Japan History
Review the myth of Amaterasu and its connection to the role of the emperor.
Amaterasu was the sun goddess. She hid in a cave, and the other gods got her to come out. The emperor was thought of as “god-like.” He was thought to be a descendant of Amaterasu
Explain how nature has caused the people of Japan to be stoic.
-Stoic: when people deal with difficult situations well or with grace.
-Japan has tsunami, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. and the people there have developed resiliency to these occurrences. They learned to deal well with difficult situations.
Who/what is a shogun?
The shogun was Japan's supreme military leader, he made all the decisions during this time period.
What is the Edo period?
Tokugawa period, also called Edo period, (1603–1867), the final period of traditional Japan, a time of internal peace, political stability, and economic growth under the shogunate (military dictatorship) founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
What were the Floating Islands and why did the Shogun allow them to exist?
-located in Japan where rules were relaxed. People could participate in cultural activities, and they could relax and enjoy themselves.
-Shogun let these occur because they were under surveillance.
Give 4 reasons why Japan’s geography created an isolated country.
-mountains made it difficult to travel
-rough seas
-island
-no good harbours
Give three reasons why Japan was able to remain self-sufficient.
-grew rice
-very organized→ samurai, peasants, etc.
-fishing
Describe three ways the shogun tried to limit the powers of the daimyo.
-daimyo were responsible for their land→ pay to fix roads and anything else that needed to be done.
-alternate attendance: lived one year on their land, and one year in Edo (this was expensive).
-families were held hostage when the daimyo was not home. If the daimyo was heard of saying something against the Shogun, their families were threatened.
Explain three methods the shogun used to rid Japan of Christianity.
-killed Japanese Christians who would not convert to Shinto
-burned Western Books
-ordered all Christian missionaries out of Japan.
Give three reasons why Japan started to fall apart at the end of the Edo period.
-daimyo were going bankrupt because of alternate attendance and road construction.
-lots of natural disasters began affecting Japan
-Russia, England and the USA were threats because they wanted coal and water for passing ships
Explain the importance of cherry blossoms in Japanese culture.
-beauty
-renewal
-fragile
Describe the importance of rice in Japanese society.
-patience
-responsible
-hard-working
-had rice at every meal
Explain why artisans and merchants were below the peasants.
Peasants grew their products. The merchants and artisans did not actually grow their own items; they took what the peasants made and either created things or sold things
List 3 of the 5 main parts of the Exclusion Laws.
-all Christian missionaries and foreign traders were forced to leave Japan
-Newcomers were not allowed to come to Japan
-Japanese weren’t allowed to leave the country
-Ships large enough to make long trips→ no longer allowed and were destroyed
-Japanese who were out of country were not allowed to return
Who were the Ainu people and describe what happened to them.
-Indigenous people to Japan.
-Isolated and outcasted because they did jobs associated with death
What is a homogenous society?
- a society that is blended→ one culture
Connect the teachings of Confucianism to the concept of honor and duty in Japan.
-if people accepted their roles and duties→ there would be peace and order.
-if people did not complete their roles→ there would be chaos and suffering
-people should be modest, work hard and study hard
-proper behaviour
-compassion
What countries were exempt from these laws? Why?
Chinese, Dutch, and Korea. They kept these people with strict laws so they could trade.
1. Describe the spiritual beliefs associated with Shinto. -
2. What is kami and how does it affect Japanese worldview?
1. Some ideas of Buddhism and some of Confucianism.
2. -spirits found in nature
-Japanese respected nature because they believed that Kami existed in the natural environment
-ancestors became Kami when they died
Answers will vary.
Answers will vary.
Give three indicators that the economy of Edo Japan was booming. Why was Japan so successful at this time?
-population went up in cities
-farming got better and production increased.
-trade got better because of road construction by daimyo
-gold and silver coins were introduced as currency.