JAPANThe Land of the Rising Sun

CONTENT Geography History• Early History• Japanese Traditions• Japan Becomes a World Power

Japan Today… Economic Growth Government and Society Literature and Arts

GEOGRAPHYJapan, is an island nation in East Asia, located in the North Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Asian continent. Japan comprises the four main islands; Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, and Shikoku, in addition to numerous smaller islands…

Geographical Facts and Figures of Japan

Capital and Largest City

Tokyo (Located in the island of Honshu)

Area377, 837 sq km (145, 884 sq mi)

Coastline29, 751 km (18, 486 sq mi)

Highest PointFuji (Mountain) 3,776 m/12,387 ft

Volcanoes 188 (40 are active

Longest River

Shinano (is on Honshū Island, flowing through Niigata and Nagano prefectures.)

Largest LakeBiwa (is on west central Honshū Island, near Kyōto)

NATURAL REGIONSA spine of mountain ranges divides the Japanese archipelago into two halves, the “front” side facing the Pacific Ocean, and the “back” side facing the Sea of Japan. High, steep mountains scored by deep valleys and gorges mark the Pacific side, while lower mountains and plateaus distinguish the Sea of Japan side. The country is traditionally divided into eight major regions: Hokkaidō, Tōhoku, Kantō, Chūbu, Kinki, Chūgoku, Shikoku, and Kyūshū and the Ryukyu Islands.

JAPAN IN EAST ASIA

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF

JAPAN

THE JAPANESE ALPS

RUSUTSU RESORT, HOKKAIDO

CINDER CONE, KYUSHU

HOT SPRING RESORT, KYUSHU

ISLAND OF OKINAWA, RYUKU ISLANDS

SHIKOKU SHORELINE, JAPAN

TOKYO, JAPAN

CLIMATE Japan’s climate is rainy and humid, and marked in

most places by four distinct seasons.

NATURAL RESOURCESJapan is heavily forested, its demand for lumber, pulp, paper, and other wood products exceeds domestic production.

Although arable land is limited, agricultural resources are significant. Japan’s crop yields per land area sown are among the highest in the world, and the country produces more than 60 percent of its food.

Japan is blessed with bountiful coastal waters that provide the nation with fish and other marine foods.

A CHERRY BLOSSOM…Japanese Cherry, (Prunus serrulata)

which is sometimes called sakura  is richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect.

WHAT’S WITH THE EARTHQUAKE?Japan lies in a zone of extreme geological instability, where four tectonic plates—the Pacific plate, the Eurasian plate, the North American plate, and the Philippine plate—come together. As the plates push against one another, they cause violent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. As many as 1,500 earthquakes occur in Japan each year!

KOBE EARTHQUAKE, JAPAN (JANUARY 1995)

THE AFTERMATH:

TSUNAMI

HISTORY OF

JAPAN

HISTORY

The Early Japanese SocietyThe earliest Japanese society was organized into clans, or groups of families descended from a common ancestor. Each family inherited it’s position within a clan. Some families were warriors. Others might be farmers, weavers, or potters. By 400 c.e. several clans formed a union and settled in the district called Yamato. The Tenno clan led their union, and they set up Japan’s first and only ruling dynasty during the time.

Adapting the Chinese PatternDuring the 500’s missionaries from Korea introduced Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and Chinese culture to Japan. They brought Chinese Script, which became Japan’s first written language.

Cultural Diffusion. Chinese influences reached every level of Japanese life.

Selective Borrowing. Despite the massive borrowing, the Japanese preserved their own identity.

*HEIAN-KYO WAS MODELED AFTER PEKING, THE CAPITAL OF CHINA. IT MEANS THE CAPITAL OF PEACE AND TRANQUILITY.

After the exchange of ideas and culture by the Japanese and the Chinese, the power of the emperor increased. They established an imperial capital in Heian-Kyo* (Kyoto) in 794 c.e. For more than 300 years Emperor Kammu with the support of the powerful Fujiwara noble family, a great culture had developed around the city. This period became known as the;

“Golden Age of the Japanese Civilization”

THE HEIAN PERIODEconomic activities: Farming – almost 5 million people

were farmers during the Heian Period. Their main crop was rice and also they raised vegetables, soy beans & fruits

Artisans – they work with metal and wood and iron made swords, brass pots and copper jewelry. Some of them were skilled construction workers.

