China and Japan A Story of Influence

Government Under Prince Shotoku, in 583 C.E. Japan took an active interest in Chinese and Korean culture and government Taika Reforms- Land is taken away from clans in Japan and given to the emperor Emperor is the supreme ruler. Japan develops a bureaucracy, and people are chosen by merit.

City Design: Capitals Japan built a Chinese style capital city (Nara) to hold their bureaucracy (bureaucratic officials meet there) NARA, Japan Chang’an, China

Buddhism Spreads to Japan Shinto (celebrates the beauty and spirit of nature) and Buddhism are shared beliefs in Japan. Japanese creates Pure Land and Zen Buddhism

Writing Style First Japanese scholars used Kanji “Chinese writing” to write in Japanese By 900, the Japanese invented Kana or“borrowed letters”- each character represents a syllable Destiny

Poetic Form By using Chinese letters, Japanese poets created “Tanka” - a form of poetry modeled after the Chinese Style When spring comes The melted ice leaves no trace Would that your heart too Melted thus toward me.

Sculpture Like Buddhism, new techniques of sculpture also spread from India to China and then on to Korea and Japan Chinese Japanese

Architecture The Chinese pagoda style was copied by the Japanese Pagodas typically have 3,5,7 or 9 roofs. Pagoda in Nara, Japan Pagoda in China

Music Gagaku- a form of Chinese court music, was copied by Japan. It can still be heard today in Japan, 1,500 years later.