The East Asian Rimlands: Early Japan, Korea, and Vietnam 11 The East Asian Rimlands: Early Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

Japan and Its Neighbors ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Japan: Land of the Rising Sun Main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku Importance of geography Importance of being an island country A Gift from the Gods: Prehistoric Japan Creation myth Marriage of Izanagi and Izanami Birth of Amaterasu – Sun goddess Descendant of Amaterasu founded Japan Jomon people, 10,000 years ago Hunters and gatherers Agriculture appeared sometime during the first millennium B.C.E. Yayoi culture Mixture of Jomon and new arrivals First lived on Kyushu and later Honshu Tribal society based on clans (uji) in central Honshu

Early Japan ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Rise of the Japanese State Yamoto state Two methods to deal with Chinese threat Shotoku Taishi (572-622) Missions to Tang China to learn about the centralized kingdom Emulating the Chinese Model Reforms Centralized government under a supreme rule Merit system for public officials Taika reforms continued movement toward centralized rule Interest in Buddhism Nara Period Nara Period (710-784) Fujiwara clan married into the ruling Yamato family Chinese state model

Heian (Kyoto) Period (794-1185) Fujiwara clan had the real power, senior member of the family serves as regent Decentralized political system Shoen (tax exempt) farmland Emergence of the samurai (military retainer) Bushido warrior code

Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333) Minamoto Yoritomo (1142-1199) Bakufu (tent government) shogun (general) Shogunate system Mongols Khubilai Khan demands tribute, 1266 Japan invaded twice by the Mongols Kamikaze (Divine Wind) Kamakura shogunate weakened and overthrown Ashikaga shogun Power to local landed aristocracy, daimyo Onin War (1467-1477)

Economic and Social Structures Noble control of land, wealth in agriculture Commerce slow to develop Trade and manufacturing developed more rapidly in Kamakura period and the Ashikaga shogunate

Daily life Most were peasants who worked the land owned by the lord Under the authority of local officials Dispose of harvest as they saw fit after taxes paid Genin, landless laborers eta, hereditary slaves Daily life was similar to others peoples in Asia shoen, several villages Life was difficult Women in Japan Had rights in early Japan When introduced Buddhism relegated women to a subordinate position Nevertheless, played a role in all levels of society

In Search of the Pure Land: Religion in Early Japan Shinto Kami, nature spirits Ancestor worship Physical purity and its relationship to women Nature and beauty State doctrine linked to divinity belief about emperor and the sacredness of Japan Buddhism, 6th century B.C.E. Jodo, Pure land Zen Zen teaches ways to achieve Satori, enlightenment Zazen, scripture study and self-discipline

Sources of Traditional Japanese Culture Literature Adapted Chinese writing system Poetry and prose Haiku Women prolific writers of prose No, drama Art and Architecture Art Search for beauty; hand scrolls, screens, other works Nature themes dominated; search for emotional response Kamakura Period (1185-1333) Zen Buddhism Landscape Tea ceremony

Japan, China, and Korea, 600-800 ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Japan and the Chinese Model Consequences of isolation Lack of knowledge form the outside delayed the process of change Importance of geography Spared destructive invasions Decentralized political forces remained dominant

Korea’s Three Kingdoms

Korea: Bridge to the East Farming began about 2000 B.C.E. Chinese influence and rule Three Kingdoms (4th-7th centuries) Koguryo -- influenced by China, Buddhism, and Confucianism Paekche Silla -- dominant power The Rise of the Koryo Dynasty Koryo dynasty Social structure Buddhism Under the Mongols Seized in the thirteenth century Forced labor for the peasants Introduced Chinese ideas and technology Yi dynasty, 1392

Vietnam: The Smaller Dragon Irrigated agriculture in area of the Red River Conflict with the Qin and Han empires in China Trung Sisters Revolt, 39 C.E. Chinese regain control The Rise of Great Viet Overthrow of Chinese rule Expansion The Chinese Legacy Following the Confucian model Spread of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism Borrowed from Chinese for literature Society and Family Life Borrowed the Confucian system and the civil service examination Peasant masses Growing emphasis on male domination Strong tradition of heroic women

Discussion Questions How did geography and climate affect the development of Japan? What were the main characteristics of the political development of early Japan? How was Japanese daily life like the early life in China? How was it different? Trace the development of religion in early Japan. What was the relationship between early Japan and its neighbors in Eastern Asia?