HIS 105Chapter 9

Japan: Early History to 1467

Japan

East of China 4 main islands and other smaller ones Formed by volcanic eruptions Mountainous Only small area good for agriculture Wet rice is the staple crop

Japan

Poor in natural resources Beauty of their islands reflected in their art,

architecture, and religion Ancestors of the Japanese migrated to the

islands about 5000 B.C.E. probably from Polynesia and S.E. Asia

Mt. Fuji

Japan

Jomon Culture

Migrants Present 8000 – 300 B.C.E. Hunter/gatherers Distinctive cord pattern pottery

Jomon PotteryCord Pattern

Many other settlers came in from Korea and Manchuria and blended into a homogeneous society with a distinctive language, culture, and appearance

They drove the previous inhabitants, the Ainus, north where only a few exist today

Ainus

Yayoi Culture (300 B.C.E – 300 C.E.)

Wet rice introduced from Asian mainland Had wheel-turned pottery Had bronze ware (bells) Divided into clans Households were matriarchal Had a clan deity and rigid social classes Women had strong position in society:

– Shamans– Empresses

Yayoi Pottery

Yayoi Bronze

Yamato State ( 300 – 600 C.E.)

Gained dominance over other clans Imperial cult developed around the sun

goddess (land of the rising sun) and Shintoism

4th century- Yamato controlled southern islands and parts of Korea

Had contact with China through trade and migrants

Introduction of Chinese script made it possible for Japanese to learn from Chinese texts

Buddhism introduced in the 6th century and existed side-by-side with Shintoism

Shintoism – Animistic worship of the forces of nature– It included a great leader could be worshiped after

death

Chinese Calligraphy

Shintoism

– Mt. Fuji was holy– Each clan had a nature as its personal deity– Emperors seen as descendents of sun goddess

so were living gods

7th century – Yamato tried to style government after Chinese model

This ushered in a 2nd major turning point for Japanese – the spread of Chinese culture– Took place from 7th to 12th centuries– Occurred in 3 stages:

Learning about China Introducing Chinese institutions Trying to make Chinese ways Japanese ways

Japan remained politically independent but heavily influenced by China

Many copied ways , in the end, did not work in Japan:– Government became to heavy– Landlords resisted changes to more central

control– Many Chinese laws made no sense in Japan

There was a rising opposition to outside influences

However, a distinctive Japanese culture resulted

Change in Capitals

New capital established at Nara in 710 styled after the Chinese

In 794, the capital moved to Heian (Kyoto) Much later the capital moved to Edo or Tokyo

in 1869 All capitals were laid out quite elaborately

and those in government lived luxuriously

Peasants lived in pit houses in small villages They worked on paddy rice farms Used slash and burn techniques when

preparing land for cultivation There were also Buddhist temples

Pit Houses

Heian rulers followed both Shintoism and Confucius

Japanese believed they had only one dynasty in their history – all were descendents of the sun goddess

Heian Rulers

By 12th century– All land belonged to the emperor– It was redistributed every 6 years– Taxes were levied on people, not land

Things were all very stable until the end of Heian rule when taxes were placed on grain and landholdings became hereditary

Nobles and powerful temples were exempt from taxes

Samurai

792, the court began to rely on mounted warriors

They became the official troops of the emperor

They did not pay taxes They were known as the samurai from the

word samurau meaning “ to serve “

Samurai

They were the military of Japan until the 15th and 16th centuries when the “ foot soldier “ came into practice

Samurai paid for their own equipment and training, so many came from rich families

They were to preserve local order and to help collect taxes

Government

Slowly changed from Chinese model in 9th century

New agencies emerged– Audit officers who tried to keep an eye on

revenues– Bureau of Archivists who recorded imperial

decrees– Police Commissioners who were responsible for

law and order

The Court

Emperor– Had the power to appoint– Some families gained great influence through

marriage to the emperor: the Fujiwara family– Emperor Shirakawa believed an emperor should

govern and he did from 1072-1086; then he stepped down but continued to rule for another 43 years

– Other emperors followed his example

Culture

In Nara and early Heian Japan, culture was based in Shintoism and in village folkways

Court culture was still based in Chinese ways and teachings

Those in the court would read and write in Chinese and felt those who couldn’t were beneath them

760 – Japanese began writing their own stories in Japanese for a change– Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves

Chinese characters were used as phonetic symbols in that book of 4,516 poems

In 951 – a new alphabet or script, kana, was introduced for the Japanese

Many of the great writings during the Heian period were done by women

Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu in 1010 was the world’s first novel– showed sensitivity, character development, and life

Kana

Buddhism

Present in Nara Japan Mahayana Buddhism Had monks and monasteries living away

from society Received money from the state Popular in Japan first because of its rituals,

gods, demons, angels, and its art Later because of its philosophy

Not seen as foreign Was felt deeply by Japanese Shintoism was almost absorbed by

Buddhism in the late Heian period

Feudal Rule

1185 – capital was moved to Kyoto and civil rule was replaced by military rule called “tent government” or bakufu

This rule introduced the Shogun who was technically under the emperor

This brought about social reorganization

Shogun

Taira rule in Kyoto was defeated by Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199) in 1185

It was a national victory His soldiers were now his vassals He had military governors in each province

and military stewards on former Taira estates Any money went to the stewards or to Kyoto

Minamoto Yoritomo

This was the start of Feudal Japan After Yoritomo’s death in 1199, there was chaos In 1266 Kubla Khan demanded that Japan submit to

his rule He brought in 30,000 troops in 1274, was victorious

but then left 1281- he returned with 140,000 troops in an

amphibious operation

It didn’t look good for Japan until the kamikaze (divine winds) hit sinking a good part of the Mongol fleet; the rest turned around and left

Women

Some became prominent like Yoritomo’s widow, Nun Shogun, who ruled after his death

Some became writers There was that sun goddess connected to

the royal family For a time, women could inherit property That changed as the warrior state appeared

Ashikaga Takauji

1331 – another emperor felt the emperor should rule Ashikaga Takauji was sent to put down this

emperor’s revolt, but he turned on Kyoto and destroyed the Kamakura government

After the revolt ended in 1336, a multi-state system emerged

Each state was run by a different warrior group

Ashikaka set up his own bakufu with its own organization

Vassals on the land became known as Daimyos owing lyalty to the Shogun

Statistics

1200 – Japan had 6 million people 1600 – Japan had 12 million

– Better agricultural techniques– New strains of rice– Iron tools– Peasants became self-sufficient– Barter system

By 15th century, military weapons, sake, lumber, vegetable oil salt, sea products were sold

Copper coins and market places appeared and permanent towns

Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism– Emerged around 10th century– A variety of Japanese Buddhism that said the true

teachings of Buddha had been lost and that only faith was necessary for salvation

– It remains dominant in Japan today

Zen Buddhism– Included meditation– Monks stressed a return to the “uncluttered mind”,

the one with intuitive understanding– The most Chinese of Japanese sects– Religious experience counts more than words– Influenced the arts

No Plays

Product of medieval Japan Mystery drama Bare stage Male actors wearing beautiful robes and

masks Poetic language Spirit possession of a character takes place

and he dances

No Plays