chapter 13 japan, korea, & vietnam. overarching themes buddhism serves as vehicle for spread of...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 13
JAPAN, KOREA, & VIETNAM
Overarching Themes
Buddhism serves as vehicle for spread of Chinese culture
Chinese culture is selectively adopted, and often modified to meet local needsCreates distant connection w/ India (origins of
Buddhism)Reoccurring question – “how much do we really
need/want Chinese culture?”Creates cultural link between these centers of
civilization
Japan’s Contact with China
Early contact tempered by faithfulness to traditional valuesShinto views on supernatural/natural world
Taika reforms (646 CE)Revamps political system
Adoption of Confucian education (scholar class)Adoption of Chinese written language (very different)Adoption of Chinese political etiquetteTransformation of Japanese monarch
Become an absolutist divine emperor – “Son of Heaven”Creation of professional bureaucracy
Adoption of Buddhism as religion of the eliteLower classes fuse Buddhism & Shinto
Japan’s Contact with ChinaFailure of Taika reforms (mid-8th century)
Japanese aristocratic families & Buddhist monks had too much powerWould not allow creation of an absolute emperorBuddhists were trying to gain control of gov’t
for themselvesEmperor abandons Taika reforms,
reinstates aristocratsHopes that alliance will weaken Buddhist power
Japan abandons Chinese merit-system of advancementRevert to standard social classes based on birth
Japan’s Contact with ChinaSuccess of Chinese Cultural Adoption
Elites create a world based on reputation and social statusEmphasis on physical appearance, material wealth – shallow &
fakeAchievements in poetic and literary works – focus on
sentimentalityImpact on women
Successful poets, artists, musiciansBecome involved in political and social intrigues (form of
power)Still relegated to secondary statusLower class women able to engage in commercial activity
Guilds, merchant activitiesWarrior class women ultimately minimized (training, marriage,
inheritance)
Japan’s Growth & DevelopmentCompetition for Political Power
4 groups vie for control of governmentAristocrats
Increase land holdings to build power base Accumulate wealth and peasants/artisans
Buddhist monastic orders Increase land holdings to build power base Accumulate wealth and peasants/artisans
Local provincial lords (Bushi) Increase land holdings to build power base Control production in the countryside (labor and product) Create fortresses to defend their land (self-sufficient) Build up their own armies samurai
Samurai serve as police force for gov’t
Emperor Claim to divine power is weakened Bureaucracy replaced by aristocrats
Japan’s Growth & DevelopmentResults in several periods of warfare and
rebellionCreation of Bakufu – military governmentCreation of Shogun – military leaders of the BakufuNoble families compete for real control of
government, but appoint emperors as figureheadProvincial land owners destroy aristocracy (could
not defend themselves)Ultimately results in collapse of Japan’s political
structure Creation of small kingdoms, ruled by daimyos (bushi)
Abandonment of Chinese imitation (coincides with decline of China)
Overview of KoreaKorea has the longest “cultural exchange”
relationship with ChinaMost content with relationship
Question: Is it possible for Korea to develop a unique culture, given its proximity to China?”
Early Korea: 4th century BCE Early Koreans were of Siberian/Manchurian
decent, rather than Mongol/Turkic/HanAcquire early traits of civilization (agriculture,
metalworking, etc) from ChinaKorea conquered by Han China in 109 BCE
Chinese colonists remain until fall of Classical period
As China weakens, native kingdoms developKoguryo, Silla, Paekche
Development of KoreaMuch cultural borrowing from China
(Sinification)Buddhism, art, architecture
(temples), Confucian learningAttempted bureaucracy fails
without support from Korean noblesKorea almost re-conquered by Tang
take advantage of internal divisionsEstablish a tribute system instead
with new Silla kingdom (668 CE)Boundaries of Korea effectively
unchanged from this point forward
Korean Independence…sort of (668 – 1392 CE)Conscious effort to model Tang court
Korea was most dedicated tribute statePlacation of Tang emperor “kowtowing”Almost total adoption of Chinese culture (except
bureaucracy) Improvement on Chinese pottery (one of finest EVER)Class structure
Aristocrats Government workers Commoners (peasants) Low-born (nearly slaves)
Cultural adoption mostly limited to elites Other classes receive little/no benefits
Creation of Yi dynasty Reigns from 1392 – 1910 CEMaintains relationship with China
Overview of VietnamMost removed (geographically) from
China’s influenceIn possession of a sophisticated culture
prior to Chinese contact
Early Vietnam: 220 BCE Conflicted between benefits of Chinese culture & loss of
national identityEarly military conflicts resulted in cultural exchange, but
no political controlHave a closer connection to SE Asian groups
(Cambodians, Khmers & Tais)Language bore no resemblance to ChinesePreference for nuclear family vs. Chinese extended
familyGreater freedom held by Viet women Distinct art & literature
Conquest by Han China (111 BCE)Viet cooperate with Chinese in order to learn and adaptAdoption of political /military forms control of
neighborsAdoption of farming techniques population explosion
Vietnamese Fight for Independence
Failure of adoptions to impact lives of Viet peasants results in resistance
Chinese contempt for traditional Viet culture affects relationship
Development of open hostilityCooperation between lords and peasants
to revoltMost famous revolt led by women:
Trung sisters (39 – 43 CE)Resentment by women to Confucian codes
Helped by geography (too far from China)
Independence won from Tang (939 CE)Maintain it against Mongols and Ming China
“… My intestines hurt me incessantly, as if they had been cut off,
and tears flow abundantly
from my eyes. My only grief is that I have not yet succeeded
in hacking apart the
enemy’s body, peeling off his
skin, swallowing his liver, drinking
his blood.”
Development of Vietnamese Dynasties
Despite political independence, cultural adoption continuesFinally establish small-scale bureaucracy
Less powerful than China’sRelate with peasants more than elites interests
and revoltsCreation of civil-service exam (Confucian
base)Construction of Chinese-style capital cities
Successful conquest of neighbors result of learned Chinese techniques
Fragmentation development of cultural conflict between North and South (US?)