Heian WritingCommunication in the Heian

period was influenced by the Chinese. Using Chinese characters to express their language was difficult but this system was used for many centuries.

Japanese novelist, one of her country's greatest writers, and the author of what is generally considered the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji.

oThe rise of a modern form of writing owes much to Heian women. During the 9th century, a new simpler way of writing called Kana was developed. Japanese women used it to write letters, diaries and novels.

LADY MURASAKI SHIKIBU (978-1026 C.E.)

SOCIETY DURING THE HEIAN PERIOD

Peasants/Commoners

Nobles and Officials

Clothing

Men wore loin clothes wrapped around their waist, in winter they wore long-sleeved Jackets. Women wore long skirts & long sleeved kimonos.

Both men and women are dressed in fine clothing.

Houses Simple homes, one room thatched huts clustered in villages.

Larger homes that were made of wood.

Transportation

Only walking Horse/horse drawn carriages

Education

No formal education

Some children are educated in Peking

Religion Shinto, Later Buddhism

Shinto, Later Buddhism

JAPANESE FEUDALISMDuring the 1100’s, turmoil rocked

Japan. Strong warrior families on the frontier challenged the power of the Heian court. These Samurai or warrior knights, waged fierce battles for control of the land. Under feudalism, local lords ruled the land, but they were bound to higher lord and to the emperor by ties of loyalty.

• During the late 1100s Japanese warrior Minamoto Yoritomo established the shogunate, a military dictatorship that ruled Japan for nearly 700 years.

• Shogun or chief general of the army.

ACHIEVING UNITY

After the death of Nobunaga Oda, Toyotomi Hideyoshi converted his rivals into subordinates and brought all Japan under his control. His ambition was to unite all Asian in a great empire.

In 1600’s, Tokugawa Ieyasu claimed the title shogun and set up the Tokugawa Shogunate which lasted until 1868. During that time, the shoguns created a peaceful, orderly society under a system of Centralized Feudalism.

JAPAN’S LAST SHOGUNATE BEGINS.

The Tokugawa shoguns left feudal classes in place, but they brought the great samurai now called DAIMYO, under their control. The shogun required the Daimyo to spend every other year in Edo, present day Tokyo.

THE NEW CENTRALIZED SYSTEM OF FEUDALISM BROUGHT CHANGES TO: EconomyCities and roads were built to improve trade.

Markets and harbors sprang everywhere.

Economy developed.

SocietyDaimyos and their followers no longer fight.

Education spread.

POPULAR ARTS FLOURISH IN THE CITIES

Kabuki Theater – portrayed exciting stories against colorful backgrounds.

Bunraku – or Puppet Theater, large puppets acted out exciting historical dramas and realistic plays,

Haiku – a new form of poetry with three lines totalling seventeen syllables.

Now the swinging bridge Is quieted with creepers ...

Like our tendrilled life.- Basho

AN ISOLATED NATION

The growing numbers of westerners arriving in Japan threatened the Tokugawa shoguns. The Portugese first reached Japan in 1543. Spanish, Dutch and English traders soon followed. Along with traders are Catholic missionaries. Their success in winning converts angered the shogun. During the 1600’s they started persecuting foreign missionaries and Japanese Christians. In 1639, the shogun closed Japan to the world.

JAPANESE TRADITIONS Religious Traditions Shintoism - The early Japanese

believed that spirits or kami, lived in everything from plants and animals to rocks and mountains.

Buddhism – gave the Japanese a new set of beliefs. It taught them about the cycle of birth and rebirth and the goal of enlightenment.

Confucianism – The Japanese adopted Confucian teachings about the 5 basic relationships and th duties and obligations of superior and inferior persons

Family Confucian traditions guided Japanese life. Men were

superior to women. Older brothers outranked their younger brothers. The duty of the head of the household was to provide for the family, give moral leadership, and protect the family honor.

Marriage The head of the family arranged marriages for his

children as well as for unmarried brothers and sisters. Marriages were family alliances, not love matches.

WomenWomen had certain rights. Some clans had women leaders. Women could inherit property and there were periods when empresses ruled Japan. As Confucian beliefs became more widespread, however the status of women gradually inclined.

