Yayoi and Jomon

Jomon

-originally a hunter-gatherer society

-rope pattern on pottery (able to store food)

-stone age

-indigenous to Japan

Yayoi

-introduction of wet rice agriculture

-longer living population

-no longer nomadic

-more functional pottery

-migrated from Korean peninsula

-bronze age

Haniwa: what were the human sacrifices in Japan?

-Haniwa: structures arranged around the keyhole tombs

-human sacrifices were meant as a sacrifice to the Gods and to protect from natural disasters and enemy attacks

Kofun tomb period

-showed hierarchy

-keyhole shaped tombs

-building tombs and burying treasures with the dead

Yamato

-system of ruling was a death of a leader

-ancient rituals to preserve ritual purity

-Yamato clans (first powerful clan) from Korea

-powerful through negotiation, marriage, diplomacy, and warfare

-very first start of centralization (expanded reach of control)

Himiko

-first female ruler of Japan

-enshrined a sacred mirror, symbol of the sun goddess

-first documented ruler of Japan through Korean and Chinese texts

Prince Shotoku

-asuka period

-centralization

-from Korea

-first introduced Buddhism into Japan (built temples and held lectures)

-first regent

-established a constitution, confucianism, court ranks

-encouraged close ties to China

Ojin

-emperor in ancient Japan

-consolidated imperial power

-superheaded land reform

-promoted cultural exchanges with Korea and China

-introduction of Chinese writing and confucianism

Japanese emperor (difference from chinese emperor)

Chinese emperors:

-held a divine right to rule (lead country religiously and militarily)

-included empress, grand empress dowager, empress dowager, princes, princesses

-bride was only given empress title with no role

-if the emperors rule was questionable, rebellion was justified

Japanese Emperors:

-had minimal involvement in politics and were mainly symbolic

-originated from the Yamato clan from intermarriage

-only married from the Soga/imperial line and the women held government positions

Naka no Oe

-ended the Soga clans control over the imperial court (isshi incident)

-conspired with Nakatomi no Kamatari and Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro

-wanted to assasinate Soga no Iruka

-Became emperor

Tenji Emperor

-legal code of Japan

-invaded Korea to aid Paekche (defeated)

Jito

-influential local

-”land head” appointed by Minamoto no Yoritomo to overlook Shoguns

Role of Women in Japan and China

Japan

-early japan women were valued and were able to rule

-during the Heian period, Kusuko incident, women lost status and weren’t able to rule

-dropped after the influence of confucianism

China

-influence of confucianism gave women a role as a house wife

-lower status work, education, etc.

tenmu emperor

-political and military reforms (after Taika reforms)

-consolidating imperial power

-centralizing government

-built several buddhist temples, favored relationships with china and korea

Ritsuryo system

-during Taika reforms (from the Tang Dynasty)

-ritsu - criminal code

-ryo - administrative code

-created hierarchial system (emperor on top)

-used fear to deter misbehavior (beating, flogging, forced labor, exile, death)

-country was divided into provinces called kuni

Taika Reforms

-modeled after Tang Dynasty (China)

-introduction of Buddhism and Confucianism

-centralized power

-government structure modeled after China

-distributed land under public ownership

-nationwide system of taxes

-high-way system

-created new offices (chancellor)

-Taiho Code

-conscription

-confiscation of weapons

Taiho Code

-established central government administrative organs, provinces, districts, and townships

-under the Taika reforms

Soga

-very powerful clan in asuka period

-came from Korea

-introduced korean practices/technological advancements

-buddhism and confucianism

-gained power through intermarriage

-descendants of the sun god

-moved the capital to Nara

Uji

-term for a dominant clan in any era

Jinshin disturbance

-emperor tenmu defeated his enemies and rose to power

-Emperor Tenji wanted his son to rule but his son’s rival didn’t want him to rule

-aristocratic clans helped the sons rival get the throne (opposed centralization measures)

-moved capital to Asuka

-strengthened imperial power and weakened clan power

Jokyu disturbances

-revolt led by Emperor Go-Toba against the Kamakura Shogunate

-Shogunate defeated Go Toba, exiled him and consolidated control over Japan

-solidifying samauri dominance, diminishing emperor power

Kusuko Incident

-rebellion against Emperor Saga

-Heizei and Saga courts were rivals

-Saga raised enough of an army to resolve the confrontation

-Heizei became a monk

Kojiki

-early Japanese chronicles, myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts

nihon shoki

-comprises the oldest official history of Japan, covering the period from its mythical origins

-second oldest book in Japanese history

Nara

-japans first captial

-capital was moved to free the nation was from the old system

-led to successful reform

Heian

-capital was moved to Kyoto to get away from the Buddhist influence

-Fujiwara clan (regents)

-sheon landscapes

-Sugawara influence

-Buddhism taught to commoners

-status of women went down

-chinese texts read phonetically by Japanese to create new languages (kundoku)

-Hiragana, Kana, etc.

