EACS4A 1st MT

9/26: Intro

Chinese

• as a lang

• people

• place

language: zhongwen + hanyu, chinese characters are logographic

people: han ethnicity

place:

Japan

• basic geography

• languages

• writing systems

Geo: island to the right of China + Korea

lang/writing systems

• lang: subject-object-verb

• Kanji: chinese charcaters used in Japanese

• Kana: hirgana +katakana = phonetic syllables derived from Kanji

Korea

• basic geography

• languages

• writing systems

Geo: right below china

lang: korean

writing: hangul

10/1: First Emperor

burning of books + burying of scholars

-Li Shi convinced EMP Chen that scholars used records of the past to undermine the King’s sucess/achievements

-attempt to unify ideology, thought, text and to destroy other ideologies that went against the state ideology of Confucianism to consolidate power

-scholars posed a threat to that

First Emperor(Qin Shihuang)

legacy:

• created the great wall

• standardized system of writing, weights, measurements, coins

• forced centralization, aristocrats to move to Xian

• no hereditary rights to office, based on king’s favor

• obsessed w/ immortality

• paranoid abt assasination attempts

• banned private writings

Historical Records(Shiji)

• written by Sima Qian

  • narrative style + personal anecdotes

  • became the framework for later chinese writings

• details the 1st emperor’s legacy in Sima Qian’s perspective

• 5 sections of dynasties, why they failed/succeeded, changes of past + present

Sima Qian

• imperial scribe inherited from his father

• during the Qin and Han dynasties

• worked on the Historical Records

  • desire for a lasting legacy

• faced castration for angering Emperor Wu

the tomb of the first emperor

• terracotta army —> protection in the afterlife

• laced w/ mercury + many protective measures

• 1st Emp buried w/ his women, the builders of the tom, animals b/c of the belief in the afterlife + immortality

  • comfort in the afterlife

10/3: The Three Teachings

Buddhism

• goal of enlightenment

• most sought to gain good merit for themselves + others through doing good deeds—> such as copying scriptures

Confucianism

• ideology from Confucius

  • adapts teachings from student to student

  • questions of human nature

• key virtues

  • humanness

  • filial devotion

  • rightness/duty

  • ritual decorum

• agnostic abt spirits

• encourages criticizing those in power

• upholds social/political hierarchies—> stay in your own lane

• service vs reclusion

• Qin(1st EMP) = legalism —> Han(Confuc)

• rise of shi(warrior class), gain standing through merit not hereditary

Analects of Confucianism

• short dialogues btw Confucius and his disciples, not written by Confucius

• lists the 4 key virtues

Daoism

• Dao

  • The highest metaphysical principle, shared by all Chinese religions 

  • The “Way” is constantly changing and flowing 

  • “Do nothing” → action w/o conscious intent 

• Alchemy: Inner alchemy, doing alchemy on yourself→ Qi→ Vital Breath → Longevity

filial piety (xiao)

devotion and respect to parents, elders, ancestors

The Four Noble Truths

based on Buddhist belief

• life is suffering —> humans feel pain, hardships

• suffering comes from attachment, craving, delusions —> desire to be in a relationship

• The End to Suffering —>enlightenment/ detachment

• The Way to the End of Suffering—> 8fold path

Laozi

• Laozi = old master, no one knows who he is/was

• 2 intps of Daoism based on the Laozi text 

  • In gov → laissez faire attitude 

  • In life → monks, or people of superior insight who live away from society and seek harmony w/ nature

• Characteristics In the Laozi 

  • Cryptic sayings written in rhyme, poetry, paradoxical statements, water imagery, the female and the mother, all-powerful force

Zhuangzi

• written by Zhuang zhou

• Emphasized, the issue of universality, the diversity of the world and nature together.

• Believed that self-understanding is gained through life and the idea that death is inevitable. 

