JAPAN, KOREA, AND SOUTHEAST ASIA Cultural Diffusion from China

Japan, An Island Nation  Is an Archipelago: A chain of Thousands of islands; off the coast of Asia  4 large islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku  The Ring of Fire: makes it  Mountainous  And prone to Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, typhoons, tidal waves

Isolation  The seas around Japan have kept it from its enemies  Japan could control contact  Mongols tried to invade Japan 1281 with a fleet carrying 140,000  A typhoon wrecked the fleet  Kamikaze “Divine Wind”

Early Japanese  Migrants from Asia first settled in Japan  Formed clan system  The most powerful are on Honshu

Shinto  Gods or nature spirits “kami”  Spirits lived in natural objects  Shinto: Way of the Kami  Prayers and rituals to praise the kami

Cultural Diffusion  Few early Japanese historical records  Chinese writing adopted by the Japanese  Buddhism came in 552 CE  Art, science, government, and fashion  702 CE code of laws based on the Tang Dynasty Laws

Buddhism (Mahayana)  Resistance to Buddhism at first  Then accepted  Buddhist temples built  Many from the Imperial court became Buddhist  Buddhism spread amongst the people  Shinto and Buddhism both became an important part of Japanese Life

Feudal Japan  800 CE; the political system of Japan changed  2 factors: Central government- The emperor and important families; Local landowners with their own warriors I am Your father?!

Feudal Government  Fujiwara: first clan in control of the government  Minamoto: created the office of Shogun  Emperor kept the throne but the shogun was in control of the military, finances, and law  Local level: wealthy landowners held power  Samurai: warriors hired by the landlords

The Samurai  Protected the landlords  Much like medieval knights or cowboys  A samurai was fiercely loyal to the landowners and clan  Power: Sword Skills  Followed Bushido – The Way of the Warrior

Bushido  Stressed bravery, loyalty, and honor  Accept physical hardship without complaint  Did not fear death  Seppuku – ceremonial suicide if they did not please their masters or if they were defeated in battle – avoid dishonor

Daimyo  Local leaders became known as Daimyo “great name” The most powerful people during the Ashikaga Shogunate No central government for 100 years Constant battle The poor could gain status in war

Zen Buddhism  Religious awakenings; new sects  From China in the 1100s CE  Appealed to ordinary people  Salvation through enlightenment  Life of the Body was not important  Long hours of meditation  Helped warriors in battle

Zen Art  Monks worked in landscape art  Represent the beauty of nature  Tea ceremony – produce spiritual calm  Simple room by the garden, quietly drink Tea and admire the beauty of nature  Noh plays

Chinese contributions to Korea  Rice farming came from China  Metalworking  300 BCE migrants came to Korea from China  108 BCE Han Dynasty made Korea a colony for 400 years  Fall of the Han; Koguryo independence

Korea  Taken by China  Struggle for independence  Yi Dynasty from 1300s to 1910

Chinese contributions  Chinese characters  Chinese government; kings  Confucian civil service system  Built the capital Kaesong much like Xi’an  Chinese Buddhism; built temples  700s; Zen Buddhism became dominant  Moveable wood type; bettered it – metal type sharper images

Chinese contributions to Southeast Asia  These areas were controlled by China throughout history  Adopted Mahayana Buddhism – guiding philosophy for Vietnam  Daoism and Confucianism also influenced Vietnam  Writing system  Political Organization  Theravada Buddhism in Cambodia or the Khmer Kingdom

Journal  What were some of the major contributions of China to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia? How has China influenced their neighbors with these things? What are some things that you think we have taken from China?