Feudal Japan - St. Francis Preparatory School · Samurai Samurai Samurai Peasant Peasant Peasant...

The Japanese had a deep respect for

nature due to their geography

Tsunami Tsunami 2

• How do you think that played into

their early religion?

• How do you think that played into

their early religion?

• Polytheistic

• SHINTOISM

Yamato Period: 300-710

“Great Kings” era

Began promoting the adoption of Chinese culture: Confucianism. Language Buddhism Chinese art & architecture. Strong Government

Heian Period: 700’s-1100’s

Characteristics: Growth of large estates.(Nobles) Arts & literature of China flourished. Elaborate court life [highly refined] ETIQUETTE.

Great novel The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu [1000 pgs.+]

Heian Court Dress

Tale of Genji (first novel)

Tale of Genji Scroll (first novel)

Heian Period:

Selective Borrowing

1.Chinese writing.

2.Chinese artistic styles.

3.Buddhism [ZEN].

4.BUT, not the Chinese civil service system!

Feudalism A political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service.

Europe:

King

Lord Lord

Knight Knight Knight

Peasant Peasant Peasant Peasant

Land - Fief

Land - Fief

Protection

Loyalty

Loyalty

Food

Feudalism A political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service.

Japan:

Shogun

Daimyo Daimyo

Samurai Samurai Samurai

Peasant Peasant Peasant Peasant

Land - Shoen

Land - Shoen

Protection

Loyalty

Loyalty

Food

Feudal

Society

The emperor

reigned, but did

not always rule!

European knight Samurai Warrior

vs.

Medieval Warriors

Knight’s Armor Samurai Armor

vs.

Medieval Warriors

Code of Bushido

* Respect for opponent

* Politeness

* Loyalty

* Discipline

Seppuku: Ritual Suicide

Kaishaku – his “seconds”

It is honorable to die in this way.

Full Samurai Attire

Samurai Sword

Early Mounted

Samurai Warriors

Underpinnings: Basic Steps

in Self Defense

A COTTON BREECH CLOUT that extended up over the chest was the basic undergarment of a samurai’s costume

A SHORT SLEEVED KIMONO, or “armor robe,” was tied snugly at the waist with a special knot (lower right)

BILLOWING PANTALOONS,worn over the armor robe, fitted loosely in the legs to allow freedom of movement

STURDY SHINGUARDS of cloth or leather were reinforced with strips of iron to give protection from the front

AN EXQUISITE BROCADE, richly worked with a design of peonies, was one of the extravagant materials used in an armor robe that may have been made for a 14th Century imperial prince

Samurai Charging

Modern-Day “Samurai

Warriors”

Zen Buddhism

A Japanese variation of the Mahayana form of Buddhism, which came from India through China.

It reinforced the Bushido values of mental and self-discipline.

A Zen Buddhism Symbol

Zen Buddhism places an emphasis on mindful

acceptance of the present moment, spontaneous action,

and letting go of self-conscious and judgmental thinking.

Mongol

“Invasion”

of Japan

4,400 ships and 140,000 men, but kamikaze winds stopped them.

C

A

S

T

L

E

S

Osaka Castle

Main Gate of

Hiroshima Castle

Caernorfon Castle,

Wales

Warwick Castle, England

R

O

E

N

S

The Age of the Warring States:

(1467 - 1568)

Castles built on hills in different provinces. Power shifts from above to below. Europeans arrive in Japan

bringing firearms & Christianity. Christianity & foreign trade flourish.

• Made into a

video game

•The Three Unifiers of

Japan:

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582)

Very influential to later rulers

Unifies a large part of Japan.

Oda Nobunaga

Dynasty Warriors

• Militarily, Nobunaga's revolutionary vision not only changed the way war was fought in Japan, but also in turn made one of the most modernized forces in the world at that time. He developed, implemented, and expanded the use of long pikes, firearms and castle fortifications in accordance with the expanded mass battles of the period.

• Nobunaga also instituted a specialized warrior class system and appointed his retainers and subjects to positions based on ability, not wholly based on name, rank, or family relationship as in prior periods. Retainers were also given land on the basis of rice output, not land size. Nobunaga's organizational system in particular was later used and extensively developed by his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu in the forming of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo.

Nobunaga is betrayed by one of his closest

generals (Akechi Mitsuhide) and forced to

commit SEPUKU.

Mitsuhide looks to take over the throne but his

rule is short-lived because …

• Hideyoshi defeated Akechi at the Battle of

Yamakazi 13 days later.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

(1536-1598)

A lowly servant in the

Oda Clan . He was one

of Nobunaga's sandal-

bearers but eventually

became one of his top

generals

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

(1536-1598)

Becomes suspicious of European territorial ambitions.

Orders all European missionaries expelled from Japan.

Tries to invade Korea, but fails.

•Though he actually intended to

conquer Ming China, Hideyoshi had

been communicating with the Koreans

since 1587 requesting safe passage

into China. As allies of Ming China, the

Koreans at first refused talks entirely,

and in April and July 1591 refused

demands that Japanese troops be

allowed to march through Korea. In

August, Hideyoshi ordered

preparations for invasion.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Dynasty Warriors

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616)

One of Japan’s strongest shoguns

Rose to power after Toyotomi’s death

Stopped Japanese expeditions

Shogunate ruled from 1600-1868

• Don’t Write: Ieyasu

had shared his

childhood with

Nobunaga as a

hostage of the Oda

Clan.

• Though there were

a number of

battles between

Ieyasu and the

Oda clan, Ieyasu

eventually

switched sides and

became one of

Nobunaga's

strongest allies.

Edo Castle

Tokugawa Shogunate Period

Japan closed off to all trade [except to the Dutch and Chinese].

The Dutch were restricted to a small island in Nagasaki harbor.

Japanese Christians persecuted and Christianity is forbidden. The government is centralized with all power in the hands of the shogun. Domestic trade flourishes. Towns, esp. castle towns, increase. New art forms haiku poetry, kabuki theater.

Haiku Examples

Curving up, then down.

Meeting blue sky and green earth

Melding sun and rain.

The red blossom bends

and drips its dew to the ground.

Like a tear it falls

Fill in the 7 syllable line

• Green elms in the woods

•

• _______________________________

•

• Standing tall and proud

Fill in the two five syllable lines.

___________________________

The petals bend to the earth

___________________________