Final Dynasties
The rulers of this Dynasty were of Mongolian ancestry and descendants of Genghis Khan.
What was the Yuan Dynasty?
This phrase was used by the Chinese to refer to their own society and culture as the source of all things truly "civilized."
What is the "Empire of the Middle"?
This term referred to the traditional Japanese nobility and literally translates to mean the "Great Names."
Who were the "Daimyo"?
This group of Europeans were the first to initiate trade and contact with China beginning in 1514.
Who were the Portuguese?
This individual's given name was Zhu Yuanzhang, and he led an uprising which overthrew the Yuan Dynasty in China, whereupon he founded the Ming Dynasty and took this title meaning "Martial Emperor."
Who was Emperor Hongwu?
This dynasty is considered by historians as the last "pure Chinese" dynasty.
What was the Ming Dynasty?
This was the customary manner of ultimate respect for the Chinese emperor displayed by kneeling and bowing low enough to touch one's forehead to the ground.
What is the "Kowtow"?
This was the traditional Japanese religion which stressed the "animistic" belief that all things in nature (both animate and inanimate) are possessed of a "spirit."
What is "Shinto"?
The first group of Christian missionaries who made contact with the Chinese and impressed the members of the scholar-gentry with their education and mannerisms belonged to this Roman Catholic monastic order.
Who were the Jesuits?
Although he never actually ruled on the throne of China, this powerful military leader is considered the "First Empeor of the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty" and established the system of the Eight Banners.
Who was Nurhachi?
This ruling dynasty of China is also sometimes referred to as the Manchu (Manzhou) Dynasty.
What was the Qing Dynasty?
These were the scribes and scholar-gentry of the Chinese bureaucracy who advanced themselves by virture of their own abilities.
Who were "the Mandarins"?
This refers to the periods of Japanese history during which central ruling authority was held by feudal warlords and the Emperor was essentially a figurehead.
What is the "Shogunate" era?
The practice of adopting Chinese language, customs, and mode of dress is referred to as this.
What is "sinicization"?
This Japanese feudal warlord captured the city of Kyoto in the 16th century, and is considered the first of the "Three Great Unifiers" of Japan.
Who was Oda Nobunaga?
Rulers of this dynasty sponsored the seven Maritime Voyages, and constructed the "Forbidden City" in their capital of Beijing.
What was the Ming Dynasty?
This was a decorative style featuring Chinese art and craftsmanship that became popular in Western Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
This was the code of conduct to which the Japanese warrior class adhered, and which stressed loyalty to one's lord, honor, selflessness, and courage in the face of death.
What was "Bushido"?
When Europeans first made contact with the Japanese in the 16th century, what were the two most important things they introduced to the Japanese culture?
What were "Christianity" and "modern weaponry" (i.e. firearms and cannons)?
This successor to the first of the "Three Great Unifiers" was responsible for introducing firearms and modern weaponry to the Japanese military. He constructed a castle in the European style and made it the center of his rule. Because he was from the peasant class, he could not claim the title "shogun" but instead took the title meaning "Abundant Provider."
Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi?
Rulers of this dynasty established a "dyarchy" within the Imperial Bureaucracy.
What was the Qing Dynasty?
These were the eight military units of ethnic Manchu warriors strategically positioned in various regions of China and made up the bulk of the Qing military.
What were the "Banners"?
This was the Japanese foreign policy of self-imposed isolationism during the 17th and 18th centuries.
What was "sakoku"?
This was the Jesuit missionary who was most intrumental in bringing Roman Catholicism to the Japanese, who were impressed with his education and piety.
Who was St. Francis Xavier?
The last of the "Three Great Unifiers," he continued the practice of disarming all those not part of his military, but abandoned the idea of expanding to the mainland and began a policy of self-imposed isolation for Japan. He was the only one of the "Three Great Unifiers" to claim the title "Shogun" and initiated the "shogunate era" which bears his name.
Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu?