1. Feudal Japan

2. Japan

3. Japan is very mountainous (only 11% of the land is good for farming)
The mountains are volcanic
The area is prone to earthquakes
In 1923 Tokyo was hit by a huge earthquake

4. Early Japan was composed of
a clan-based society
Early in the 7th century, Shotoku Taishi a Yamato prince unified Japan based on the Chinese Model of government.
Wanted a centralized gov. under a supreme ruler.
Objective: limit the powers of the aristocrats & enhance his own authority.
Result: He was portrayed as a symbol of the Japanese nation

5. The Nara Period
After Shotoku died in 622, power fell into the hands of the Fujiwara clan (tribe)
The emperor was still a Yamato ruler, but was influenced by the Fujiwara
A new capital was established at Nara
Japan’s central gov’t could not overcome the powerful of the aristocrats and they were able to keep the taxes from the land for themselves.
Eventually, gov’t lost power.

6. Heian Period
In 794 the emperor moved the capital from Nara to nearby Heian-kyo (near present day Kyoto)
During this time the gov’t was returning to the decentralized system that had existed before the time of Shotoku Taishi

7. Aristocrats turned to military force by creating a new class of people
Samurai “those who serve”
The Samurai lived
according to a strict warrior
code known as Bushido-
(“the way of the warrior”)

8. The Kamakura Shogunate
Minamoto Yoritomo, a prominent aristocrat, defeated several rivals
He set up a centralized gov. under a military leader known as the shogun (general),
the emperor remained ruler in name only but the shogun exercised the actual power
This was called the Shogunate

9. In 1333 the Mongols invaded Japan with 150,000 troops
Yoritomo created the Kamakura Shogunate
The Kamakura Shogunate lasted from
In 1333 the Mongols invaded Japan with 150,000 troops
However, a massive typhoon (violent storm) nearly destroyed the entire fleet

10. Collapse of Central Ruler
The power of the local aristocrats grew during the 14th &15th centuries.
Heads of noble families, called daimyo (great names) relied on the samurai for protection.
By 1500 Japan was closed to chaos

11. A devastating civil war known as the Onin War ( ) led to the destruction of the capital city of Kyoto and central authority disappeared.
Powerful aristocrats in rural areas seized control over large territories, ruled as independent lords, they were constantly fighting.

12. Life in Early Japan
Mostly farming, its people took advantage of the limited amount of farmland and abundant rainfall to grow wet rice

13. Religion
Early Japanese people worshiped spirits called Kami, who resided in trees, rivers, streams, and mountains.
Spirits of ancestors were also acknowledged
These beliefs evolved into a religion called Shinto (“The Sacred Way” or “the way of the gods”)