MEDIEVAL JAPAN

GEOGRAPHY

100

Where is Japan located?

Japan is a cluster of islands along the eastern coast of Asia.

300

What kind of geological phenomena occur in Japan often?

Earthquakes and volcanoes occur often in Japan due to the fact that the country sits on an intersection of four tectonic plates.

500

How many different types of towns were there?

There were five (5) different types of towns. Castle towns, Market towns, Temple/Shrine towns, Port towns, and Post-Station towns.

WARRIORS AND WARFARE

100

Name three (3) types of warriors.

Buke, Bushidan, Bushi, Samurai, Sohei, and Ashigaru.

300

How did Japanese armour differ from that of the European armour of the medieval period?

Japanese armourers did not confine themselves to metal, and instead incorporated lighter materials such as leather and silk.

500

Name four (4) martial arts listed in the presentation.

Archery, horsemanship, swimming, fencing/sword fighting, sword drawing, short sword skills, polearm or long sword manipulation, staff skills, spearmanship, yawara (judo/jujutsu), firearms skills, spying (ninjutsu), dagger throwing, needle spitting, chained sickle throwing, roping skills, barbed staff skills, truncheon skills.

SOCIETY, ECONOMY, ROLE OF WOMEN

100

Were women allowed to learn and practice martial abilities?

Yes, the warrior wives were obligated to practice martial abilities to be able to defend their home when their husbands were away fighting.

300

What type of currency did the Japanese use?

The Japanese used Chinese minted coins as means of currency during the medieval period.

500

Put this social structure in order, each group ranking highest to lowest: Shinto/Buddhists, artisans, outcasts, warriors, aristocrats, farmers and peasants).

Warriors, aristocrats, Shinto/Buddhists, farmers and peasants, artisans, merchants, and outcasts.

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

100

Who was allowed to be educated in the medieval period?

Aristocrats, Buddhists, Warriors, and their children were allowed to be educated in the medieval period.

300

How was the Japanese language created? (3 things mixed together)

The Japanese borrowed Chinese language for writing, and used two phonetic scripts to represent the sounds of Japanese, which were hiragana and katagana.

500

What three (3) styles were medieval literature written in?

Medieval literature was written in Classical Japanese, Japanese-Chinese Mixed Style, and Variant Chinese.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

100

How were medieval sculptures made?

Medieval sculptures were made of wood. They could either be carved out of one solid block of wood, or carved out of several pieces, and then put together afterwards.

300

Explain the difference between Buddhist architecture and Shinto architecture.

Buddhist architecture usually referred to architecture related to temples and temple complexes, whereas Shinto architecture usually referred to architecture related to shrines.

500

What is lacquer, and what was it used for?

Lacquer refers to the toxic, non-resinous sap of the lacquer tree, a member of the same genus as poison ivy. it was used to make household items for daily use.