world history 11.11.26

Daimyo

Meaning 'great names'; the heads of noble families in feudal Japan who controlled vast landed estates and relied on samurai for protection.

Shogun

Meaning 'general'; a powerful military commander who served as the de facto ruler of feudal Japan.

Samurai

Meaning 'those who serve'; warrior vassals in feudal Japan, similar to European knights, who pledged strict loyalty to their clan or military commander.

Shoen

Private, tax-free landed estates owned by powerful nobles and religious institutions in feudal Japan.

Ronin

A masterless samurai during Japan's feudal era who wandered without service to a lord or clan.

Bushido Code

Meaning 'the way of the warrior'; the strict ethical code emphasizing honor, loyalty, and martial virtue followed by Japanese warriors.

Katana

A curved, single-edged sword featuring a circular or squared guard and extended grip, worn blade-up by samurai in feudal Japan.

Peasant

A rural agricultural worker of low social status who rents or cultivates a small plot of land.

Eta

An outcaste or 'untouchable' minority group in traditional Japan (also known as burakumin) relegated to the lowest social rank.

Tokugawa

The era and shogunate (1603–1867, also called the Edo period) founded by Ieyasu, marked by internal peace, political stability, and centralized control.

Kamakura

The feudal military government of Japan (1185–1333) established after the Gempei War, defined by the rise of warrior power and ideals of martial duty.

Shinto

Meaning 'the sacred way' or 'the way of the gods'; the indigenous ethnic religion of Japan centered on the reverence of spirits called kami.

Zen

A school of Buddhism emphasizing rigorous meditation and self-discipline that strongly influenced Japanese aristocrats and warrior culture.

Archipelago

A large group, chain, or cluster of islands located close together in a body of water.

Scholar-Gentry

An influential elite class in imperial China that owned substantial land and provided civil service candidates via imperial examinations.

Khanate

One of several regional territories or successor states into which the Mongol Empire was divided among Genghis Khan's heirs.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophical synthesis developed from the Tang and Song dynasties that blended classical moral philosophy with elements of Buddhism and Daoism.

Porcelain

A delicate, translucent ceramic material produced by firing refined kaolin clay at exceptionally high temperatures.

Buddhism

A major world religion founded in 6th-century B.C.E. northern India by Siddhartha Gautama, focusing on liberation from suffering.

Mahayana

A major branch of Buddhism that emphasizes universal salvation and compassion through the guidance and devotion to bodhisattvas.

Theravada

Meaning 'the teachings of the elders'; a branch of Buddhism centered on early Pali texts, individual monastic discipline, and self-liberation.