2.  Japan’s islands are made from the tops of undersea mountains.  Only 20% of the land is flat; most people live near the sea.  Seafood is a staple, or main part, of their diet.  They are also very isolated, and created a religion and society different from other countries.

3.  How did geography effect life in Japan? Give two examples from your notes.

4.  Some people think the Ainu came from Siberia in eastern Russia.  Their language is different from any other eastern Asian language.  They lost their land and were forced to live on Hokkaido.  Their culture and language almost disappeared.

5.  The people who lived south of the Ainu became the Japanese.  Their villages were ruled by clans.  The chief of the clan had religious and political power.

6.  Kami – nature spirit  Early Japanese believed that everything in nature had a spirit.  Kami supposedly keeps the people safe.  The people built shrines and performed ceremonies for the kami.

7.  Shintoism is similar to what other belief that we’ve studied this year. What religion is it? How are they similar? Explain in detail.

8.  Not all clans were equal.  The Yamato clan was very powerful and believed they were descendents of the sun goddess.  By the 500s the Yamato clan ruled most of Honshu and called themselves emperors.

9.  Japanese leaders sent scholars to China and Korea to learn about their cultures.  They also invited people from China and Korea to move to Japan.

10.  Japan didn’t have a written language.  They wrote in Chinese using the characters to represent Japanese words.

11.  Prince Shotoku was regent for his aunt, the empress.  Regent – someone who helps a leader rule the country.  He admired Chinese culture and wanted to be like the Chinese.

12.  Used Confucianism to teach the Japanese how people should behave.  Buddhism also spread, came from Korea.  Shotoku had large temples built to spread popularity.  Japanese nobles became Buddhist instead of Shinto.

13.  Compare and Contrast Prince Shokotu and Mansa Musa. Give 1 way they are similar and 1 way they are different.

14.  Shotoku wanted Japan’s emperors to have more power, like the Chinese emperors did.  Clan leaders disagreed and kept the emperor from gaining power.