Shintoism (Standard 7.08)
This term translates to "way of the gods" and is Japan’s original, native religion.
What is Shinto (or Shintoism)?
Japan is an island chain, so these two massive neighbors across the sea acted as "bridges" to bring over new ideas, writing, and religions.
Who are China and Korea?
This city (which we now call Kyoto) was built to be the super fancy, peaceful capital of Japan during the Heian period.
What is Heian-kyo?
By the late 1100s, people got tired of the weak emperor, leading to a major shift where Japan turned into this kind of society run by military leaders.
What is a military society (or feudal society)?
In Japan, it was super common to see a Shinto shrine right next to a Buddhist temple because the Japanese practiced this—blending two religions together!
What is religious blending (or syncretism)?
In Shinto, these are the sacred spirits or holy powers found all over nature in things like mountains, trees, and rivers.
What are kami?
This major religion traveled across the sea from the mainland and blended right in with Japan's native Shinto beliefs.
What is Buddhism?
This group of wealthy, pampered nobles hung out around the emperor all day writing poetry, picking out gorgeous silk clothes, and worrying about court gossip.
Who is the Heian aristocracy (or court nobles)?
This cool title means "supreme barbarian-quelling general"—and it belonged to the absolute military dictator running Japan.
What is a shogun?
Prince Shotoku loved learning from mainland Asia so much that he sent official study groups and smart scholars across the ocean to visit this massive empire.
What is China?
Unlike Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism, Shintoism is unique because it doesn't have a single founder or one of these traditional holy books.
What is a sacred text (or holy book)?
This famous 7-point document was written by a smart Japanese prince to organize the government and teach leaders how to behave using Confucian rules.
What is the Constitution of Prince Shotoku?
Written by a noblewoman named Murasaki Shikibu during the Heian era, this massive story is famous for being the world's first novel.
What is The Tale of Genji?
These elite, highly trained professional warriors protected the wealthy landowners and followed a strict code of honor.
Who are the samurai?
Heian nobles were obsessed with looking cool. They would spend hours perfecting their handwriting, wearing layers of silk robes, and writing this kind of rhythmic literature.
What is poetry?
You can spot the entrance to a Shinto shrine right away by looking for one of these bright red, traditional Japanese gates.
What is a torii gate?
Instead of inventing their own letters from scratch, the Japanese borrowed ideas from this mainland writing system to write down their own language.
What is the Chinese writing system (or Chinese characters)?
While men at court had to write using formal Chinese, Heian women created a huge boom in literature by writing using this everyday, local script.
What is vernacular script (or kana)?
This was the strict, unwritten code of conduct that every samurai had to live by, emphasizing extreme bravery, discipline, and loyalty.
What is Bushido ("the way of the warrior")?
As time went on, regional clans grew powerful and hired samurai. These ultra-wealthy landowners who owned all the farms were known by this title.
Who are the daimyo (or lords)?
Shintoism deeply shapes Japanese culture by teaching people to have a deep respect and live in harmony with this.
What is nature (or the environment)?
Prince Shotoku heavily promoted this Chinese philosophy, which focuses on family respect, good moral behavior, and keeping social order.
What is Confucianism?
Because the Heian court stopped copying China and started doing their own thing, they helped create a brand-new, unique Japanese version of this.
What is a national culture (or native Japanese style of art/literature)?
While the Shogun had all the real power, this traditional figurehead stayed locked away in the palace in Kyoto just looking important.
Who is the Emperor?
This powerful clan won a massive civil war and set up the very first permanent military government (shogunate) in Japan in 1192.
Who is the Minamoto clan?