Social 8 Contact and Change Ch 12: Shaping a Unique Worldview

Shintoism

religion; located in japan which believes that kami are found in nature and worships ancestors

Ainu

Japan's Indigenous people

Amaterasu

The sun goddess, also the daughter of Izinagi, most important kami

kami

The sacred beings worshipped in Shintoism

kamikaze

A divine wind sent by the gods to defend the Japanese islands

archipelago

A long chain of many islands

isolation

separation from others; aloneness

kamuy

The Ainu gods who visit the world.

matsuri

Festivals to honour please and celebrate the kami.

tsunami

Devastating harbour waves, usually caused by earthquakes

stoic

A person who controls their emotions and possesses great patience in difficult circumstances.

homogenous

A society consisting of people who see themselves as having a similar nature and character.

assimilation

Means to make similar, to make those people give up their language and culture and become similar to the dominant society.

gohan

Japanese word used for cooked rice or meal

kanji

The Chinese system of characters first borrowed by the Japanese

ritual

A celebration with observed regularity

self-sufficient

To be able to look after oneself without outside help, independent

Name the four major islands of Japan

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu

Japan's Neighbors

Korea, China, and Russia

Cherry Blossoms Symbolize...

New beginnings, the shortness of beauty and life

Who are Japan's indigenous people?

The Ainu, they live in Hokkaido

Japan was located in an area known as...

The Ring of Fire

People in Japan were...

Stoic and learned to adapt and rebuild

What does Self-Sufficient mean?

When a country doesn't depend on receiving things from other countries, because Japan was so isolated, they needed to be this

What did Rice represent?

It was their main source of food and currency

What is homogeneous society?

A group of people with the same values and beliefs

Advantages to geography

•Safety from neighbours•transportation and resources using the sea•Moderate climate for moisture

Disadvantages to geography

•Created isolation•tsunami's and Typhoons

Why do the Japanese describe their country as the "Land of the Rising Sun"?

Since the sun rises in the East they thought they were the most important country since they were in the East.