Japan

Japanese Geography and Culture

3. Key Vocabulary/Terms

• Archipelago - A string of islands

• Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu - The four main islands of the Japanese archipelago

• Typhoons - A tropical cyclone (basically a hurricane)

• Tsunamis - A natural disaster that is essentially an incredibly large wave. Can cause large destruction.

• Pacific Ring of Fire - A “ring” around the Pacific that is high in volcanic activity

• Homogeneous - Uniform, the same.

• Amaterasu - The goddess of the sun

• Shinto - An old Jap religion that incorporates the worship of ancestors and nature spirits, as well as a belief in sacred power in living and non living things.

• Kami - A Kami is a deity, spirit, or divine force. A Kami in Shintoism is anything that is revered or worship, from nature to concepts.

4. Key concepts/questions

• Importance/dangers of the sea

The sea allowed for Japan to conduct maritime trade, as well as protected them from harm and reduced their exposure to foreign influence. However, the sea also posed a tremendous threat of natural disasters, and was dangerous to cross.

• Types of natural disaster- Earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, typhoons, and more.

• Japan’s climate/precipitation- Japan experiences all the seasons, with some areas having tropical climates and others being subarctic. Precipitation in Japan is heavy.

• Main geographic features; positive and negatives

Japan's main geographic features include mountains, forests, and steep hills. It also has hundreds of rivers. This makes irrigation and hydroelectric power easy, but it makes the nation hard to traverse and trade difficult.

• Ways Japan balances its lack of resources with its large population.

Japan has often had to go to war with other nations to secure resources. They use methods such as terrace farming to ensure they get the most out of limited space and resources. They are also famous for having efficient and compact homes.

• How has Japan’s isolation influenced its sense of itself?

Since Japan is hard to reach, they have been exposed to very little foreign culture before the U.S. opened the harbor. This means the people all speak the same language and share the same culture. This resulted in them being very ethnocentric.

• Study the questions on the Shinto Mythology assignment 
  

Early Japan

5. Key Vocabulary/Terms

• Clans: Small groups of people, usually under one family.

• Yamato: Ancient province of Japan ruled by the Tenno clan. Over time, the name has come to encompass all of Japan

• Tenno clan: The only Japanese dynasty. Claims to be directly descended from the gods.  Their  bloodline continues today in the Japanese ruling family.

• Figurehead

  • Someone who appears to be in charge, but in reality is not. The Emperor of Japan was a figurehead, since he was not really in power but appeared to be.

• Feudalism 

  • A plotical, economic and social system based on loyalty 

6. Key concepts/questions

• How many dynasties has Japan had? Only one.

• Examples of cultural diffusion and selective borrowing

Cultural diffusion occurs when two different societies meet. This results in an exchange of traditions and different ways of life. Japan borrowed some of these from China, such as;

Pictoriograph system of writing

Court and social ranking system

Buddhism

• Understand the key characteristics of the Heian Period 

Also known as the Golden Age of Japan, the Heian period brought forth new cultural developments such as kana, a new system of writing. This also started a period where warlords of various families, such as the Fujiwara, took control of the nation and made the emperor a figurehead. 

• Who is the first shogun? How does he earn that title?
  

Feudal Japan

7. Key Vocabulary/Terms

• Feudalism: A political economic and social system based on loyalty the holding of land and military service 

• Emperor: 

  • Highest rank but no political power ( figurehead)

  •  considered a direct descendant of the Sun god. Religious and cultural leader who spent time studying and writing poetry

  •  The emperor, his family and his court were supported by other levels of society 

  •  Under Tokugawa: confined to palace grounds, a prisoner of the Shogun (ie:  can't have visitors without his his permission) 

• Shogun:

  • Supreme military and political leader and most powerful member of society

  •  appointed by the emperor ( the greatest General;  often won through battle or the most powerful daimyo)

  •   Changes under Tokugawa (changes hurt military)

