B.C.E. C.E. 400 200 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Sui Tang Song Yuan Reunify Grand Canal Mongol Dynasty Sui Tang Song Yuan Ming Han 400 200 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 B.C.E. C.E. Tribute System Neo-Confucianism 6 Ministries & Censorate Foot Binding Golden Age of arts Pop. growth

Sui reunification

It’s a foreign barbarian religion! Buddhism in China? It’s anti-family and anti-work! It’s a foreign barbarian religion! It’s selfish!

Great Buddha Hall of Nanchan When the Han Dynasty collapsed, Confucianism was discredited. Buddhism (and Daoism) offered a more spiritual/comforting alternative. Xumi Pagoda Lingxiao Pagoda Wooden Bodhisattva Leshan Giant Buddha Leshan Giant Buddha

A wooden bodhisattva of the Song dynasty. Buddhist decline: Growing resentment against foreign culture (and An Lushan rebellion) Old criticisms of Buddhism Monks sent home Buddhist property confiscated Forbidden to use gold, silver, copper, iron, gems in images

Neo-Confucianism: Blended in spiritual ideas (Buddhism & Daoism) This world is real. Also a spiritual world. Goal is to transcend the real world and join with the Supreme Ultimate This is done by self-cultivation I’m back…

Foot Binding Began between the ages of 4 and 7 Involved the tight wrapping of young girls’ feet Broke the bones and caused intense pain Goal = to make the feet small and delicate Sign of female beauty Kept the women at home Began with just elite women, but soon became a common practice with all classes

Chinese culture forcibly spread to Korea & Vietnam Japan sent missions to China to learn Chinese culture. Adopted: Imperial system Tax system Law codes Province system City-structure Confucianism Buddhism

Shinto Japan’s original religion - connects them to their past Belief in kami (gods, spirits, etc) Ideas of purity Shrines Will assimilate Buddhism and Confucianism to their culture.

Feudal Japan Mikado Shoguns Daimyos = local lords Samurai = warriors Emperor Very little power; figurehead Generals and powerful lords Most political and military power Mikado Shoguns Always fighting each other Daimyos = local lords Owned estates Had private armies Code of Bushido = samurai code of honor Seppuku = ritualistic suicide  belly-slashing Samurai = warriors Loose-fitting armor Fought with swords AND on horseback with bows & arrows Peasants  worked on the land; paid heavy taxes; received protection in return

Samurai followed Bushido, the way of the warrior.

And now an excerpt from this book. The excerpt is part of the introduction to a writing.

Ichijo Kaneyoshi (1402-1481) A descendant of the powerful Fujiwara clan…Kaneyoshi served as regent, a post he soon resigned, and was twice the chief adviser to the emperor. An expert in Shinto and Buddhism as well as Confucianism, he ultimately retired into Buddhist orders. The admonitions translated here were written for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinao (r. 1473-1489). In accord with the religious temper of his time, Ichijo weaves concepts of authority, power and responsibility into a prayer to Hachiman, the Shinto god of war envisioned as a Buddhist protector of Confucian justice.

He tends to apply Buddhist values such as honesty and universality to modify the mental restrictions ordinarily imposed on attitudes by clannish customs and hierarchical organization, as advice to a ruler, the ideas of clarity and compassion are devoted to facilitating good government.

Olympics 2020 will be in Tokyo, Japan. This is the promo video that was aired during the final night of the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, Brazil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNuqKVG781I