What Was Medieval Japan Like?

Prince Shotoku created a constitution for the Japanese government based on the _____ principles seen in China.

• Confucian

• Christian

• Taoist

• Islamic

Prince Shotoku sent Japanese _____ to China, to learn more from the country and its people.

• librarians

• embassies

• monks

• students

Shinto was the original belief system of the Japanese until Prince Shotoku promoted the Chinese tradition of _____, and many Japanese people began to follow a combined version of the two religions.

• Jainism

• Catholicism

• Buddhism

• Taoism

Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of the Genji, was a member of the _____ clan, which helped the nation enter its artistic and literary “golden age.”

• Fujiwara

• Sakata

• Nakatomi

• Tokugawa

The Tale of the Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is regarded as the world’s earliest _____.

• epic poem

• autobiography

• drama

• novel

The Japanese classic The Tale of Genji is significant because of what reason?

• It has become known as the world’s first novel.

• It became a foundational text in Japanese Shintoism.

• It rapidly traveled around the world

• It was written in an easily understood vernacular.

Bushido traditions are most evident as part of which activity in modern Japan?

• commercial fishing

• martial arts

• foreign diplomacy

• stock trading

Which of these best describes the role of the samurai in Japan in the late twelfth century?

• They served as warriors.

• They created artworks and poetry.

• They traded goods.

• They performed religious rituals.

Which tradition is most associated with the samurai culture of feudal Japan?

• religious writings

• tea ceremonies

• folk dances

• wood sculptures

Which of these groups was considered to be on the lowest level in the four-tier social system of feudal Japan?

• farmers

• samurai

• artisans

• merchants