Japan Final Study Guide

Daimyo

Powerful Japanese landowner or noble

Outcasts

Japanese people shunned or ignored by other classes because of the type of work they did

Matsuri

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

Filial piety

Faithfulness and devotion to one's parents

Bunraku

Puppet theatre in which large puppets enact the ordeals of separated lovers or dueling samurai

Kamuy

The gods of nature of the Ainu people

Shogun

The Japanese military ruler in Edo Japan

Meiji

A Japanese word meaning enlightened rule

Homogeneous

A group of people similar in nature and character

Junshi

Ritual suicide after the death of one's lord

Gohan

Cooked rice or a meal

Kendo

A Japanese martial art

Kami

Any sacred beings worshipped in Shinto, conceived as spirits abiding in natural phenomena

Rebellion

An organized and often violent act of resistance by a group of people against an established government, ruler, or authority

Purpose of Matsuri

To please the kami of each Japanese clan and village

Importance of filial piety

It was important because it shows respect and care for one's parents

Bunraku story types

Ordeals of separated lovers or dueling samurai

Kamuy worshippers

The Ainu people

Role of the Shogun

The Japanese military leader in Edo Japan

Edo society homogeneity

Many people in Edo society were really similar to one another

Reason for Junshi

To show respect toward the lord

Japan's nickname

Land of the Rising Sun

Self-sufficient

To not rely on other countries for help

Geographic challenges of Japan

Steep mountains, little flat land, high population density, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and severe weather

Similarity to Aboriginal relations

Both involved settler colonialism, forcing indigenous people off traditional lands, restricting rights, and implementing assimilation policies

Assimilation in Ainu context

Process where the government forced Ainu to give up their culture, language, and traditions to fit in with Japanese society

Golden age of culture contributors

Prolonged peace, urbanization, and a rising wealthy merchant class

Kabuki

A form of theatre

Seppuku

Ritual suicide performed in Japan as an honorable alternative to humiliation and public shame

Meiji Restoration leader

Emperor Meiji

Meiji government structure

A mix of democracy and monarchy

Main goal of Meiji Restoration

To make Japan a strong, modern country so it wouldn't be controlled by the West

Reason for Meiji Restoration

Fear of the U.S. "Black Ships" and the realization that Japan was behind and in danger

Effect of industrialization

Growth of cities, workforce, and modernization, allowing Japan to avoid colonization

Meiji military motto

Fukoku kyohei

Reasons for modernization

To stay free, get stronger weapons, catch up with Western tech, grow the economy, and control the country

Conservative concerns

Protecting traditional Japanese culture, social hierarchies, and samurai values from being erased by Westernization

Outlawed customs

Tattoos, public dress, and samurai customs

Treaty of Kanagawa

1854 agreement between Japan and the U.S. that forced Japan to open ports

Sino-Japanese War

Conflict between Japan and China over control of the Korean Peninsula

Western intervention after Sino-Japanese War

Western powers were jealous of Japan's power and wanted to keep China weak for their own trade interests

Significance of Russo-Japanese War

Showed Europe that Japan was a strong, modern power and a major player in world politics