  •  gave land to daimyos ( often as a reward)

•  Daimyo:

  • Military Lord who owns large portions of land( Providence)  and lived in huge castle towns. Operated as individual kingdoms for some time

  •  control territories through their armies of Samurai. For hundreds of years they fought wars with each other for control

  •  Under Tokugawa, daimyo stopped fighting as he unified Japan gave them land in exchange for a pledge of loyalty 

• Samurai:

  • Lower ranking Warriors who pledge loyalty and military service to their daimyo

    •  in return given small pots of land / income

  •  greatly respected but had little political power

  •  about 10% of the population o

  •  regular training begins in childhood

    • Physical training Chinese studies poetry spiritual discipline 

    •  Studied Kendo ( way of the sword)

    •  women did not fight on battlefield but had to prepare to defend home against Invaders 

• Peasants + Artisans: 

  • Largest class 80%

  • given protection to work in return for loyalty to Dynamo

  • Foundation of Japan because they provide food. The government made their lives miserable

    •   pay most in taxes

  •  Under Tokugawa greatly restricted their lives

    •  could never rise in social classes

    •  had to wear certain clothes

    •  could not buy certain things such as weapons

    •  restricted ability to travel 

• Merchants:

  • Both travelers and shopkeepers. Looked down upon because they live off of the labor of others selling things

  •  most forced to live in a separate section of each City and not allowed to socialize with other classes

  •  mostly Merchants Farm because very wealthy weakening the  restriction against them

• Kyoto: A city in Japan, used to be the old capital for the figurehead emperor

• Bushido: Way of the warrior; provided a set of honorable rules and guidelines for combat 

• Seppuku: Ritual suicide; often committing seppuku was considered a better death than being defeated at the hands of the enemy 

• Period of turmoil

• Tokugawa Shogunate

8. Key People

• Oda Nobunaga

Ruler of the Oda clan, defeated the daimyo Yoshimoto using scouting, intelligence, and surprise attacks. Became the first to try and reunify Japan.

• Toyotomi Hideyoshi

One of Nobunaga's generals, who defeats the betrayer Matsuhide and becomes the new ruler. He dies, leaving a son who is too young to rule. 

• Tokugawa Ieyasu ‘

He took Hideyoshi’s son, Hideyori, under his wing and began to tutor him. He defeats the 5 daimyo who were meant to act as regents after Hideyoshi died, and reinvents the title of Shogun to be a position of power. He dies from natural causes instead of war.

9. Key concepts/questions

• Why did Japan have two capitals? One capital was for the emperor, who lived in Kyoto. The other capital was for the Shogun, the true ruler.

• Which classes were part of the warrior class? 

Shogun, Daimyo, and Samurai

• Understand the key characteristics/rank of each of the social classes

Emperor-Figurehead, no real power

Shogun-Top, ruled the nation

Daimyo-Lords, ruled over provinces

Samurai-Enforced the Daimyo rule, acted as a military force

• What did samurais need to study? 

Kendo(Way of the Sword), Bushido(Way of the Warrior) and Zen Buddhism

• How does feudalism change under Tokugawa?

It became a more centralized bureaucratic structure with strict social and economic controls.

• Understand key characteristics of each of the 3 shogunates

• Where did Tokugawa move the capital to?

Edo, now known as Tokyo

• What were Tokugawa’s goals? Did he accomplish them?

He wanted to reunify Japan and create a stable and steady dynasty. He succeeded in both of these goals.

• How does Tokugawa deal with the “foreign threat”?

He banned the Christian mercenaries and ordered them all out. This led to a peasant revolt that was quickly put down. The Shogun killed all the mercenaries or forced them out, while the Japanese were forced to Buddhism. He initiated the closed country policy.

• How does Tokugawa bring the daimyo and the rest of the population under his control?

He used a new system called sankin-kotai(alternate attendance). This forced the daimyo to spend every other year in the capital city of Edo, while their families remained

there as hostages. This made them far less likely to betray him. The strict four-tier social class system, which made it impossible to change classes, also enforced his rule. Each class has special roles and limitations.

