1. Chapter 13 – Spread of Chinese Civilization:
Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

2. Japan, Vietnam, and Korea – each of these societies blended Chinese influence with local conditions, preferences and creativity producing distinctive civilized developments.
Buddhism played key roles in the transmission of Chinese civilization and culture
Chinese influence in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam emphasized links to China more than to the wider world

3. Japan: The Imperial Age
In the Taika ( ), Nara ( ), and Heian ( ) periods, Japanese borrowing from China peaked.
Began promoting adoption of Chinese culture:
Confucianism
Language (characters)
Buddhist sects
Chinese art & architecture
Government structure
“Great Kings” era

4. Taika Period 646 – Taika reforms aimed at incorporating Chinese
characters
court etiquette
Buddhist monks cures and magic for illnesses
worshiping Buddhist deities meshed with ancient Japanese spirits
However, the Japanese aristocracy challenged Chinese influence.
Argued for a return of Japanese ways
Strengthening of Japanese traditions occurred
Failure of Reforms – gradual change of power from Emperor/administration to aristocratic families to local lords in provinces

5. Taika reforms to remake the Japanese monarch into an absolutist Chinese style emperor, bureaucracy, and peasant army were resisted by the aristocratic families and Buddhist monastic orders who dominated the emperor and capital
The emperor established a new capital city at Heian, later called Kyoto
attempt to kill the influence of the monastic orders

6. The emperor abandoned all Taika reforms and restored the aristocratic families in an effort to break with Chinese influence
Aristocrats took control of central government positions and built up their own royal estates.
The emperor placed local army leaders to organize the military
helped erode control of the imperial household

7. Heian Era
During the Heian era Japanese emperor a world of luxury – an atmosphere of social status, affairs, and gossip.
It was a false life focused on beauty (fine gardens) and social interaction
Artificial world

8. Heian Period: 794-1156 Growth of large landed estates
Arts & literature of China flourished
Elaborate court life [highly refined]
First novel
The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu
[1000 pgs.+]
Moving away from Chinese models in religion, arts, and government

9. Lady Murasaki Shikibu
She contributed much to the Japanese script known as kana, while men wrote with Chinese characters, kanji.

10. Heian Period: Cultural Borrowing
Chinese writing
Chinese artistic styles
Buddhism [Zen]
BUT, not Chinese civil service system!

11. Decline of Imperial Power
Fujiwara, one of the aristocratic families of the 9th c. exercised exceptional influence over imperial affairs.
Packed upper administration with family
They used their wealth and influence to build up large estates that provided a stable financial base for their power.
The lands under their control expanded.
Aristocrats’ and monks’ power increased, but they failed to recognized the growing power of the local lords
Contributed to decline of Imperial rule

12. Rise of the Provincial Warrior Elite
Some of the provincial families had risen to power as land owners, estate managers, or local state officials, and came to control land and labor carving out little kingdoms – “mini-states”
Self-contained worlds
Denied resources to Imperial court
From them the warrior leaders, or bushi (local lords) controlled the law, public works, taxes and built up armies = effective military forces

13. Samurai (a warrior class emerges)
mounted troops
loyal to local lords
sometimes called in to protect the emperor and capital
The bushi (local lords) and samurai sharpened their martial skills using superbly forged, curved steel swords; represented heroic warfare

14. Code of Bushido

15. Japan moving toward a feudal order similar to western Europe era
Warrior Code:
Family honor and death rather than retreat or defeat
Ritual suicide to restore their family’s honor
Seppuku – disembowelment now known in the West as hara-kiri, belly splitting (honorable way to die)
Japan moving toward a feudal order similar to western Europe era

16. Rise of samurai frustrated hopes of creating a free peasantry
Peasants reduced to serfs
Separated from the warrior elite by ways of dressing
turn to popular Buddhism
Teachings understood and appealed to peasants and artisan classes

17. Era of Warrior Dominance
Power of provincial lords grew while imperial household and aristocracy declined (controlled by Fujiwara)
mid-12th century - Rivalry between the powerful families, the Taira and Minamoto (regional lords)
Minamoto commanders and their alliances proved superior to Taira
Five years, the Gempei War raged on the island Honshu. Taira were destroyed.
Caused great suffering to peasants
Minamoto established the bakufu, or military government (its capital was at Kamakura)
Although the emperor’s court was preserved, the real power was with the Minamoto and their samurai.
The feudal age in Japan had begun.

