Early Japan Holt page Standard and 7.5.2

Geography Shapes Life Islands are tops of undersea mnts and volcanoes 20% of the island is actually flat Live in costal plains so they could farm Very close to the sea all over the islands Learned how to prepare shark, octopus, seaweed etc Separation allowed Japanese to develop own culture Only 100 miles away from Korea though, 400 from China

Early Japanese Society Ainu Original people in the island of what is now Japan Eventually driven out onto the single island of Hokkaido Over time their culture disappeared Japanese Lived in small farming villages ruled by clans Had to obey and respect clan leaders Believed the clan chiefs were decedents of nature spirits Developed rituals known as Shinto

Shinto o Everything in Nature (sun, moon, trees etc) has Kami o Some Kami help people live and keep them from harm o Build Shrines to Kami and perform ceremonies

The First Emperors Clans were not all equal, some were larger and more powerful Built up armies and conquered others Yamato clan gains a lot of power Believed they were decedents of kami sun goddess

Japan Learns from China and Korea Written Language Many learned to read and write in Chinese Religion and Philosophy Were taught about Confucianism (focus on relationships) Some also practiced Buddhism and Shinto Government Wanted Japan emperors to have more power Clan leaders fought