What are the key beliefs and practices of Shinto, and how did Shinto influence Japanese culture and daily life?

How did Japan borrow ideas from China and Korea (in government, religion, writing, and art), and how did they adapt those ideas?

What was life like at the imperial court during the Heian period, and how did this era shape Japanese art and literature?

Who were the samurai, and what roles did they play in Japanese society?

What was the Bushido code, and what values did it promote among samurai warriors?

What was the role of the shogun, and how did Japan’s government change under the feudal system?

How did the daimyo maintain power in their regions, and what was life like for peasants during this period?

What roles and expectations did samurai women have in Japanese society?

How did Zen Buddhism influence Japanese art, culture, and the mindset of the samurai?

What were the Mongol invasions of Japan, and how did they impact Japanese society and military strength?

How did samurai culture and values continue to influence Japan even after the feudal era ended?