• Characteristics of Zhunagzi text 

  • Convos btw real or imaginary people,poetry, meditations, charcaters include: craftsmen, cripples, reconstructed Confucius, and a talking tree 

    • Essentially stories/convos, long texts that include characters (real or imaginary), ocassionally has a story on the Way

Scripture in 42 Sections

• first indian buddhist text translated to chinese

• describes the four noble truths

• buddhist teachings

wuwei(doing nothing)

• core concept of Daoism

• acting w/o conscious intent, letting things happen naturally

10/8: The Emergence of Japan + Korea

early links btw Japan + Korea

• Migration btw the 2 places during the Jomon + Yaoyoi periods

• similar pottery styles

• rice cultivation: Japan got from Korea

• Buddhism: Japan —> Korea

• burial practices: J:(kofun), K:(tumuli)

haniwa

• clay figurines, replacement for burying humans similar to terracotta army—> 1st emperor’s tomb

• placed on tops of burial mounds(kofun)

Himiko

• Himiko was seen as a socrecess that had magic powers that allowed her to communicate w/ the gods which allowed her to rule 

• performed rituals that pleased the gods

  • b/c early belief was that the gods controlled the weather and nature—> animism

    • she had diplomatic relations w/ china

• Yamatai was a federation of various clans

Japanese missions to Sui + Tang China

Sui: Prince Shotoku went to china, exchange of ideas + opening relations

Tang: —> rise of buddhism in Japan as monks returned w/ teachings/texts, Japan created a more centralized gov: instituted a civil service exam, used Chinese style era names, chinese style clothing

Jomon + Jeulmun pottery

Jomon: rope pattern pottery from Japan

Jeulmun: coil shaped pottery from Korea

Connection: both Jomon people and Jeulmun people were huntergathers—> similar techniques/ways of living

Seokguram Grotto

• located in korea, is a buddhist temple

• contains a buddhas statue carved into the wall

Taika Reforms

• during the asuka period, strengthened imperial authority at the expense of noble clans

  • by using a land tax system based on chinese model

  • legal code

  • promotion of buddhism

  • census

tumuli(kofun)

• (kofun) japanese burial mounds

• (tumuli) korean burial mounds

  • similar burial process + belief in the afterlife

10/10: Shinto

Izanagi + Izanami

• 2 Japanese gods (husband + wife)

• credited w/ creating Japan(the islands) + Amaterasu (Sun Goddess)

• Nagi( the guy) creates japan by dipping a spear into the sea

  • seals off the yomi(the land of the dead) w/ a giant boulder

• Nami(the girl) dies giving birth to the fire god, creating the land of the dead

kami

• originally means above

• the spirits of specific places, gods, humans, nature

• need to be appeased, aren’t good or bad

Kojiki(Chronicle of Ancient Matters)

• earliest extant of japanese history

• written in Chinese + japanese

• collection of myths + stories abt Japanese gods

• attempt at legitimizing the imperial rule—> stems from Amaterasu the sun Goddess

Manyoshu(Collection of Myriad Leaves)

• came after the kojiki

• collection of poetry w/ various themes like love, nature, life/death

the nobility of failure

• failure can lead to success, there is honor to failure

• ex: tail of Genji—> the prince’s many heartbreaks and failures lead him to inward realizations

religious syncretism

• blending of religions

• specifically shinto + buddhism

  • weddings done in shinto fashion, funerals held w/ buddhist practices

• Buddhist gods could also be kami

• during the intro of Buddhism into japan, kami now could take human form

torri gates

• characteristic of Shinto shrines where kami are worshipped

• serves as a separation between the human world and the world of the kami

needle ceremonies

• retiring of needles by seamstresses

  • pays respects to old, broken, worn needles —>respect for the tools and dedication of the craft

  • empowers women, because the use of needles has been seen as a delicate, gendered occupation and these ceremonies give women their recognition

  • rituals and stuff would be done during these ceremonies, so needle women could meet other needle women

Yamato Takeru

• prominent figure from the Kojiki

• seen as a heroic figure where he subdues the eastern regions of japan

  • crossdresses as a female

  • sets fire to the plains

  • offends a female diety —> by slashing his sword on the land, diety curses him w/ an illness that kills him

