1. Chapter 9, Lesson 3 Medieval Japan
It Matters Because:
Japanese society was transformed under the shoguns. The cultural influences from this time period still influences Japan & the world.

2. I. Samurai & Shoguns
A. In 800s, Emperors allowed officials to run government
1. Emperors pursued learning & the arts
2. Emperors entrusted outlying land to nobles
a. increased taxes to support government & provide protection
B. Nobles gave land to warriors called samurai
1. Samurai - warriors, received land in exchange for protection
2. Fought on horseback with swords, bows & arrows
3. Lived by a code of conduct called Bushido
a. Bushido - “the way of the warrior”
b. Samurai must be brave, loyal, humble
c. considered defeat a disgrace & would die before surrender

3. I. Samurai & Shoguns
C. Early 1100s in Japan similar to European Middle Ages
1. Landholding nobles commanded armies of samurai, warred with each other
2. One noble, Minamoto Yorimoto, was awarded title of Shogun
a. shogun - military commander under emperor
b. divided government between emperor & shogunate
D. Late 1200s, Mongols invaded China twice
1. Violent storms destroyed Mongol warships
2. Storms called kamikaze (“divine wind”) in honor of spirits believed to protect Japanese islands

5. II. Japan Divided A. Series of weak shoguns led to uprisings
1. Country soon divided among daimyo (military lords)
2. Daimyo were wealthy land owners with own armies
3. Daimyo gave land to samurai vassals in exchange for loyalty
4. Known as Japan’s feudal period
a. feudalism - exchange of land for loyalty between lord & vassal

6. III. Shogun Society A. Nobles became wealthy under shogun rule
1. Growing merchant class also benefitted
2. Poor farmers remained poor
B. Artisans on estates produced weapons, tools, armor, pottery, paper, textiles, etc.
C. City of Kyoto traded with China, Korea, SE Asia
1. Traded wooden goods, swords, copper for silk, dyes, pepper, books, porcelain
2. Artisans, merchants in Kyoto formed guilds

7. IV. Art & Religion A. Under shoguns, scholars traveled to China
1. Brought back ideas in government, philosophy, arts, science
B. Most practiced blend of Shinto & Buddhism
1. Shinto dealt with daily life, linked people to nature
2. Buddhism dealt with afterlife & spirituality
3. Zen was major sect of Buddhism
a. believed one can achieve peace through meditation, self-control, simplicity
b. practiced martial arts as form of discipline

8. IV. Art & Religion C. Adopted Chinese writing system
1. Symbols represent whole words
2. Chinese & Japanese languages differ greatly
3. Japanese added characters to represent sounds
D. Admired Chinese art of calligraphy (artistic writing)
1. Believed to reveal much about person’s character
E. Haiku was most popular form of poetry
1. 3-line poem with 17 syllables, 5-7-5
2. Usually express mood & feeling, address themes of nature

9. IV. Art & Religion F. Around 1000, The Tale of Genji was written
1. Believed to be history’s first novel
G. Adopted architectural & artistic styles of China & Korea
1. Japanese reflect values of simplicity, symmetry, & beauty
2. Zen gardens copied nature on small scale
a. rocks represented mountains, raked sand symbolized flowing water
b. designed to create feelings of peace & calm
H. Artists learned landscape painting from Chinese
1. Used ink & watercolor to paint on paper scrolls or silk
I. Nobles learned the art of folding paper, origami