MEDIEVAL JAPANSECTION 3

(29 Slides)

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RELIGION a part of everyday life most believed in Buddhism & Shinto worshiped at Shinto shrines & Buddhist

temples each religion met different needs Shinto – concerned with everyday life Buddhism – prepared people for the life to

come

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Mahayana Buddhism began in India spread to China & Korea developed into many different sects sects – smaller religious groups two most important sects …

Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism

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Pure Land Buddhism won many followers message – a happy life after death looked to Lord Amida

Buddha of love and mercy believed to have founded a paradise above the

clouds to get there…

have faith in Amida chant his name

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Zen Buddhism Buddhist monks brought from China taught people to find inner peace learned to control their bodies through…

martial arts or sports that involved combat & self-defense

appealed to samurai trained to fight bravely & fearlessly

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MARTIAL ARTS term literally means “art of war” appealed to samurai who trained to fight bravely

and fearlessly Bodhidharma

Indian monk taught Chinese monks martial arts to strengthen their

bodies single objective:

to physically defeat other persons to defend oneself or others from physical

threat

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originally, samurai were expected to be proficient in many weapons as well as unarmed combat attain the highest possible mastery of combat

skills for the purpose of glorifying either

themselves or their feudal allegiance over time, this purpose gave way to a

philosophy of achieving spiritual goals by striving to perfect their martial skills

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Meditation person sits cross-legged motionless for hours mind cleared of all thoughts and desires helped people to relax and find inner peace

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CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS beauty in simplicity Noh Drama Haiku Poetry (5/7/5 syllable arrangement) tea Ceremony landscape gardening Ikebana (flower arrangements)

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Art borrowed ideas from China & Korea learned to do landscape painting

used ink & watercolors painted scenes of nature or battles on paper scrolls

or silk developed own style revealed Japanese love of beauty & simplicity made wooden statues, furniture, & household items used lacquer, shiny black & red coating nobles in emperor’s court learned origami, folding paper

& arranged flowers

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Buddhist monks and samurais turned tea drinking into beautiful ceremony

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ARCHITECTURE builders used Chinese or Japanese styles Shinto shrines

Japanese style near sacred rock, tree, or other natural feature usually wooden, single room, & rice straw roof people enter through torii, sacred gate

Buddhist temples Chinese style massive tiled roof thick wooden pillars richly decorated, many statues, paintings, and altars

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ARCHITECTURE around their buildings

miniature gardens to imitate nature carefully placed rocks, raked sand, &

a few plants built to create a feeling of peace &

calmness

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Ryoanji Temple

Stone Garden shows influence of Zen Buddhism (Ashikaga Period)

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WRITING SYSTEM borrowed from Chinese Japanese found it difficult to use Chinese characters added symbols that stood for sounds

similar to our alphabet (phonics) made reading & writing easier men wrote with Chinese characters (kanji) calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing

much admired every well-educated person expected to practice it person’s handwriting considered to reveal education,

social standing, and character

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CALLIGRAPHY the art of beautiful writing

much admired every well-educated person was expected to

practice it person’s handwriting was considered to reveal

their education, social standing, and character

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ASHIKAGA CULTURE

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POETRY tanka

oldest form of Japanese poetry unrhymed poem of five lines captured…

nature’s beauty joys and sorrows of life

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Lady Murasaki Shikibu

wrote The Tale of Genji describes adventures of Japanese prince world’s first novel long fictional story

Author of Heian times helped to develop a native script (kana) for the

Japanese language

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JAPAN’S WRITERS turned out stirring tales about warriors in

battle The Tale of Heike

greatest collection describes fight between Taira and Minamoto

clans Tomoe – female samurai

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NOH PLAYS oldest type of play created in 1300s used to teach Buddhist ideas performed on a simple, bare stage actors wore masks & elaborate robes

danced gestured chanted poetry to music of drums and flutes

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ECONOMY AND SOCIETY under shoguns, produced more goods &

grew richer only small group benefited from wealth

emperor nobles at his court leading military officials

merchants & traders prospered however, farmers remained poor

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FARMERS hard work grew rice, wheat, millet, and barley some owned land most lived & worked on daimyo estates life improved in 1100s

better irrigation planted more crops sent more crops to market

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ECONOMY GROWS artisans began making weapons, armor, & tools merchants sold these items new roads made travel & trade easier trade increased with Korea, China, & Southwest Asia

lacquered goods, sword blades, & copper for…silk, dyes, pepper, books, & porcelain

each Japanese region focused on making goods it could best produce

pottery, paper, textile, & lacquered ware

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GUILDS medieval business group formed by craftspeople

& merchants Kyoto became major center of production & trade more artisans settled there formed guilds to protect & increase their profits members relied on daimyo for protection from

rival artisans sold daimyo goods not attainable from his estates

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ROLE OF WOMEN must obey her father, husband, & son wealthy women

arranged marriages to increase family’s wealth high position in society several were rulers could own property when Japan became a warrior society with

samurai and daimyo, upper-class women lost these freedoms

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ROLE OF WOMEN farming women

greater say in who they married worked long hours in fields planting or harvesting

rice cooked, spun & wove cloth, & cared for children

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ROLE OF WOMEN artisan & merchant women

helped with family businesses ran the home merchant wives were best off

some women contributed to Japan’s culture gained fame as artists, writers & even warriors The Tale of the Heike describes a female

samurai named Tomoe

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