1. Ancient and Medieval Japan

2. Geography Japan is a chain of Islands – These islands were created due to volcanic eruption Meaning they are mountainous, and prone to earthquakes

3. Ring of Fire The Japanese Islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire – A long string of under-water volcanoes where two tectonic plates meet – Area marked by active volcanoes, deep ocean trenches and island chains

4. The Ring of Fire

5. Geography Japan is made up of 4 major islands – Hokkaido, the Main Island – Honshu – Kyushu – Shikoku Japan has numerous smaller islands, some no bigger than rocks in the ocean Only 20% of Japan is arable land – Land that can be farmed

6. Japanese Islands

7. Geography Because it is so mountainous Japan lacks in natural resources – Very few minerals in the mountains – Limited space for people to settle

8. Climate Mountains shield Japan from a great deal of weather – Weather is sunny and dry in the winter, wet and cool in the spring and wet and warm in the summer – Perfect for growing rice

9. Japanese Religion The Japanese religion is known as Shinto – Shinto is a polytheistic religion Shinto does not believe in gods, merely greater and lesser spirits The greater spirits are godlike beings known as Kami The lesser spirits can be anything from demons to the ghosts of ancestors

10. Creation Story The Kami Izanagi, in order to demonstrate his prowess in war, thrust his spear deep into the ocean. When he pulled it out, the drops that fell from it became Japan

11. Creation story Japan became the sight of a war between Susanoo, the kami of storms and Ameterasu, the kami of the sun

12. Creation story In order to win the war, Ameterasu sent her own son Ninigi to save Japan. Ninigi taught the people how to grow rice and how to use a sword. Ninigi’s grandson Jimmu defeated the Storm God and became Japan’s first Emperor – Shinto holds that the Emperor is a “Son of Heaven” and thus beyond question and without fault

13. Shinto Temple

14. Shinto Shrine

15. Shinto Shrine in a House

16. Settling of Japan The first people to settle Japan were the Ainu – Settled the region around 1260BCE – Likely from Eastern Russia – Hunter-Gatherer society

17. Yayoi Around 200BCE, Japan was invaded by a new tribe called the Yayoi, from China Yayoi introduced a number of new inventions – Metal tools and weapons – Rice farming

18. Yayoi Society Yayoi Society was clan based – Society ruled by a small group of powerful extended families known as clans Early Yayoi society was marked by war between the clans – Eventually one clan, known as the Yamato achieved total control and established the first Japanese Dynasty

19. Taika Reforms Yamato Prince Shotoku decides to improve Japanese culture, and military to protect it from invasion Sends a group of Japanese scholars to the court of the Chinese Emperor to learn how to govern and organize – Adopts a Chinese style of government – Known as the Taika Reforms

20. Taika Reforms Greatly improved functioning of government Placed more power in the hands of the heads of the clans – No improvement for the life of the peasants – Poem by Man’yoshu: Here I lie on straw, spread on bare earth, with my parents at my pillow, my wife and children at my feet, all huddled in grief and tears, must it be so hopeless- the way of this world?

21. End of the Yamato 710CE The Yamato Emperor is overthrown by his consort, a young woman of the Fujiwara Clan named Genmei Genmei moves the Capital to the city of Nara – Makes a series of improvements to Japan – Builds roads, irrigation networks and dams – Era known as the Nara Period

22. Nara Period 710-794 Extended period of peace in Japan Emperors establish themselves as powerful rulers by building religion – Hundreds of temples and shrines constructed across Japan – Emperor as Son of Heaven becomes the center of the religion

23. The Heian Period The Heian Period was marked with the Emperor becoming a figurehead – Someone who is propped up as the head of the government but has no actual power – Emperor continues to be revered as a religious leader – Power increasingly in the hands of the nobility, the heads of the clans

24. Rise of the Samurai Local lords, known as Daimyo, each had their own armies, led by personal retainers known as Samurai

25. Samurai Samurai were given control of farmland and personal wealth in exchange for their loyalty in warfare Mark of the Samurai was their swords – Each Samurai had two weapons The Katana: A long slashing sword designed for warfare The Wakizashi: a short sword, chiefly designed for committing suicide in the case of dishonor

27. Bushido Samurai were expected to live by a warrior code known as Bushido – Valued personal honor and loyalty above all else – Should a Samurai be dishonored, he was often expected to commit Seppuku, or suicide – Only Samurai were allowed to legally use and display swords Led to an underground network of sword trading and the creation of special weapons like Cane Swords

28. Cane Sword

29. Outside of Honor Jobs that required movement beyond the code of honor like spying and assassination required the hiring of Ninja – Samurai without a lord Could still carry swords but had no personal honor and thus could be hired for a number of jobs Used a wide variety of weapons including Shurkien (throwing blades), and poisoned blow darts for assassination

30. Samurai Armor

31. Ninja Armor

32. Ronin Samurai who lost their land, or had no holdings often became Ronin – Little better than bandits, they would attack farmers and steal their crops – Still considered Samurai – Often hired to join armies of local lords going to war

33. Rise of the Shogun, Medieval Japan By the 12 th Century, Constant war raged between the clans – A powerful noble named Minamoto Yoritomo defeated his rivals and established a new capital Edo (modern Tokyo)

34. Medieval Japan Known as the Kamakura Shogunate Several reforms made to government including the creation of the Shogun – Supposedly Shogun served the Emperor as his chief general – In reality Shogun controlled the entire country, keeping other nobles in line with the military

35. The Divine Wind New System seems to be endorsed by the Kami thanks to an invasion from the Mongols – Mongols attempt to launch an armada of ships to invade Japan – Ships destroyed by a typhoon that the Japanese called the Kamikaze (divine wind) Shogun argues this demonstrates his rightful status