  • after his death he becomes a kami

Amaterasu

• sun goddess

• gives birth to many other kami

• imperial line stems from her

• retreats into a rock cave and is depressed, creating darkness

10/15: The Three Arts of The Brush

calligraphy

• Writing reflects natural patterns found in the world 

• Script gradually evolves into 6 standard styles 

• Calligraphy associated w/ 4 tools→ four treasures of the studio 

  • Brush, paper, ink, inkstone 

landscape poetry(estate, empty, evil)

• Estate: literati relaxing on their own property

  • they write abt their own property, the nature that they see there

• Empty: Buddhist emphasis on impermanence and emptiness

  • EX: Wang Stream Collections

• Evil: Post An Lushan Rebellion, Crisis in Culture—> depressed mindset as a society

  • Meng Jiao

reclusion

• decline of Tang—> society is too corrupt so instead civil servants retire from duty and drink/ write poetry

• poetry involved water/landscape descriptions

• introspective themes + reflected Daoist/Buddhist principles

painting

• Goal in Chinese painting → capture inner character of subject, not just exterior appearance 

• Literati painters→ would use the same writing materials for painting 

  • Color rarely used 

  • Scrolls, albums, fans 

  • Artworks evolve over time: new owners would add their own seals, notes, poetry 

• Common subjects: bamboo, old trees, rocks, landscapes 

parallelism

• lines can offer contrasting/ complementary ideas

  • EX: up vs down —> top vs below

poetry

• prior to Qin unification poetry was not an expressive personal art —> they would quote from it instead

• becomes an art form

  • divide in the style w/ N and S

  • S develops a palace style

  • Emp Taizong brings S poets into his court

southern migration

• collapse of the Han dynasty—> Civil Wars

• many aristocrats + people left

  • exposed to new plants/animals, surroundings

  • inspiration for new poetry

10/17: An Lushan +the Tang-Song Transition

An Lushan

• starts as a dispute between Lushan and Guifei’s cousin

• battle ensues and Lushan declares himself EMP, emperor xuanzong flees, Guifei is killed

the crisis in culture

• question of if EMP Xuanzong was so great why did his rule end in disaster?

  • he supported modern decadent culture→therefore literati should return to ancient models→ ancient culture movement instead of teachings like Buddhism

    • Han Yu’s Essentials of the Moral Way

  • Culture is not an effective tool for shaping human beh b/c it doesn’t affect heavenly patterns→ heaven and humans in opposition 

    • Liu Zongyuan’s Theory of Heaven

• aristocracy falls during the Tang + Song

Emperor Xuanzong

• in love w/ consort Yang (Guifei)

• created merit based civil service exams + added Daoism into it, revival of the arts during his time,

• An Lushan Rebellion

Essentials of the Moral Way

• written by Han Yu during the Middle Tang, post An Lushan abt how society is barbaric and corrupt

  • need to go back to confucianism

    • instead of this great focus on buddhism

  • promotes ethno nationalism

Theory of Heaven

• post An Lushan, written in a narrative abt how essentially humans and the heavens are 2 separate entities

  • thus one should live their life as how they desire

  • b/c there is no good/bad karma

Song of Everlasting Pain

• written by Bai Juyi who was naturally talented at writing

  • later becomes obsessed w/ his literary legacy

• written abt the An Lushan Rebellion post the event

  • describes Emp Xuanzong and Consort Yang’s love

  • later influences the Tale of genji

Tang-Song Differences

• Cities

  • Tang: city wall, grids, planned rationale layout, city is within the wall, if locked out, fend for yourself 

  • Song: cities extend beyond walls, developing urban culture→ evidence for social clubs

• Confucianism 

  • Tang: focused on rulers, governance, OK w/ Buddhism (change society from top down) 

  • Song: focused on edu, moral Way, personal reading, anti-buddhist (change society from bottom up) + Neo Confucianism (study of the way) 

• Population 

  • Tang (742) just b4 the An Lushan Rebellion: 50 million 

  • Song(1100): 100 million 

    • b/c of better strains of rice, improved techniques(terraced hills) 

