Japanese Geography

Geography Japan lies on a mountain filled archipelago (group of islands). It is separated by the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea from Korea, China, and Russia, its nearest neighbor on the Asian mainland.

Geography For most of its history, Japan had been isolated by: – geography and – choice from the rest of the world. There was very little farmable land, so the Japanese got most of their food from the sea.

Shintoism - Religion Before 400 A.D. Japan was populated by clans who worshipped ancestral and natural spirits. Shintoism had the following features: – importance of natural features – forces of nature – ancestral worship. Also, this religion coexisted with Buddhism.

Shintoism Another key feature of Shintoism was worshipping the emperor. Shintoism was considered to be the state religion. Until 1945, followers of Shintoism believed that the emperor was a god.

Torii Gate Marked the entrance to a sacred space

Shintoism A key aspect of Shintoism was the belief in kami. – Kami are the divine spirits that dwelled (lived) in nature. Any unusual or especially beautiful tree, rock, waterfall, or mountain was considered home of the kami.

Government and Culture For some years, Japanese methods of government were strongly influenced by China. Prince Shotoku sent a group of scholars to China to learn Chinese writing, styles of landscape painting, architecture, and simple daily arts like tea drinking and gardening.

Samurai During Japan’s period of feudalism, large landowners hired bodyguards/warriors to protect them, and this type of fighter was called a samurai. The samurai (military class) practiced Zen Buddhism which stressed two goals: – living in harmony with nature – reaching enlightenment through meditation and physical discipline. (video) (Combining of which two religions?)

Feudalism = holding of land in exchange for service or labor COPY

Comparing Japanese and European Feudal System

Samurai Samurai fought on horseback with bows, arrows, and steel swords They followed a code called Bushido, meaning the way of the warrior (video) Bushido stressed bravery, self discipline, and loyalty