Japanese Society and Culture
This belief system native to Japan emphasized a connection to nature and kami.
What is Shinto?
This family dominated Japanese politics by marrying into the imperial family.
Answer: Who are the Fujiwara?
The samurai followed a strict code of conduct called this.
Answer: What is Bushido?
This was the primary crop of the Maya.
Answer: What is maize?
This Central American rainforest/jungle setting challenged the Maya to develop new farming strategies.
Answer: What is the Yucatán Peninsula?
The Japanese borrowed this system of writing but adapted it to fit their spoken language.
Answer: What is Chinese writing?
This novel, often called the world’s first, was written by Murasaki Shikibu.
Answer: What is The Tale of Genji?
This title was given to the top military commander who held real power in feudal Japan.
Answer: What is the shogun?
The Inca used this engineering technique to farm on steep mountain slopes.
Answer: What is terrace farming?
The Inca civilization developed in this major South American mountain range.
Answer: What are the Andes Mountains?
This country served as a cultural bridge between China and Japan.
Answer: What is Korea?
Aristocrats during this period ranked people by details as specific as the number of folds in their fans. This period is often called Japan’s golden age.
Answer: What is the Heian Period?
These landholding lords pledged loyalty to the shogun and commanded their own samurai.
Answer: What are the daimyo?
The Aztecs farmed on man-made islands called these.
Answer: What are chinampas?
This lake was where the Aztecs built their capital, Tenochtitlán.
Answer: What is Lake Texcoco?
Japanese poetry often emphasized themes of impermanence and beauty. This style followed a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
Answer: What is haiku?
This artistic value was emphasized above all else by Heian aristocrats.
Answer: What is beauty or aesthetic taste?
A teacher of samurai would likely emphasize this personal quality, which means being constantly ready and aware.
Answer: What is alertness or preparedness?
The Inca used this system of knotted strings to keep records.
Answer: What is a quipu?
The Inca used messengers called these to carry messages along thousands of miles of roads.
Answer: What are chasquis?
This term refers to the spread of ideas and practices between cultures, such as what occurred from Korea to Japan.
Answer: What is cultural diffusion?
This class of people led cultural achievements in the Heian era, often funding or producing poetry, art, and literature.
Answer: Who are the aristocrats?
Over time, this group saw their roles and rights decline in Japanese society, especially after the 12th century.
Answer: Who are women?
To support agriculture, the Aztecs built these structures to control water levels on their island city.
Answer: What are aqueducts or dikes?
The Olmec civilization is known as the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica and lived in this region.
Answer: What is the Gulf Coast of Mexico?