• Understand the effects of Tokugawa’s rule

He managed to reunify Japan under one ruler and after his death left it with a strict and uniform government system that would last for hundreds of years, and still remains today.

Modernization of Japan

10. Key Vocabulary/Terms

• Treaty of Kanagawa

  •  The Treaty of Kanagawa officially opened Japan to foreign trade. 

  • End of Japan's 200 years of se;f- imposed isolation

  • The Shoguns were deeply criticized for signing this treaty

  • Provisions of the Treaty

    • Maintain friendly/ permanent relations with USA

    • Open 2 ports to Americans for trade

    • Protect shipwrecked Americans

    • Accept American consul to reside at Shimoda

    • Grant USA same privileges to other nations in future treaties 

• Meiji Restoration

A period were Japan began to go back to a more traditional way of life, while also beginning to open up to foreign ideals.

• Meiji Period

A time of significant modernization and Westernization in Japan

• Imperialism, westernization, industrialization, modernization

• Zaibatsu

11. Key People

• Commodore Matthew Perry

A naval commander who was sent to Japan with 47 black gunboats to convince the emperor to open up the nation to trade from foreign nations

• Emperor Mutsuhito

Emperor of Japan when Commodore Perry arrived. He is the one who decided to open up the country to foreign ideals and trade.

12. Key concepts/questions

• Why was Commodore Perry sent to Japan?

To open up the country to foreign trade

• Why did Japan sign unequal treaties? 

They could not compete with the might of the other nations around them

• How did the Japanese react to the unequal treaties? What does it lead to?

Poorly. The unrest led to many revolts.

• Why did the rebel samurai move the emperor to Edo (Tokyo)? What did it symbolize?

Restoring Imperial authority and removing the Shogunate from power by taking their old capital

• How old was Emperor Mutsuhito when he started his “Meiji” rule? Who really ran the country?

He was 15. A group of powerful oligarchs were the true rulers.

• What were the goals of those in charge during the Meiji Period? How did they go about trying to accomplish these goals?

The goals of the Meiji period were to modernize Japan, protect it against foreign influence, and achieve quality with Western powers.

• Understand all of the changes that occurred in the Meiji Period included: how feudalism was ended and the changes to the government, legal system, tax system, army/ navy, economy, education (notes and the chart)

The Meiji period had many changes.

Japan had a modernized army and navy, as well as the removal of the feudal system, modern banking, a constitution, human rights and religious freedom, Western education, Imperial worship, and land redistribution.

• Explain this quote: “May our country, Taking what is good, And rejecting what is bad, Be not inferior to any other”

Japan will take all of the good ideals from the West, and remove all of the old policies and bad ideals. They want to be on par with the Western nations.

• Explain the connection between the Meiji Period and militarism

As Japan began to modernize, they needed resources and materials to build up their armies and navy. This led to them looking at their neighbors for resources, which in turn led to a period of expansion and military conquest.

Japan in WWII

13. Key Vocabulary/Terms

• Militarism

The belief or desire of a country or its people that the nation should maintain a strong military force and be prepared to use it aggressively

• 1st Sino-Japanese War

Conflict between the Qing Dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan, primarily over control of Korea. The war resulted in a Japanese victory

• Russo-Japanese War

Conflict between Russia and Japan, over control of Korea and Manchuria. Resulted in a Japanese victory, the first time a major European power was defeated by an Asian country.

• Annex

To take by force

• Manchuria

Now a region in China, it used to be a small nation.

• 2nd Sino-Japanese War

A war between China and Japan after the annexation of Manchuria, considered part of WW2, and the start of WW2 in Asia.

• Allies vs. Axis Powers

The Allies (US, France, Britain, Soviet Union, and more) fought against the Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan and more) during the second World War

• Pearl Harbor

A military base in Hawai’i. Attacked on December 7, 1941 by the Japanese, marking the start of America becoming involved in World War 2.

