Sullivan Honors World Studies - Japan Test

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Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Commodore Matthew Perry

A navy commander who, on July 8, 1853, became the first foreigner to break through the barriers that had kept Japan isolated from the rest of the world for 250 years.

Daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord (land owner) who commanded a private army of samurai

Emperor

the ruler of an empire

Minamoto Yoritomo

First shogun and founder of the Kamakura shogunate

Samurai

The hereditary military elite in Feudal Japan as well as during the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Shogunate

The japanese system of centralized government under a shogun, who exercised actual power while the emperor was reduced to a figurehead.

Hideyoshi

General under Nobunaga; succeeded as leading military power in central Japan; continued efforts to break power of daimyos; constructed a series of alliances that made him military master of Japan in 1590; died in 1598

The Fujiwara

Japanese aristocratic family in mid-9th century; exercised exceptional influence over imperial affairs; aided in decline of imperial power.

The Shogun

A supreme military commander who ruled in the name of the emperor

Tokugawa Ieyasu

1534-1616, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate which lasted from 1603 to 1867 and reunified Japan

Yamato clan

Gained control of the nation over other rival clans around 400 CE. Established an imperial court similar to that of China in 700 CE.

Hirohito

emperor of Japan who renounced his divinity and became a constitutional monarch after Japan surrendered at the end of World War II (1901-1989)

Mutsuhito

emperor of Japan who encouraged the modernization of Japan (1852-1912)

Kyoiku mama

A Japanese pejorative term which translates literally as "education mother". It is is a term that refers to a mother who relentlessly drives her child to study. The measure of a successful mother is a successful kid.

General Douglas MacArthur

commander of the US forces in the Philippine Islands who directed the Allied occupation of Japan

Prince Shotoku

Japanese regent, he was one of Japan's greatest leaders. He was influential in bringing Buddhism and Chinese ideas to Japan.

Okinawa

The farthest south island of Japan, south of Ryukyu Islands.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II.

Kyoto

the capital city of medieval Japan

Manchuria & Korea

2 regions that Russia and Japan fought over

Edo

Tokugawa capital city; modern-day Tokyo; center of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Heian

Japanese city later called Kyoto; built to escape influence of Buddhist monks.

Taika

The reforms enacted in 646 that intended to thoroughly incorporate chinese culture and politics into Japanese society.

Heian Court

it lasted from AD 794 to 1192. It was an imperial court that ruled Japan during a period of peace and security. It was from the Fujiwara Family. Eventually it lost credibility through its extravagance and waste and was replaced by feudalism.

Meiji

The political program and reform that followed the destruction of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868, in which a collection of young leaders set Japan on the path of centralization, industrialization, and imperialism.

Shinto

"Way of the Gods"; Japanese worship of nature spirits

kami

Any sacred being worshipped in Shinto including nature spirits and ancestors

Buddhism

A religion based on the teachings of the Buddha.

Zen Buddhism

a Buddhist sect that emphasizes enlightenment through meditation and stresses simplicity and discipline

matsuri

Festivals held every spring and fall to please the kami of each Japanese clan and village

4 Affirmations

1. Tradition and family must be honored.

2. Love of nature

3. Physical cleanliness

4. Rituals and Celebrations must be honored.

Rules of Shinto.

Archipelago

A chain of islands

Battle of Midway Island

A naval and air battle fought in World War II in which planes from American aircraft carriers blunted another assault on Hawaii and did enough damage to halt the Japanese advance. Was a major turning point in the war against Japan.

Bushido

The Feudal Japanese code of honor among the warrior class.

Diet

Japanese parliament

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Figurehead

A person who appears to have power despite the power lying elsewhere.

Gaman

Japanese for patience

Island Hopping

A military strategy used during World War II that involved selectively attacking specific enemy-held islands and bypassing others

Juku

An additional school in Japan for preparing students for college. Also called "cram schools"

Kana

Japanese phonetic symbols representing syllables

Keiretsu

Japanese business groups after the post-WWII dismantling of the zaibatsu. They are Alliances of corporations each often centered around a bank. They dominate the post-WWII Japanese economy.

Kumi

School Homeroom

Megalopolis

a very large, heavily populated city or urban complex.

Militarism

A policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war

Monsoon

rainy season in southern Asia when the southwestern monsoon blows, bringing heavy rains

Russo-Japanese War

(1904-1905) War between Russia and Japan over imperial possessions. Japan emerges victorious.

Seppuku

Ritual suicide or disembowelment in Japan; commonly known in West as hara-kiri; demonstrated courage and a means to restore family honor.

Typhoon

A tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans

Zaibatsu

Large conglomerate corporations through which key elite families exerted a great deal of political and economic power in Imperial Japan. By WWII, four of them controlled most of the economy of Japan.