4.+Japan

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= Dynasty Dates and Significant Leaders = The first inhabitants of Japan, migrating from the mainland, bring with them their own version of the shamanism which prevails in prehistoric Asia. To the pantheon of the spirits and forces of nature, the Japanese add famous people, significant places or any other phenomena seeming worthy of reverence. The result is a profusion of local deities or kami, the worship of whom is given the name Shinto, meaning roughly the 'way of the gods'. The Soga, a minor branch of the imperial family, do much to further the cause of Buddhism. Soga Iname becomes minister to the crown in AD 536. In 538 a present arrives for the emperor from the Korean state of Paekche. It is a Buddhist image, together with some Buddhist texts in Chinese. Accompanying this missionary gift is a letter emphasizing that Buddhism is the proper religion for any civilized state. Soga Iname takes this message to heart. He builds a Buddhist temple, the first in Japan, in his own home.

Until the early 8th century the Japanese court has been peripatetic, moving from town to town. But the increasing weight of imperial bureaucracy now suggests the need for a capital city. In 710 the empress decrees that one shall be built in the Yamato plain. Nara is closely modelled on the T'ang capital at Xi'an; the fashion for all things Chinese is now at its peak. So is the influence of Buddhism. It has been decreed in 685 that every household shall have a Buddhist family shrine, and the avenues of Nara are lined with magnificent monasteries. Nara remains the capital city for less than a century before the next move (to Kyoto), but it sees the first flowering of Japanese culture.

Military and Warfare
The samurai (or bushi) were the members of the Japan military, they were the Japanese warriors. Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns; but their most famous weapon and their symbol was the sword. The Japanese sword (nihonto) has been internationally known for its sharpness and beauty since feudal times. The sword used to be the distinguishing mark of the samurai. Since swords are dangerous weapons, a permit is required to own one in Japan today. Samurai were supposed to lead their lives according to the ethic code of bushido ("the way of the warrior"). Strongly Confucian in nature, Bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one's master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behavior. After a defeat, some samurai chose to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) by cutting their abdomen rather than being captured or dying a dishonorable death.

Trade and Economy
Economic and administrative activity increased during the Nara period. Roads linked Nara to provincial capitals, and taxes were collected more efficiently and routinely. Coins were minted, if not widely used. By the mid-eighth century, //shoen// (landed estates), one of the most important economic institutions in medieval Japan, began to rise as a result of the search for a more manageable form of landholding. Local administration gradually became more self-sufficient, while the breakdown of the old land distribution system and the rise of taxes led to the loss or abandonment of land by many people who became the "wave people," or //ronin//. Some of these formerly "public people" were privately employed by large landholders, and "public lands" increasingly reverted to the //shoen//. Imperial family members, leading court families, such as the Fujiwara, and Buddhist priests all contended for influence. In the late Nara period, financial burdens on the state increased, and the court began dismissing nonessential officials. In 792 universal conscription was abandoned, and district heads were allowed to establish private militia forces for local police work. Decentralization of authority became the rule despite the reforms of the Nara period. Eventually, to return control to imperial hands, the capital was moved in 784 to Nagaoka and in 794 to Heiankyo (Capital of Peace and Tranquillity), or Heian, about twenty-six kilometers north of Nara. By the late eleventh century, the city was popularly called Kyoto (Capital City), the name it has had every since.

Internal/External Threats
​ Through the years, most the Japan's internal threats have been from clans fighting for power in the country. Two clans that were constantly fighting for power against eachother were the Taira and Minamoto families during the Gempei War (1180 - 1185). In the end the Minamoto family put an end to the Taira rule and ruled Japan through the emperor. The Minamoto family ruled with a shogun. A shogun was an appointed military leader that ruled the country through the previous emperor to keep the loyalty of the people. During the Minamoto family rule a governement called the Kamakura Bakufu was created. The Bakufu battled for power against the Imperial court, eventually the Bakufu defeated the Imperial army and regained control of Japan. Militant Buddhist monastaries also led wars that disturbed the public order. Japan did not have many external threats because it is an island and secluded from other countries. The only threats were the clans in the country that fought for power.

[[image:06_SYM_Shinto.jpg width="127" height="127" align="left"]]Gender Roles
Like many early cultures, the Japanese people followed there religion strictly. Within the religion, called Shinto, was a Matriarchal religion, within a patriarchal society. This meant that the religion was often led by the woman of the family, while the society was led by the men. Woman within the culture had some similar duties as woman of other cultures at the time. They did much of the cooking and cleaning for the family. While the woman worked in and around the house, the man would work within the community.

Social Structure and Religion
Early Japanese social structure was based on the small clans called Uji. The leader of the Uji was a spiritual leader and a war chief for the clan. Each clan worshiped one god, and the spiritual leader performed all the ceremonies to worship to their god. The gods in the Shinto religion were based on elements of Nature such as a River God, Mountain God, Rock God, etc. If the Rock worshipping clan was to defeat the River worshipping clan, the rock worshiping clan would be absorbed and the god that they worshipped. As this absorption became more complex, so did the hierarchy of gods.

Links and Sources

[|Japanese Military and Warfare] [|Early Japanese History] [|Gender Roles and Social Structure] World History Text Book Histogram on Japan All pictures are from google images