JAPANESE TRADITIONS

JAPANESE WOMEN COIFFURE

FEUDAL TRADITIONSBushido – literally means “The

way of the warrior.” It is a code of behavior developed by the Samurai class. It governed the relationship between a lord and a samurai, emphasizing loyalty above all and encourages respect for other military virtues such as bravery, self-discipline and honor.Seppuku or ritual suicide – an

honorable penalty if a warrior brought dishonor to his lord or his family.

Samurais respected education and took pride

on in their artistic abilities.

LIVES OF THE COMMONERS

Three Classes of Commoners in Tokugawa, Japan;Peasants – supports the Samurai

class. Tokugawa shogums allowed them to be rich yet it did not improve their family’s status.

Artisans and Merchants – had lower status but contributed to the economy. They paid an annual fee to the daimyo, in return they give them permission to do business on their land.

In 1649 the government issued an order forbidding the commoners to wear silk clothes. They can spend their money on luxuries and entertainment but never on silk clothes. Others even married their daughters to poor Samurais but the Shoguns disapproved of such changes so they passed law to maintain the old social order.

JAPANESE MERCHANTS’ HOUSE

A reconstructed traditional Japanese Merchants house.

JAPAN BECOMES A WORLD POWER An End to Isolation In 1853, the United States sent a fleet commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry. His goal was to force Japan to end its policy of isolation.

Treaty of Kanagawa – signed in March, 1854. This treaty granted the Americans the right to stop at two Japanese ports for supply.

PERRY ARRIVES IN JAPAN

GROWING UNRESTPeople of all classes resented the strict laws of the Tokugawa

rule as well as the increasing numbers of the “Barbarians”. This gave them the chance to work together and they started to look up to the emperor at Kyoto as the symbol of new

order. The reformers took up the battle cry; “Honor the Emperor and expel the barbarians!”

MEIJI RESTORATION By May 1868 the rule of the Shoguns has ended. Fifteen year old emperor Mutsuhito named his reign Meiji (1868-1912) meaning “Enlightened Government”

MODERNIZATION STARTED The new regime embarked on a radical

program of political centralization, institutional change, and economic modernization. Its leaders, many of them young samurai from the middle or lower ranks of the class, were dedicated to building national wealth and power by adopting new ideas, institutions, and practices from Western countries.

In April 1868 the new regime proclaimed its reform goals in the Charter Oath, promising to base its decisions on wide consultation, to seek knowledge from the outside world, and to abandon outmoded customs.

oMen and women in Western-style dress gather at Japan’s port of Yokohama. This was one of the most important ports for trade with the West during the Meiji restoration.

JAPANESE EXPANSION IN ASIAJapan set out to gain overseas empire.

The Japanese fought China and won. They forced China to give up their claims over Korea and also gained Taiwan. In the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), They won over the Russians and made them leave Korea, this gave them a foothold in Manchuria.

GROWTH OF EXTREME NATIONALISM

Effects of depression – the Japanese believed that they should not stop the overseas expansion.

Military Dictatorship – in the 1930’s Japan gradually became a military dictatorship. They glorified the military and readiness for war. They emphasized loyalty to the emperor, Hirohito and encouraged people that Japan had a special mission in the world-to free Asian nations from western imperialism

THE WAR IN THE PACIFICWorld War II begins – In 1940, Japan joined an alliance known as the Axis with Germany and Italy .

WAR AGAINST THE UNITED STATESOn December 77, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. The Japanese followed up this attack by conquering Hong Kong and much of the Southeast Asia.Commander

Yamamoto Isoroku planned the Japanese navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack precipitated the United States entry into World War II.

Tojo HidekiAs prime minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944, during World War II, Tōjō Hideki led Japan into war against the United States.

Japanese troops parade near Raffles Place in Singapore after Japan captured the British colony in February 1942, during World War II. Singapore remained under Japanese occupation until September 1945.

THE SURRENDER The first atomic bomb was dropped on

Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, during World War II. The blast completely destroyed 68 percent of the city and damaged another 24 percent, and an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed or reported missing.

Japanese officials formally surrendered to the Allies on September 2, 1945, aboard the United States battleship Missouri. Japan's surrender brought an end to World War II (1939-1945).