Ancient India and Japan

The northern plains had more water ways which is where agriculture and farming would prosper.

Why did most people live in the northern plains? (map)

It is geographically isolated because of land features such as the Himalayan mountains

Why is India called a Subcontinent?

Ganges and Indus Rivers

Two important rivers

Aryans

A new group of people invaded India around 1500 BCE. Traders nor builders, and did nothing to improve the cities they conquered, just left them in ruins. Created their own language and religion

**Hinduism**

the religion created by the Aryans, based on the Vedas and through generations mixed with early Indian villager religious beliefs and created….

a collection of attitudes, experiences, and practices defined by behavior rather than beliefs

Vedas

Hindu teachers worked to interpret the

VEDAS

sacred literature/ religious teachings of the Aryans

UPANISHADS

a collection of comments about the Vedas

MOKSHA

H: a state of perfect understanding of all things; enlightenment;  liberation from desires and suffering

he or she reaches moksha and that a soul’s karma follows from one reincarnation to another

Hindus believe that a person is reincarnated until

darma

A person’s karma is also connected to their

REINCARNATION

individual soul or spirit born again and again; rebirth

KARMA

deeds (good or bad) that follow the soul through reincarnation/affect his or her fate

DARMA

each person is bound to perform certain duties, which vary depending on the persons social standing and caste

Darma - karma- reincarnation- moksha

in order of achievement to enlightenment

Brahman

Hindus consider: to be the world soul or the creator/ the great spirit

caste system/Rules of the caste

a closed social group from which he or she could not hope to escape, determined the persons occupation, marriage parter, and how he lived

Brahmans(preists), Kshatriyas(warriors), vasiyas(farmers and traders), Sudras(laborers and servants)

completly outside- Untouchables(did unclean jobs, no upper class should have contact with)

Hindu caste system

Brahma- the creator

Vishnu- the protector/preserver

Shiva- the destroyer

three different gods of Brahman

obeying caste rules and following complex rituals performed by Brahmin priests

For Hindus, the only way to gain salvation was by

No single person started it, there is no single religious book, and there is no main group of leaders to decide what is right or wrong.

How is hinduism different from other religions?

Siddhartha Gautama

**Buddhism was founded by**

SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA

Indian prince born in 563 BCE; later known as Buddha

1.  Sorrow and suffering are part of life


2.  People suffer because they are constantly trying to get things they cannot have


3.  The way to escape suffering is to overcome these desires and reach a state of “not wanting”
4. To reach nirvana people should follow a “middle way”

Four Noble Truths:

NIRVANA

B: state of enlightenment

MIDDLE WAY

having neither too much or too little pleasure

1.  Buddhism placed more importance on how one lived than on one’s caste;


2.  Buddhists did not find value in Brahmins’ complex rituals; and,


3.  Buddhists do believe in reincarnation, but that it is not necessary for becoming pure

Three main differences between Hinduism and Buddhism are:

THERAVADA BUDDHISM and MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

Buddhism split into two schools of thought:

THERAVADA BUDDHISM

buddhists who remained close to original teachings;  **spread to Sri Lanka, Burma, and Southeast Asia**

MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

Buddhists who developed a complex religion with temples, saints, and statues of the Buddha'; **spread into China, Japan, and Korea**

Moksha vs. Nirvana

Hinduism vs. Buddhism state of enlightenment

**Mauryan Empire**

kingdom in 6th century BCE, ruled the entire plain of the Ganges(the area around the Ganges river), and much of northern India.

Gupta empire

5th century empire, aka “India’s classical age”       

Chandra Gupta

First emperor of Gupta empire, organized the large empires by breaking them up into small provinces governed by family. Cities were constructed with an organized structure, although he was a efficient ruler he was brutal to the people.

Women under the Gupta empire

enjoyed more freedom, girls had a education, women could be philosophers, women often worked as midwives and could own their own property

they were still subjected to their husbands and fathers and arranged marriage happened among girls around 10 years old, and unable to remarry as widows

Sati

hinduism traditional suicide done by widows by throwing themselves into their husbands on fire funeral pyre to ensure 35 million of happiness in paradise

Asoka

Grandson of Chandragupta. Around 269 BCE, he began his time in power by ruling harshly and conquering the people of Kalinga, but became guilty and remorseful and converted to Buddhism and became one of the worlds greatest rulers   

Monks

holy people; spread the message of Buddhism to Asia the Middle east and North Africa

SANSKRIT

Indian language of literature

Hinduism

Religion of Gupta empire

Invasion of the huns

Reason of Gupta empire decline

Muslim

From the 700s to the 1500s,  most of the Indian peninsula was united under __________ rule.

basic principles- the number of Gods (1 vs many) and equality of people (equality vs caste system)

**Conflict Between Hinduism and Islam**

occupied all of India north of the Deccan Plateau  

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Muslims

**sultanate**

separate Muslim kingdom

Akbar

ruled for 49 years and controlled most of India, he was well respected and supported