• Island Hopping; strategic bombing

Island hopping was a campaign where the Americans took strategic islands from the Japanese and used them as bases to launch attacks. Strategic bombing was used to hit factories and other industiral capabilities. With the introduction of the new B-29 Superfortress bomber that could fly higher, faster, and further than any other bomber before it, the Japanese could not do much to stop the bombardment.

• Atomic Bomb

A bomb using a nuclear reaction to create incredibly powerful explosions through energy dense materials such as plutonium and uranium. Today, the only deployment of nuclear weapons in a war were the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Hiroshima

A city in Japan, the site of the very first atomic bombing

• Nagasaki 

City in Japan, site of the second and last atomic bombing in history so far.

• Bataan Death March 

(Primary source on page 56)

Blanck for now untill we learn

POWS were forced to mach 65 miles in intense heat with no provitions 

Estimated 25,000 men died on the march due to starvation, torture and attack 

• Kamikaze 

A suicide attack conducted by Japanese pilots, where they would ram their aircraft into ships.

14. Key People

• Emperor Hirohito 

Emperor of Japan during ww2

• Chiune Siguhara 

A Japanese official who managed to save thousands of Jewish people during the second world war.

15. Key concepts/questions

• Explain the reasons Japan wanted to build an empire 

Japan wanted to build a empire because they needed resources, but they also wanted to do it out of national pride, strategic military goals, and a response to Western intervention and racism.

• “Steps to build an empire” 

• Describe the atrocities Japan commits against China and Korea in the 2nd Japanese War including the Rape of Nanking, Unit 731, Comfort Women

Japan ordered a kill all policy in China, which led to atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking, where over 300,000 Chinese were brutally killed and raped. Unit 731 was a biological experimentation unit that committed many crimes against humanity by conducting cruel experiments on prisoners of war. Comfort women were captured civilians that were forced to have sexual intercourse with the Japanese soldiers, often dying or killing themselves later due to the abuse.

• Why did Japan decide to attack Pearl Harbor?

They wanted to scare the US into staying out of the war.

• What happened at Pearl Harbor? How was it a tactical success but a strategic failure?

It managed to reduce morale and take out some American capital ships, but failed to take out the aircraft carriers that were not present.

• US vs. Japanese strategies in WWII

The US focused on island hopping and strategic landings, while the Japanese focused mainly on defense and battles of attrition, as well as surprise attacks.

• How did the US originally fair against the Japanese?

Horribly. The US had worse aircraft and initially lost the Lexington, one of its few aircraft carriers. The Japanese had 6 large aircraft carriers as well as the Zero fighter, which ran circles around the Americans early in the war.

• What were the effects of the Doolittle Raids?

Showed the Japanese they were not safe, and improved morale back at the US.

• Why did the US succeed at Midway? Why was it considered the turning point?

They managed to decode Japanese transmissions that told them the positioning of the Japanese fleet. In a decisive attack, they sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, eliminating a significant portion of Japanese naval power. This was considered the turning point because the Japanese never recovered from their losses at Midway.

• Describe Japanese fighting, especially as the war went on; how was this connected to samurai culture and other topics we discussed previously in this unit? How is this connected to the decision to drop the bomb?

The Japanese became more and more violent as the war went on, often refusing to surrender. Going back to samurai culture, death was considered better than defeat. This contributed to the decision to drop the bomb, as it was considered too risky to try and invade the mainland of Japan with troops, as casualties would be incredibly high.

• Understand the different reasons to drop the atomic bombs, to not drop them, or to choose a different alternative 

• Why does Japan finally surrender?

The Soviet Union was pushing forward from the other front, that combined with the pressure from the US being able to hit the mainland and the recent atomic bombings finally convinced Japan to surrender.

• Describe Japan under US occupation

• “Economic Miracle” → reasons for/what it mean