I.

II.

The Heian Period a. BG i. Blending of cultures 1. Capital =Heian- present day Kyoto ii. Wealthy court families wield power 1. Fujiwara b. Women Shape the Court i. Elegant and sophisticated culture ii. Gardens, pavilions, etc. c. Women forbidden to learn Chinese i. Still produced important literature d. Lady Mursaki Writes The Worlds First Novel i. Tale of Genji- worlds first novel 1. Prince Genji and son ii. Poems 1. Haunted by sense of sadness 2. Nothing lasts iii. Clouds of rebellion and civi vbl war were gathering Warriors Establish Feudalism a. Feudal warfare in 1400s b. New culture arises i. Rival clans battle for control of countryside ii. Instead of central govt- people were local warlords/Buddhist temples 1. Japan evolved a feudal system c. Warrior aristocracy dominated Japanese society i. Emperor- figurehead ii. Power shogun (supreme military commander) 1. Minamoto Yoritomo a. Sets up Kamakura shogunate b. 1st of 3 military dynasties ruling Japan for 700 years d. The Ways of the Warriors i. Shogun usually control small part of Japan 1. Lands to vassal lords who would support in him in times of need a. Called daimyo b. Land to warriors (samurai- those who serve) i. The fighting aristocracy ii. Armed and trained iii. Bushido 1. Code of values 2. Way of warrior 3. Loyalty, honor and bravery e. Nobleman Lose Ground i. @ First, trained in military arts 1. Warriors

2. Supervised family estates ii. Time of samurai position of women 1. Inheritance sons 2. Wife of a warrior had to accept same hardships and loyalty

III.

3. f. Japan Holds Off Mongols i. Fighting between rival warlords 1. Mongol conquest of China and Korea 2. Refuse rule, Kublai Khan Korea a. Typhoon wrecks Mongol ships ii. 2nd typhoon strikes down Mongols 1. Japanese credited to kamikaze (divine winds) 2. Reinforced sense that they were people set apart, protected by the gods The Tokugawas Unite Japan a. After Mongols Kamagura shogunate i. Warfare 1. To defend daimyo gives arms peasants and samurai

IV.

V.

b. Seven powerful unite large parts of Japan i. Toyotomi Hideyoshi 1. Commoner by birth 2. Most of Japan under control 3. Failed to conquer Korea and China ii. Tokugawa Ieyasu 1. Conquered rivals ruler of Japan 2. Named shogun c. Central Govt Imposed i. Tokugawa shoguns want to end feudal warfare 1. Maintained outward forms of feudal society, but imposed strict central govt 2. Centralized Feudalism ii. Control daimyo by making they and their family live at Capital (Edo) 1. Forbidden to repair castles or marry w/o permission\ iii. Strict social order and moral code 1. Only samurai were allowed to serve or hold jobs a. Follow traditions of bushido 2. Peasants on land 3. Lower classes forbidden to wear silk d. The Economy Booms i. Agriculture because of peace 1. New seeds, tools, and use of fertilizer ii. Food surpluses population iii. Trade 1. New roads linked castle towns Edo 2. Wealthy merchant class emerges a. Able to gain influence by lending money to daimyo or samurai b. Could by arranging daughters to marry samurai Buddhism Shapes Culture a. Buddhist Sect- Zen among samurai b. Emphasized meditation, self-reliance, and devotion to duty i. Monks were great scholars, yet valued uncluttered mind and the important of reaching a moment of non-knowing ii. Stressed compassion 1. Samurai killed iii. Monks sought to experience absolute freedom 1. Rigid rules in place c. Believed could reach enlightenment through mediation and the precise performance of everyday tasks i. Tea ceremony ii. Reverence for nature landscape paintings Artistic Traditions Change

a. New Drama Develops i. Noh plays 1. Wooden stage w/o scenery 2. Carved masks 3. Action slow, each movement had meaning 4. Many presented Zen themes 5. Some fairy tales, or feudal lord struggle ii. Kabuki 1. Less refined then Noh a. Included comedy/melodrama iii. Bunraku 1. Puppet plays 2. Life-size b. Painting and Printmaking i. Landscape with each artists style ii. Woodblock prints