-rise of warrior class

Kundoku

the method of reading classical Japanese texts by interpreting chinese characters with japanese grammar and syntax

Tale of Genji

-literature written by a noblewomen, poet, and lady-in-waiting

-depictions of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period

-focuses on Genjis romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society

-first novel by a women to have recognition

Tale of Heikei

-recounts the struggle for power beteween the Taira and Minamoto houses

-compiled from a collection of oral stories recited by travelling monks who chanted to the accompaniment of the biwa (instrument)

Murasaki Shikibu

-japanese novelist and poet

-

Kenmu Restoration

-effort by Emperor Go-Daigo to overthrow the ruling Kamakura Shogunate and restore the Imperial House to power

-created the Genko war

-was overthrown and established the ashikaga shogunate

Kusunoki Masashige

-japanese samauri

-fought against Emperor Go-Daigo

-troops were overwhelmed and committed suicide rather than be caught

Kamakura Period

-emergence of the samauri court

-warrior caste

-establishment of feudalism

-Minamoto no Yoritomo (shogunate)

-Hojo clan (regents)

-declined after the Mongol Invasions

Shogun

-military leader and de facto ruler of Japan

-supreme military and political commanders

-held majority of power

-responsible for foreign relations, national security, coinage, weights, measures, and transportations

Bakufu system

-military government

-authority limited to the feudal overlords domains and close allies

-split power between the shogunate and feudal lords

Samauri

-employed by feudal lords

-defend the lords territories against rivals

-fight enemies identified by the government

-battle with hostile tribes and bandits

-made up the highest ruling class during the Kamakura

-highly disciplined and skilled, “self-made men”

Dogen

-founder of zen buddhism, zazen, soto sects

-promoted meditation

-popular with the samauri class

-originally a monk under tendai teachings, but didn’t agree with them

-Shobogenzo (text)

Eisai

-founder of rinzai sects

-used koans (riddles/questions with no answer)

-first introduced Zen

Shinran

-japanese monk

-founder of pure land buddhism

-advocates that faith, recitation of the name of the Buddha Amida, and birth in the paradise of the pure land

Nichiren Buddhists

-everyone can change their destiny and bring about the effects they desire

-encouraged to write personal goals and have it in front of them while chanting

-establish high states of self-development

Sugawara no Michizane

-dominant intellectual during the Heian period

-originally studied in China

-gained political power despite him being a lower individual

-ended all missions to China

-seen as a threat to the Fujiwara clan

-acted as advisor to Emperor Uda (not a threat to him)

-was exiled by the Fujiwara and later died

-became a God of Test and Scholar and Education; a symbol

Minamoto no Yoritomo

-founded the Kamakura Shogunate

-Japan’s first shogun after the Genpei War

Taira no Kiyomori

-lead the Taira clan to victory during the Heiji Insurrection

-lost against Minamoto clan during the Genpei War and ended Taira dominance

Retired Emperors

-retired emperor pulled the strings behind the scenes of the real emperor

-surrounded by non-Fujiwara aristocrats

-shifted power from matrilineal to patrilineal relatives of the emperor

Fujiwara

-dominant clan in the Nara and Heian period

-over threw the Soga clan

-married daughter to the emperor

-ruled as regents for “unfit” kings (too young, etc.)

-Taiga Reforms under this clan (centralization)

muromachi period

-cultural growth

-influence of Zen Buddhism

-arts of the tea ceremony, flower arranging, and no drama

-ink painting

-succeeded Kamakura Shogunate

-constant power struggles among warlands

-rampant banditry (somber and violent period)

-Mongol “invasions” to the rise of a new period under Emperor Ashikaga

-National identity due to the “kamikaze” - strong winds