36. Kamikaze

37. Castles Japanese Daimyo each built large fortresses to as a symbol of their power These were often made of wood, and thus could be destroyed easily – Japanese armies did not fight siege warfare, but relied on meeting each other in open war

38. Himeji Castle

39. End of the Shogunate The Kamakura Shogunate lasted for 300 years. – Collapsed due to a lack of a clear line of succession – Noble families fight for control – Eventually leads to all out civil war, as no one family is strong enough to defeat all the others

40. Buddhism in Japan Japan sees the rise of numerous Buddhist sects – Buddhism borrowed from China during the Taika Reforms – Popular in Japan due to Shinto’s lack of a clear moral law

41. Buddhism in Japan Several powerful Buddhist sects rise across Japan, competing with one another The Pure Land Sect – Believed that an ancient Japanese Prince named Amida achieved enlightenment – Amida left to establish a perfect kingdom across the sea

42. Pure Land Sect Believers in the Pure Land Sect are distinguished by always facing toward the setting sun while praying Taught that believers would be reborn into an earthly paradise in Amida’s Kingdom rather than in Nirvana

43. Zen Buddhism Founded by a monk named Nichiren – Believed that finding enlightenment was hampered by logic, academic trappings and learning Felt that enlightenment could only be found from within with rigid spiritual and mental discipline Became popular with Samurai class

44. Ceremonies Zen Sect introduced ceremonies designed to clear the mind and enforce personal discipline The Tea Ceremony: Long elaborate ceremony involving drinking and serving tea – Designed to focus the mind on the simple beauties of life – Used beautiful teacups depicting nature

45. Ceremonies Zen Rock Garden – Raking sand as a form of meditation – Goal was to create a perfect pattern with no footsteps around the rocks to resemble a calm sea and islands

46. Meditation Known as Zazen – Expected to be perfectly still and focused during meditation as a sign of devotion – Monks would often hit practitioners with sticks who were not sufficiently quiet and still

47. Buddhists and War Buddhist temples maintained their own groups of warriors to serve them known as Sohei Most famous Buddhist warrior was Miyamoto Musashi – Developed a two-sword fighting technique – Eventually wrote about his fighting style in the Book of Five Rings

48. Genpei War At the end of the 12 th Century, Buddhist temples went to war against each other Eventually turned on the Shogun Shogunate eventually put down the Buddhist uprising – Could not ban Buddhism but put laws in place limiting the number of temples that could be build and the number of sohei

49. Life in Medieval Japan Women in Japanese Life – Noble women enjoyed some equality with men – Expected to be educated – Could own property, and were allowed to divorce husbands – Could serve as Empresses – Some women became full-time Samurai warriors Known as Onna-Bugeisha

50. Onna-Bugeisha

51. Life in Medieval Japan Most of the wealth was concentrated in the hands of nobility – Lived a life focused on warfare and artistic pursuits – Guided only by the laws of honor

52. Art Samurai often wrote poetry Most common was known as Haiku – Special poem usually dealing with topic of nature – Made up of three lines – 5 syllables – 7 syllables – 5 syllabes

53. Painting Japanese art typically consisted of painting either on canvas or on porcelain Japanese also practiced calligraphy as an art form – Doing calligraphy considered a form of meditation

54. Theater Japan had two major types of theater – Noh Theater: Depicts mythic stories of humans interacting with spirits No speaking, similar to ballet Loved by the nobility – Kabuki Theater: highly stylized theater depicting moments of Japanese history or love stories Loved by the peasants

55. Writing Japanese writers produced some of the first novels First great Japanese writer was Mursaki Shikibu who wrote The Tale of Genji – Story of war and conflicting loyalties popular with nobility during the Shogunate

56. Architecture Due to the typically mild weather in Japan Japanese houses were often made of wood frames – Doors and walls often made of rice paper to create open, airy spaces – Curved, sloping roofs part of Shinto, designed to ward away evil spirits – Japanese houses commonly held gardens designed to glorify the beauty of nature

57. Traditional Japanese House

58. Medieval life Bulk of the population made up of peasants – Many restrictions on their life Could not travel without permission from their noble’s land Tax collectors took nearly all of their crops, leaving just enough food not to starve Could not carry weapons Could be killed by their noble for any offense real or imagined

59. Rise of the Merchant Class Rising prosperity in Japan leads to creation of merchants living in cities Merchants created the first money economy using gold and silver coins – Prior to that, Japan was a barter economy Merchants help to destabilize the old order, by often becoming richer than Samurai – Demanded more rights

60. Modernizing Japan After years of Civil War, a powerful warlord named Oda Nobunaga briefly gains control, before dying, his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu establishes a new government known as the Tokugawa Shogunate In 1542, Japan is visited by Portuguese explorers – Prior to this Japan had limited trade with rest of world

61. Tokugawa Ieyasu and the arrival of the Portuguese

62. Blunderbuss

63. Ban on Foreigners Portuguese trade guns and supplies with Japan, establish permanent bases After Portuguese begin converting Japanese to Christianity, Shogun bans the religion and expels all foreigners Japan becomes isolationist – Japan bans all foreign imports, bans foreigners landing on their soil

64. End of the Samurai In 1866, two powerful leaders among the Daimyo choose to support the Emperor in regaining power – Known as the Meiji Restoration – Ended the Shogunate Motivated by the attack on Japan by American fleet commander Commodore Perry

65. End of the Samurai Japan introduces a modern army Bans the Samurai – Makes wearing swords a crime Samurai attempt to rise up in the Satsuma Rebellion – Quickly put down by modern army equipped with rifles, cannon and gatling guns