1. APCIV | The Spread of Chinese Civilization: Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
Chapter 13
APCIV | The Spread of Chinese Civilization: Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

2. Japan: The Imperial Age
In the 7th century, Japan began to completely revamp its political administration based on Chinese design: the Taika reforms
Japanese court scholars struggled to master thousands of Chinese characters, mimicked Chinese court traditions, and fused Confucian culture with Japanese traditions
Japanese aristocracy worshiped in Chinese-style temples and mimicked Buddhist art in Chinese style
Locals were influenced by the new Buddhist temples and mysticism, and Buddhist deities would mix with the Japanese kami
Emperors became “Son(s) of Heaven” and peasant conscript armies became the norm
Buddhist monks grew to be uniquely powerful in court and administration
By 794, the emperor Kammu moved the capital (away from the monks) to Heian (Kyoto)
He forbade the building of monasteries in the city, so they built them around it
He further removed Japan from the Taika reforms by dismantling the Chinese-style court
This allowed for aristocrats to establish powerful estates throughout Japan
It also required aristocrats to build/maintain armies for the emperor: rise of the samurai
The Heian Period: breaking of Chinese mimicking, Japanese traditions emerge

3. The Heian Period
In an effort to import Chinese characters, they were simplified to fit the Japanese spoken language (Kanji, later Hiragana)
Outpouring of Japanese literary expression (The Tale of Genji was the first novel in any written language: spoke of this court life)
Court life became a suffocated arena of courtly politics and etiquette: giving rise to a strict social façade of graciousness and good manners
Behind this façade was a system of intrigue, affairs, and gossip
As the court indulged in its new-found culture, aristocrats plotted
They would expand their power and establish fortresses, manned by their loyal samurai
Aristocratic families would often fight, under the ultimate power of the emperor
Imperial control of the land declined, and crime and lawlessness took the land
The emperor came to rely on his aristocrats (daimyo) and their loyal armies to police the land
A class of samurai emerged, with a distinct warrior code (bushido and seppuku)
This class simultaneously eliminated the emergence of free peasants

4. The Era of Warrior Dominance
Daimyo and their samurai armies dominated the political landscape
Their growth in power coincided with the decline in imperial power
With this, the decline of Chinese influence rose (eventually discontinued)
A large-scale imperial bureaucracy never materialized, the scholar-gentry culture never materialized as power shifted to aristocratic ambitions
Even Buddhism was becoming distinctly Japanese: Zen Buddhism
The Gempei Wars (12th century) was a war of daimyo rivalry
Peasants were forced to fight as powerful families and their samurai armies competed for control
In the end, one daimyo would establish a bakufu: a hegemony (feudalism)
The emperor would remain as a figurehead: real power was with the shogun
By the 14th century, a new family would reach bakufu: Ashikaga Shogunate
The power of daimyo crushed the opportunities of the peasants (serfdom)
The traditions of the warrior class deteriorated with time (samurai as problems)
Peasant armies came back into the norm, adding to social misery
Hopeless revolts become commonplace and literature was pessimistic
Daimyos worked to improve conditions through innovation (plows, production, seeds: soy beans)
Japanese commercial success grew: women in these classes had a greater status than those under the military class, but this would be reversed – primogeniture
A move from the barbarism of a militarized state grew
This led to the increasing influence of China, again – fusion of art and ceremony

5. Day 2
APCIV | Chapter 13

6. The Geographic Dilemma of Korea
Korean history was dwarfed by its massive western neighbor
Many people lump its history/culture with that of China
However, Korea would be run by indigenous dynasties throughout its history, paying tribute to China but maintaining a unique cultural identity
Koreans descend from pastoral peoples of eastern Siberia
In 109 BCE, the earliest Korean dynasty (Choson) was conquered by the Han
Chinese colonization that followed solidified Chinese influence in the region
However, indigenous Koreans would maintain their culture
Japan would establish a presence in the SE, but influence would flow eastward
Sinification came in the form of Buddhism, which deeply penetrated Korean culture
After the fall of the Han, Korean kingdoms would fight amongst themselves
This would lead to China invading Korea again under the Sui/Tang
Korea would not be conquered, but would agree to vassalage under the Tang
Korea would maintain self-rule under China until Japan annexed Korea: 1900s

7. Vassalage and Sinification
Under Chinese protection, Korea experienced a flooding of Chinese influence c. 7th century (Silla Dynasty) – 14th century Koryo Dynasty)
In ways, Korea became a miniature China committed to the tribute system
Central Asia nomads, Japanese emperors, Vietnam, among others were part of this system, but Korea was the most dedicated
The new Korean capital at Kumsong was modeled like a Chinese city, with gridded streets, markets, parks, lakes, and an imperial sector
Buddhism remained more influential than Confucianism
Korean society was uniquely geared towards the aristocracy, which dominated society
Commoners, artisans, tradesmen, and the like were there to supply the court
Korean Buddhism promised a blissful afterlife to escape their drudgery
Internal conflict between the elite and the poor weakened Korea
After the Mongol invasions, Korea reasserted itself under the Yi
This dynasty would last until the Japanese occupation of Korea in 1910

8. Sinification of Nam Viet “People of the South”
During the Qin Dynasty, references were made to the “southern barbarians”, and China made efforts to absorb them
The Vietnamese would maintain their independent culture, but would take from the Chinese that which they found useful
They would also marry into neighboring cultures (Khmer of Cambodia, and Tai of Thailand)
This blending would give rise to a distinct Vietnamese culture that proved notoriously difficult for China to conquer/occupy
The Han actively worked to assimilate the Vietnamese into Chinese
They garrisoned the border (Red River) and sent officials to educate the Viets in Chinese culture and style
The Vietnamese would use Chinese efficiency to gain an advantage over the peoples of the Mekong River Valley, which were being influenced by India
Vietnam would move to dominate Indochina: their Chinese-style efficiency gave them a unique advantage over their Indianized opponents
Vietnamese resistance to Chinese assimilation grew, which turned to hatred
Women in particular held disdain for Confucian subjugation of women
Trung Sisters revolt of 39 CE and constant revolts against Chinese rule
As the Vietnamese around the Red River absorbed the south to the Mekong, fundamental differences in culture made unification difficult (like US North/South differences)

9. In the Orbit of China: East Asia in the Global System
China’s political, cultural, and economic dominance would influence all of East Asia
Buddhism would facilitate this spread: despite being Indian, it was filtered through Chinese civilization before it passed
The Coming of Western Civilization to East Asia would disrupt and damage this system, with dramatic effects