Lessened the conflict between Hindus and Muslims

He had religious tolerance and allowed religious freedoms, removed the tax on non-muslims, Jizya, and lessened the conflict between Hindus and Muslims

SHAH

king

Sha Jahan

Akbar’s grandson, who took the title of Shah in 1628, built the Taj Mahal in honor of his wife as a tomb and is one of the Wonders of the World

**Khmer Empire**

Reached height around 1200 CE, improved rice cultivation to remain wealthy, and the capital of **Angkor**, rulers built city and temple complexes 

ANGKOR WAT:

city and temple complex; one of the world’s greatest architectural achievements, **architectural wonder of the world for the Khmer empire**

Koryu dynasty

Around 935 CE, a new king took power and established the _________, Producing lasting achievements for the Korean culture

Nippon

another word for Japan meaning “land of rising sun”

ainu

earliest inhabitants of Japan

Amaterasu

the sun goddess of Japan

Bonsai

regular trees grown to be miniature

Monsoons

strong winds that effect the climate of Japan

Ring of fire

area that encircles the Pacific ocean that is prone to earthquakes

Japanese were close enough to Korea and China to feel the effects of their civilization, were far enough from Korea and China to be safe from invasion

Japanese Advantages of being separated from Korea and China

ARCHIPELAGO

island group or chain

**Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu**

Japan’s 4 main islands (in order from north to south)

Sea of Japan

West of Honshu

Pacific Ocean

East of Honshu

mild climate with plenty of rainfall= fertile soil

ADVANTAGES OF GEOGRAPHY

the country is too mountainous to farm and natural resources are in short supply; natural disasters also threaten the area

DISADVANTAGES OF GEOGRAPHY

SHINTO

“way of the gods”, based on respect for forces of nature and worship of ancestors, followers believe in Kami

Varied customs and beliefs over time combined to form the religion

How did shinto form?

KAMI

sacred/divine spirits that dwelled in nature, associated with human ancestors

Yamato clan

first and only Japanese dynasty, the leading clan by 400CE, calling themselves emperors of Japan

rival clans fought and claimed control and land in emperors name- dual structure was an enduring characteristic of the Japanese government

How did the Yamato survive despite lacking real power?

Kamakura shogunate

What form of government Yorimoto set up that lasted from 1185 to 1333 BCE?

**Heian Period**

Arts and literature of China flourished in Japan during the

The Tale of Genji written by Lady Muraski 

First novel written in Japan

FEUDALISM

a political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military protection/service

Emperors

Shogun

Daimyo

Samurai

Peasants

Artisans

Merchants

Feudal pyrimid (in order)

The person at the top doesn’t have the most political power

What is different about the feudal pyramid?

SHOGUN

barbarian-defeating general

SAMURAI

warriors, perfecting military skills and lived by bushido

BUSHIDO

the samurai code; the way of the warrior

SEPPUKU

ritual suicide, done if a Samurai was dishonored in any way, and committing brought honor back to himself and his family

the civil war between the objecting group and the pro-Buddhist group resulted in the victory of the pro-Buddhist group, the rulers accepted the religion and used it as a basis for reforming the government

How did Buddhism become the official religion of Japan?

Emperor(holds no political power), Shoguns (hold all political power), Daimyo(controlled local affairs/own land), Samurai(received land), Peasants(worked the land)

order of political power

Land was the most important measure of wealth

landowners held greater political and military power than kings/emperors

knights and samurai fought back with weapons and armor and lived by warrior code

European Feudalism vs. Japanese Feudalism- similarities

E: one village and surrounding land, J: daimyos could have peaces of land anywhere, J: Peasants never became serfs, and could leave the land when they wanted to, E: lasted 600 years, J: lasted 800 years

European Feudalism vs. Japanese Feudalism- differences

Japanese women were not oppressed by Confucianism or Chinese culture(foot binding), women inherited property, and could choose to not live or live with their family after marriage, later women lost their status of the rise of warrior culture

Women in Japan

varna

divided the society into four classes Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (skilled traders, merchants), and Shudras (unskilled workers)

Dalit

the untouchables

Eightfold path

the path to nirvana, using right views, intentions, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration

Chandragupta Maurya

seized power of Magadha Kingdom in 300 BCE, the empire included all of northern India and part of present-day Afghanistan, had a strong central government   

Mogul Empire

Babur, a descendant of Genghis Khan, led his army into India, he succeeded in establishing a new empire in India. This empire was called the ____ _____, coming from the Persian word for Mongol.

typhoon

tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans

tsunami

series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean

haiku

a Japanese poetic form that consists of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third

kabuki

a classical form of Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with traditional dance

Indus River Civilizations

had 2 cities: Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa; cities were laid out in a rectangular pattern, intersected at right angles, water system, public baths, 2 story brick houses and garbage chutes for the wealth, and people prioritized function over beauty.