19. The Declining Influence of China
Imperial government weakens, aristocratic power grows = Chinese culture in Japan diminishes
Mandate of Heaven
Centralized power
Scholar-gentry class
Confucianism
Buddhism
Transformed into a distinctively Japanese religion
Decline of Tang – Chinese model less relevant to Japanese

20. Breakdown of Bakufu Dominance and the Age of the Warlords
Yoritomo, leader of the Minamoto and founder of the Kamakura Shogunate
Weakened the regime because of his fear of overthrow.
Fear of spies bred paranoia under the first of the Kamakura shoguns, or the military leaders of the bakufu.
Upon Yoritomo’s death, bushi lords focused on building up their power
Hojo warrior family (ally to Minamoto) would dominate the Kamakura regime

21. Early 14th century - The Ashikaga Takuaji, leader of a Minamoto family, overthrew the Kamakura regime and established the Ashikaga Shogunate ( )
Both the emperor’s and shogunate’s authority were weakened due to the strife between the two
Power of the bushi warlords grew

22. During the fighting, bushi vassals seized the lands of peasantry, the old aristocracy, and competing warlords resulting in bushi warlords power surge.
The lands the warlords acquired were given out to their samurai warriors
Pledged their loyalty and military support to their lord (feudalism)
Provincial lords amassed power.
Japan divided into 300 little kingdoms, whose warlord rulers were called daimyos

23. Comparing Japanese and European Feudalism
Similarities
Both rose due to weak central governments.
Both were based on mutual obligations and military needs
Differences
In Japan, family and social bonds were very strong
Religious/belief systems
art

24. Feudalism
A political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service.
Japan:
Shogun
Land - Shoen
Loyalty
Land - Shoen
Daimyo
Daimyo
Loyalty
Samurai
Samurai
Samurai
Food
Protection
Peasant
Peasant
Peasant
Peasant

25. Feudalism
A political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service.
Europe
King
Land - Fief
Loyalty
Land - Fief
Lord
Lord
Loyalty
Knight
Knight
Knight
Food
Protection
Peasant
Peasant
Peasant
Peasant

26. Toward Barbarism? Military Division and Social Change
15th – 16th century - Bushi era deteriorated
Spying, sneak attacks, ruses, and betrayals became the order of the day
Peasants became a critical component of daimyo armies
Peasant forces became a misery of the common people
Engaged in hopeless revolts
looted and pillaged; were brutal and destructive.
Japan was reverting from civilized life to barbarism.

27. Despite the chaos, there was economic and cultural growth.
Actions by the daimyos helped stabilized village life
Regular tax collection, construction of irrigation systems and other public works, building strong rural communities
New tools, use of draft animals, new crops (soybeans)
Peasants encouraged to produce highly marketable items giving potential sources of increased income
A new and wealthy commercial class emerged
Guild organizations grew strong helping to provide social solidarity and protection.

28. Women in merchant and artisan families had some degree of independence and could participate in guild organizations
However, women in the warrior elites faced loss of inheritance through the trend of daimyo families toward primogeniture, or limiting inheritance to the eldest son.
Japanese women of all classes lost roles in religious ceremonies and were replaced in Japanese theatrical performances by men specially trained to impersonate women.

29. Artistic Solace for a Troubled Age
Zen Buddhism- stressed simplicity and discipline has a special appeal to the warrior elite
Japanese version of Buddhism
Came from India through China
Zen monasteries provided trade contacts with China – revival of Chinese influence in Japan on the cultural level
Reinforced bushido values of mental and self-discipline

30. Korea: Between China and Japan
Koreans descended from peoples of eastern Siberia and Manchuria.
Choson – earliest Korean kingdom – conquered by the Han Chinese, so parts of Korea were colonized by Chinese settlers.
Chinese influenced the Korean culture through those colonies.
Later the Koguryo tribe of Korea established an independent state in the northern half of the peninsula. Went to war with two southern rivals, the Silla and Paekche

31. Contacts with splinter kingdoms of China resulted in a wave of Sinification – extensive adoption of Chinese culture in Korea.
Buddhism was a link between Korea and the successors of the Han dynasty
Chinese writing was introduced – not a good fit for Korea
The Koguryo monarch used the unified law code patterned after that of Han China

32. Tang Alliances and the Conq;uest of Korea
Tang dynasty included Korea in its territories
Tang struck an alliance with the rulers of the Silla kingdom to the southeast of Korea and destroyed the Packche kingdom and then defeated Koguryo
Because the Silla agreed to make tribute payments, the Chinese withdrew their armies in 688 leaving the Silla the independent rulers of a united Korea up to the early 20th c.

33. Sinification: The Tributary Link
Silla rulers established a miniature of the Tang Empire.
Submission and tribute guaranteed continuing peace with the Chinese and provided access to Chinese learning, art, and manufactured goods.
The tribute system became the major channel of trade and inter-cultural exchange between China and its neighbors.

