M16 Japan L1 Geography of Japan

M16 Japan

L1 Geography and Early Japan

The Big Idea

Japan’s early societies were both isolated from and influenced by China and Korea.​

The sea provided food

•Shark, Seaweed, Eel

The sea separated Japan from other countries

•Japan remained isolated until its rulers decided to visit other countries.

The sea provided easy access to other countries

•China and Korea were only a short distance by sea from Japan.

•Japan is a large group of islands located off the Asian mainland.

•The islands of Japan are really the tops of mountains.

•The mountains were difficult to live on, so most people lived on flat coastal plains near the sea.

Geography Shapes Japan

The First Japanese

•The early Japanese were organized into extended families, or clans, that lived in small farming villages.

•The head of the clan, or chief, had religious and political power over the people of the villages.

•Chiefs were believed to have gained their power through kami, which were nature spirits.

•Rituals that honored kami became a part of Shinto, the traditional religion of Japan.

•Shinto believes that everything in nature has kami.

The Ainu

•Japan was home to two cultures before it was influenced by China and Korea.

•The Ainu were an early people who were believed to come from Siberia and eventually disappeared.

The First Emperors

•Some clans became more powerful than others and built up armies.

•The Yamato clan claimed to have a glorious family history. They extended their control over much of Honshu and began to call themselves the first emperors of Japan.

Early Japanese Society

Multiple Choice

Why did the Yamato rulers begin calling themselves emperors of Japan?

• because they created an impressive navy

• because they controlled all of the Japanese islands

• because they dominated the largest Japanese island of Honshu

• because they claimed to be descendants of the god of the moon

Multiple Choice

Which statement about Japan is true?

• Hokkaido is the largest Japanese island in the Pacific.

• Modern Japanese people are descendants of the Ainu.

• Early Japanese culture was greatly influenced by China.

• Early Japanese society was organized according to a clan system.

Changes in Language

•The early Japanese didn’t have a written language, therefore many learned to write in Chinese.

•Later, they used Chinese characters to represent sounds used in Japanese.

•The rich and well-educated wrote in the Chinese language.

•Chinese became the office language of Japan’s government.

•The rulers of Japan sent representatives to China and Korea to gather information about their cultures and invited people from Korea and China to come to Japan.

Changes in Trade

•Trade with Korea helped Japan’s economy grow.

•The Japanese traded for iron tools, which helped improve Japanese agriculture.

Japanese raw materials, such as silk, went through Korea and ended up in China

Japan Learns from China and Korea

Changes in Government

•Prince Shotoku wanted Japan’s government to be more like China’s.

•He wanted emperor’s to have more power.

Japanese clan leaders opposed Shotoku’s plans and limited the power of Japanese emperors

Changes in Religion and Philosophy

• Prince Shotoku was one of the most influential people in bringing Chinese ideas to Japan.

•He served as regent for his aunt, the empress.

-A regent is a person who rules a country for someone who is unable to rule alone.

•He admired Chinese culture and helped bring it to Japan.

•He sent scholars to China to learn about Chinese society. They then taught the Japanese about Confucianism.

•Shotoku also influenced the spread of Buddhism by writing commentaries and building a beautiful temple.

Multiple Choice

Which nations have MOST influenced the cultural development of Japan since its early history?

• China and Korea

• India and Thailand

• Mongolia and Russia

• Vietnam and Cambodia

Multiple Choice

Why did the Japanese adopt the Chinese method of writing?

• The Japanese did not have a written language.

• The Japanese considered China’s culture to be superior to their own.

• The Japanese wanted to replace their alphabet with character symbols.

• The Japanese began a public educational system modeled after China’s schools

The Nara Period

•In 710, the Japanese set up a permanent capital in Nara.

•During the Nara Period:

-Buddhism became the official religion of Japan.

-Coins were minted for the first time, though few people used them.

-Common people were mostly slaves or free farmers.

-Nobel families grew in wealth and influence.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following did the Japanese adopt from China?

• Shintoism

• Buddhism

Multiple Choice

Which of the following did the Japanese adopt from China?

• Shintoism

• Confucianism

Multiple Choice

Which of the following did the Japanese adopt from China?

• literature

• clan system

Open Ended

What is a Shinto?