    • Farmers produce surplus for market, sold by merchants

Yang Guifei (Consort Yang)

• most loved concubine of Emp Xuanzong, she and her family benefited from his desire for her

• her family is part of the cause of the An Lushan Rebellion

• she commits suicide when Gen An Lushan takes over

10/22 Heian Court Culture

brocade by night

• in japanese poetry, the idea that beauty is enhanced when partially obscured or seen indirectly

• idea of impermanence as well

elegant confusion

• the idea that not everything is clear cut, emotions and situations can be multilayered

• EX: mistaking cherry blossoms for snow or a dream for reality

Kokinshu( Anthology Ancient and New)

• included short, syllable poems that had buddhist themes and topics abt love and the seasons

• influ later japanese poetry

• Manyoshu came first, therefore the Kokinshu is more refined and has less topics

pivot word

• used in poetry, enhances emotions in poem by linking two different sentiments or images.

The Pillow Book

• written by Sei Shonagon

• list of anecdotes, miscellaneous writings abt court life during the Heian period

• summarizes her experiences, likes, dislikes, the aesthetics of the period

The Tale of Genji

• written by Murasaki Shikibu

• narrative, novel

  • based on the song of everlasting pain

  • details a prince’s love life

    • ex of nobility of failure

10/24: Buddhism In Japan

An Account of My Hermitage

• written by Chomei

• an essay detailing his life and thoughts

  • EX: of impermanence

• written w/ buddhist ideals

Dogen

• japanese, zen buddhist

• founder of the Soto school of Buddhism

  • brought the ideas of chan buddhism into Japan

  • emphasizes zazen

Kamo no Chomei

• Japanese poet

• wrote account of my hermitage

• wrote about mujo—> impermanence, nothing endures

koan

• traditional Zen Buddhist practice, is a question or statement that creates critical thinking

  • used in zazen

How to Raise an Ox

• written by Dogen

• details the DO + DON’ts of zazen

  • uses the metaphor of raising an ox to zazen enlightenment

    • finding the ox = self awareness, recognizing the need for self discipline

mujo

impermanence, seen in both Dogen + Chomei’s works

zazen(seated meditation

• from zen buddhism

• sit w/ back straight, focus on breathing, eyes are NOT CLOSED, observe one’s thoughts w/o judgment

• designed to create detachment from the world

zen

• a school of buddhism

• practices

  • zazen

  • tea ceremonies

  • ink painting

  • rock gardens

10/29: Gender + Sexuality in East Asia

Analects for Women

• written by Song Ruzhao

• summarized the basic ideal of a confucian wife

  • what women should and should not do

  • EX: women should not turn her head while walking

cosmological correspondence

• Connection btw the world and the human body 

  • EX: yin and yang

xu (depletion)

• Vitality (yuan qi) as a limited resource 

• Body has a stockpile of vitality but it can be depleted through reckless living, time, neglect 

• As vitality depletes, you become vulnerable to things like diseases/ illnesses 

The Drunken Man’s Talk

• written by Luo Ye

• poems, stories

  • abt courtesans and the differences in their personalities/ skills

footbinding

• binding young girls feet to create tiny feet

• —> beauty standards

• symbol of women’s lower status as they wouldn’t be able to run away and inhibited full mobility—> delicate movements

inner vs outer

• different spheres where women and men belonged

• female = inner, men = outer

• EX: inner: raising children/housework, outer: civil service exam

The Late Tang Culture of Romance

• surge of interest in romance/erotic lit

  • creates many lit forms

    • poems, songs, short stories, miscellaneous notes

Neo-Confucianism

• arose during Song dynasty

• reinterpreted Confucianism in light of strong Buddhist influ

• emphasized moral beh, filial piety, social harmony

shunga

• japanese art that depicts erotic/sexual scenes

ying and yang

• yin= feminine traits

• yang = masculine traits

• yang = sun, yin = moon

• yang is superior to yin—> confucianism