34. Sinification of Korean Elite Culture
Silla rulers rebuilt their capital at Kimsong to look like its Tang counterpart.
Aristocratic families dominated imperial government
Some aristocrats submitted to Confucian examinations
Korean elite continued to favor Buddhism over Confucianism.
Korean artwork and monastic design outdid the Chinese

35. Korean celadon porcelains and black stoneware are considered some of the finest pottery ever made.

36. Civilization for the Few
The Korean elite monopolized the Chinese imports of the day.
Korean Society:
Aristocrats
Those who served the aristocrats (government functionaries)
Commoners – peasants
Near-slaves known as the “low born” (miners, artisans, servants and entertainers)

37. Koryo Collapse, Dynastic Renewal
Revolts by the common and low born people weakened the Silla and Koryo in combination with quarrels between aristocratic households and outside invasions.
Yi dynasty was established in 1392 – restored the aristocratic dominance and links to China

38. Between China and SE Asia: The Making of Vietnam
Vietnamese were a distinct people and did not want to be controlled by China -- feared losing their identity
The Chinese first called them Nam Viet, “people in the south”
Trade between the Chinese and Vietnamese consisted of Chinese silk which was traded for Viets’ ivory, tortoise shells, pearls and other exotics.

39. Later the Viet rulers defeated the feudal lords ending their control of the Red River valley and brought their lands under the control of the Viet kingdom.
Vietnamese customs and cultures differed from Chinese.
Vietnamese became a distinct ethnic group through intermarrying with the Mon-Khmer(today’s Cambodians) and Tai-speaking peoples.
They practiced village autonomy and preferred the nuclear family to the Chinese extended family custom.

40. Vietnamese women had greater freedom and more influence within the family and in society than did Chinese counterparts. Where Chinese women wore black pants, the Vietnamese women preferred long skirts
The Vietnamese preserved most of these features even through previous times of control by the Chinese.
Buddhism was the preferred religion of the Vietnamese.

41. Conquest and Sinification
By 111 B.C.E. the Han pushed to conquer the feisty Viets. These Chinese encouraged Viet local lords to adopt Chinese culture. Other cultural changes were attempted.
Vietnamese elites were drawn to the bureaucratic ways of the Han, attended Chinese-style schools, and took exams to qualify for high posts
Chinese cropping techniques and irrigation technology were introduced making Vietnamese agriculture the most productive in SE Asia.
Result: High Vietnamese population density

42. Vietnamese resisted Chinese dominance
Eventually the Chinese realized the Viets were, for the most part, not assimilating into the Chinese culture.
Vietnamese resisted Chinese dominance
Vietnamese aristocracy led revolts against them
Vietnamese peasantry was disappointed with Chinese imports and rose up time and again to drive off the alien rulers
The Trung sisters began the 39CE uprising against the Chinese by reminding Vienamese women of the undesireable Confucian norms and male dominance of the Chinese

43. Winning Independence Barriers the Chinese faced:
Long distances and mountain barriers prevented ease in supplying military expeditions to the far south
Vietnamese took advantage of 1) the political turmoil of the fall of the Tang dynasty and 2) the nomadic incursions in northern China to assert their independence
Vietnamese massively rebelled against the Chinese
939 the Vietnamese won political independence from the Chinese and held on to it until the conquests by the French in the 19th c.

44. Continuing Chinese Impact
The Le dynasty was Vietnam’s first ( )
Ruled through a Chinese-like bureaucracy
Used civil service exams
An administrative elite - Confucian in nature
Vietnamese equivalent of the Chinese scholar-gentry was weak because Vietnamese officials identified more with the peasantry rather than bureaucratic administrators
Scholar bureaucrats were considered less influential than well-educated Buddhist monks who were more closely linked with the peasantry
The high esteem in which women were held in Buddhist teachings enhanced the popularity of the monks in Vietnam.
Result: Most Vietnamese dynasties enjoyed less authority than those of their Chinese counterparts.

45. Vietnamese Drive to the South
Though watered down, the Chinese legacy of influence gave the Vietnamese big advantages in struggles within Indochina.
Their main enemies were the Chams and Khmers to the south.
11th to 18th c. Vietnamese fought:
a series of successful wars against the Chams, an Indianized people who were eventually driven out
And later, the Khmers of the Mekong delta who were pushed out when the Vietnamese used their advantage of superior weapons and forces to combat them.

46. Expansion and Division
The Hanoi-based dynasties had trouble controlling their commanders and peasants fighting.
Intermarriage between and custom sharing of the Chams and Khmers created problematic differences
Control of the Hanoi-based dynasties weakened over the southern region
Problem: less attention to orders and tax collection caused tension

47. France and the conversion-minded Roman Catholic church!
By the 16th c. a rival, the Nguyen, emerged to challenge the claims of legitimacy of the Trinh family that ruled the north.
For the next two centuries, these rival houses fought for the right to rule Vietnam. The hope was to eventually reunite all of Vietnam.
Because so much attention was paid to this problem, the Vietnamese people failed to see the external threat to their homeland:
France and the conversion-minded Roman Catholic church!