DG

Unit Test 01 Exam Prep

TCI SUMMARY

  • The Influence of Neighboring Cultures on Japan

    • Introduction

      • Japan lies just off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland.

      • Japan’s culture was enriched by borrowing from other cultures between the 6th and the 9th centuries C.E.

      • Many ideas traveled to Japan through the way of the Korean peninsula, but some ideas came from China and India.

        • e.g.) Buddhist priests from Korea visited Japan → Japan was introduced to Japan

        • e.g.) Japanese borrowed the style of their curved-roofed pagodas from China, which had adopted it from India’s bell-shaped roofs.

      • In 593, a female ruler, Empress Suiko, came to power in Japan; her nephew: Prince Shotoku, admired Chinese and Korean culture and encouraged contact with these mainland countries.

      • In 607, he sent an official representative to the Chinese court.

    • Cultural Influences on Japan

      • In 593, Empress Suiko and Prince Shotoku comes to power.

        • Cultural influences from the Asian mainland had been reaching Japan for hundreds of years.

          • e.g.) Craftspeople from Korean Peninsula had brought bronze casting and advanced ironworking to Japan

        • Suiko, Shotoku, and later rulers sought out contact with the mainland, the peace of cultural diffusion quickened.

        • Japan in Empress Suiko’s and Prince Shotoku’s day was a rural, agricultural society.

          • The upper classes enslaved people and lived in houses with wooden floors and roofs of wood or thatch.

          • The common people lived in huts with dirt floors and thatched roofs.

        • Family life was centered on the mother.

        • Japan was far from being a unified country

          • Power was divided among chiefs of a number of clans called uji

            • *uji = Japanese kin groups of the Kofun Period

          • One ruling family in the region of Yamato, on the island of Honshu, had grown powerful enough to loosely control much of Japan

      • During the next three centuries, Japan sent officials, students, translators, and monks on ships across the sea to China

        → Japanese acquired new ideas in government, arts, architecture, and writing

      • Japanese blended new ideas with their own traditions to create a unique culture → CULTURAL DIFFUSION

    • Government: Imitating the Chinese System

      • From Prince Shotoku → Japanese rulers adopted new ideas about government from China

        • Emperors in China was the sole ruler

        • In Japan, the emperor only had loose control over the semi-independent uji

          • Uji controlled their own land

      • While Japanese emperors depended on local leaders, the Chinese emperors ruled with the help of a bureaucracy of government officials.

Answers to Questions

  • Geography of Japan (Map)

  • Four islands of Japan

    • Hokkaido

    • Honshu

    • Shikoku

    • Kyushu

  • Countries surrounding Japan

    • China

    • North Korea

    • South Korea

    • Russia

    • Taiwan

  • What is the Kanto plain?

    • Located in central Honshu

    • Most populated area in Japan

      • Reason: It is a flat plain, and provides fertile land and central location

  • Cities of Nara and Kyoto & Location

    • They are on the islands of Honshu; between the Japanese Alps and the Chugoku range

    • Kyoto is above the city of Nara

  • Agriculture

    • About 15% of the land of Japan can be used for agriculture

    • Utilized terraces

  • Names of the sea surrounding Japan

    • East China Sea

    • Philippine Sea

    • Sea of Japan

    • Korea Strait

  • Japanese Alps, Chugoku range, Hidaka range

    • Chugoku range and Japanese Alps are in Honshu island

      • Chugoku range on the left; Japanese Alps in the center

    • Hidaka range is in Hokkaido island

  • Critical thinking about Japanese geography

    • Which of the Japanese islands do you think became the center of power in Japan? Explain your answer.

      • Honshu, because it was the biggest providing bigger population. ⇒ More food, making the island very wealthy

    • Describe one advantage and disadvantage about Japanese geography

      • Disadvantage:

        • Narrow land, limited resources, frequent natural disasters, etc.

      • Advantage:

        • Mild temperature, natural protection (sea), etc.

  • Cultural diffusion

    • Definition:

      • → The spread of culture (ideas and/or beliefs) from one place to another

      • Can be spread through trade, war, and migration/immigration

    • Shinto was an indigenous religion which was blended when other religions came

    • Japan respected China ⇒ copy a lot

      • Adopted feudalism

      • Borrowed China’s government system - bureaucracy

      • Took ideas and philosophy from them and Korea

      • Sent young nobles, traders, and government officials to China to learn about them

    • Trade w/ China:

      • Gave: armor, weapons, jade, cloth, combs made of shells, everyday household items

      • Got: traded pottery, wood, and rice

    • From Korea:

      • Buddhism brought to Japan in the mid-6th century

      • Received porcelain imports from Korea

      • Woodblock printing also increased along with trade with Korea

  • Prince Shotoku

    • Key figure in cultural diffusion

    • e.g. government structure, ideas, etc.

  • How did Korean workers coming to Japan do?

  • Emperor Tenmu, emperor Jito

    • Emperor Tenmu

      • Ruled Japan from 673 to 686. He is known for initiating reforms and aiming to strengthen the central government

    • Emperor Jito

      • Wife of Emperor Tenmu

      • Stabilized the imperial court and continue reforms

    • Both are known for their roles in consolidating imperial power, initiating reforms, and laying the groundwork for Japan’s future governance.

  • Shinto temple

    • What do they look like? (pictures are on TCI)

They are often surrounded by nature and have large torii gates at the entrance

  • Meditation

    • Involves focusing your mind and body to achieve a state of calm and awareness

  • Tanka

    • Japanese poetry consisting of five lines with syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7

  • Japanese music: Gagaku

    • a form of Chinese court music; arrived in the 6th century

  • The Tale of Gengi

    • Classic work of Japanese literature

    • Written by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting at the Heian court, during the early 11th century

    • Follows Hikaru Gengi

  • Emperor Komu

    • Reign followed that of his mother, Empress Jito

    • Nara period of Japanese history

      • Consolidation and centralization in Japan’s political and social structure

    • Reign is comparatively short

  • Heian art

    • This period saw significant developments in literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, and other forms of art.

      • Courtly aesthetics

        • Created for imperial court and the aristocracy

      • Theme: Appreciation of the transient nature of things: fleeting beauty of life, love, and nature.

    • Impacted by neighboring countries, such as China and Korea

  • Hierarchy of Japan

  • Calligraphy

    • Important art form

      • Courtly women were renowned for their beautiful handwriting

    • Used for personal letters and poetry

  • Tea ceremony in Heian Period

    • What happens?

      • Tea was introduced to Japan from China during the Tang dynasty

      • Initially consumed in powdered tea

        • Medicinal purposes or luxury item

      • Buddhist influence

  • Zen Buddhism & Shinto Buddhism

    • Zen Buddhism:

      • Seated meditation

      • Simplicity and minimalism

      • Emphasizes direct experience of enlightened

      • Emphasizes personal experience, present moment awareness

    • Shinto Buddhism

      • Rituals

      • Harmony, purity, respect nature

  • Japanese women

    • They could own property, be educated, manage their own property

      • Couldn’t learn Chinese

    • Bright in literature