1. THE SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION IN EAST ASIA
JAPAN, KOREA AND VIETNAM IN THE POST-CLASSICAL AGE

2. GEOGRAPHY INFLUENCES HISTORY
Relative Location
Korea, Vietnam border China
Japan located off coast of East Asia
Physical Characteristics
Korea, Vietnam
Mountainous, cut by river valleys
Population located on plains
Japan
Volcanic islands, very mountainous
Deep valleys with plains
Demography
Populace generally heavy on plains
Rice was principal crop
Cities exist but rarer than China
Cities: centers of Chinese culture
Countryside: resistant to Sinification

3. THE CONFUCIAN WORLD

4. KOREA: THE BRIDGE Korea in the Ancient and Classical Periods
Influenced by developments in China
Chinese armies invaded periodically
Chinese established control of parts of Korea
Nomadic invasions frequent
Fall of Han left regional Korean aristocrats in control
Korean History 669 – 1392 C.E.
Tang armies conquered much of Korea
Silla dynasty allied with Tang, ruled peninsula
Entered into a tributary relationship with China
Song replaced Tang
Koguryo conquered Silla in 935, ruled to 1392
China's influence in Korea
Sinification = becoming Chinese
Koreans borrowed what was useful, unavoidable; avoided what was not
Tributary embassies included Korean royal officials and scholars
Silla kings built new capital at Kumsong modeled on the Tang capital
Older Traditions
Ancestor worship strong in Korean society
Korean officials trained in Confucian ideas during Han, Tang but not as strong
Newer Traditions
Korean elite turned to Neo-Confucianism
Peasants turned to Chan Buddhism
Difference from China: aristocracy and royal houses dominated Korea

5. VIETNAM: A BORDER STATE
Nam Viet people originated in Southern China
Rise of Han and southern settlement of Chinese pushed Viet out
Viet migrated into Red River Valley, down coast fighting local inhabitants
Vietnam under Chinese rule to c. 983 CE
Han first conquered Northern Vietnam in 111 BCE
Viet elites adopted Chinese agriculture, schools, thought; intermarried
Massive migration of Chinese official, scholars, bureaucrats to Vietnam
Trung sisters led revolt against Chinese rule (40 – 43 CE)
Peasants resented Chinese influence, role of towns, cities
1,000 year struggle for independence
Relationship often tributary to China
Independent Vietnam (c. 983 CE)
Ruled by Dynasties, capital moved between Hanoi, Hue
Constant pressure against hill peoples, pushing south
Difference from China
Role of village equal to role of family in China
Few cities; village dominate countryside, elders ran villages
Many Vietnamese retained their religious traditions
Women played more prominent roles in Vietnam
Could be head of households, own land, engage openly in business
Were often leaders of villages and even at national level
Chinese influence in Vietnam limited to the elite
Elites adopted bureaucracy, form of state, emperorship, Confucianism
Adopted Chinese script, literary and artistic models
Mahayana Buddhism (although region is Theravada) also arrived
Irrigation and water control techniques

6. EARLY JAPAN Ancient Japan Nara Japan (710-794 C.E.)
Earliest inhabitants were nomadic Caucasians (Ainu) from Northeast Asia
Japanese related to Koreans, migrated into islands, pushed Ainu north
Ruled by several dozen states dominate by clans, 1st millennium BCE
Shinto: Ancestor veneration with deification of nature, spirits (kami)
Nara Japan ( C.E.)
Inspired by Tang, Yamato clan claimed imperial authority
The imperial court modeled on that of the Tang
Built a new capital (Nara) in 710 C.E., modeled on Chang'an
Prince Shotoku wrote first Japanese constitution
Adopted Confucianism and Buddhism, but maintained Shinto
Heian Japan ( C.E.)
Moved to new capital Heian (modern Kyoto) in 794
Japanese emperors as ceremonial figureheads and symbols of authority
Effective power in the hands of the Fujiwara family
Emperor did not rule
Lived in splendid isolation along with court elite
Effected by bureaucrats, complex etiquette
Chinese learning dominated Japanese education, culture
The Tale of Genji
Women contributed most to Japanese literature and writing
Decline of Heian Japan
Equal-field system began to fail
Aristocratic clans accumulated lands
Rivalry between court nobility and landed aristocracy
Taira and Minamoto, the two most powerful clans, engaged in wars
The clan leader of the victorious Minamoto claimed the title of shogun

7. MEDIEVAL JAPAN Japanese feudalism The Samurai Japanese Women
Called the Shogunate Period
Military dictators ruled, Emperors reigned in splendid isolation
Government was centralized feudalism
Countryside divided up into fiefs
Daimyo appointed by the shoguns
Adopted Neo-Confucianism as state philosophy
Provincial lords controlled Japan
Called Daimyo, vied for power against each other
Constant war to increase personal power, wealth, fiefs
Kamakura Period ( C.E.)
Muromachi Period ( C.E.)
The Samurai
The lowest class of aristocratic nobility
Professional warriors of provincial lords
Observed samurai code called bushido
Valued loyalty, military talent, and discipline; traded military skills for food
To preserve their honor, engaged in ritual suicide called seppuku
Japanese Women
Legendary founder of Japan, Yamato clan was sun goddess, Amaterasu
Under Heian
They were the cultural elite with elaborate rituals including dress
Had great influence, including several empresses
Under Shogunate
Lost considerable influence as Neo-Confucianism introduced, warfare spread
Could still be samurai and fight but patriarchal society
Shinto was also male dominated and included ancestor worship

8. FIEFS OF FEUDAL JAPAN