Emergence of Japan/Feudal Age
Kevin McLaughlin and Zaria Morris
Geography Sets Japan Apart
- Japan is located on a chain of islands
- east of Korean peninsula
- 4 main islands(Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku)
- is the size of Montana
- has a mild climate, and sufficient rainfall
- most people settled in narrow river valley's
- learned from Korea
- seas were also trade routes for Japan
- Inland sea was very important link among various Japanese islands
- seas offered plentiful food
- lies in a region called Ring of Fire, which is made up of volcanoes that circle the pacific ocean
- tsunamis, killer tidal waves, water earthquake
Early Traditions
- Japanese migrated from Asian mainlands about 2000 years ago
- they slowly pushed the earlier inhabitants, the Ainu, onto the northernmost island of Hokkaido
- Yamato clan claims power
- early Japanese society was divided into uji, or clans
- each uji had its own chief/ special god or goddess
- some clan leaders were women
- 500 a.d Yamota clan became to dominate
- Honshu, largest Japanese island
- Yamota set up Japan's one and only dynasty
- early Japanese clans honored kami
- Japanese language similar to Korean language
- Japan/Korea continuoscontact with each other
- korea brung sophisticated ideas
- missionaries from Korea introduced Buddhism
Japan Looks to China
- Japanese rulers adopted the title "heavenly emperor" and claimed absolute power.
- strengthened the central government, set up bureaucracy, and adopted a code of law.
- the Japanese emperor built a capital at nara, modeled on the tang capital
- Japanese officials and scholars used Chinese characters to write official histories.
- tang music and dances and gardens became very popular.
- adopted pagoda architecture
- the Japanese