Japan: From Isolation to Adaptation Unit 3: Chapter 12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan

In this unit:• How did Japan’s geography

shape people’s believes and values?

• What tensions can occur when a society must adapt to rapidly changing circumstances?

• How can different cultures learn to appreciate and benefit from each other?

• In what ways did the isolation policy of the Edo period and contact with other cultures during the Meiji period affect Japanese identity?

• What impact did contact with Western cultures have on the Japanese worldview

In what ways does physicalgeography contribute to shaping aworldview?

Chapter 12: Shaping a Unique Worldview

Japanese Canadians in Alberta•Japanese immigrants first came into Canada in the late 1800’s as itinerant workers

•The Japanese were in demand as labourers because they would work hard for low wages

• The Japanese immigrants came to Canada hoping to earn enough money to buy back their farms in Japan

• Constructing irrigation, railroad systems and sugar beet industry were the jobs that the Japanese held.

•Majority of Japanese immigrants only stayed for a shirt time in Alberta before they settled on the Pacific Coast

During World War II• The Japanese army bombed Pear Harbor in Hawaii, resulting in much of

the American submarine fleet to be destroyed• The Canadian and United States government viewed the Japanese people as

potential threats to national security.• All the Japanese-Canadians were forced into internment camps, located

away from the coast.• Interment camps consisted of small building made of thin boards, no

insulation and only one stove with 10 families living together.• Business and homes belonging to the Japanese were taken away and sold.• Majority of the Japanese in Albertan internment camps were put to work in

local mines or sugar beet farms.• Japanese-Canadians were forced to stay within these camps till the end of

the war in 1945.• After WWII, 10 000 Japanese-Canadians were deported back to their

homeland.• In 1988, the government of Canada paid $21 000 to the surviving family

member of each Japanese internee, as compensation for the hardships the internees had experienced during WWII.

• Inzanami –sister and consort of Izanagi and mother of the islands of Japan

• Izanagi- the god who fathered the islands and gods of Japan with his sister Inzanami

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izanami-no-Mikoto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4-hnhqVPmw

Creation Story- Page 261

By 1281, Japan had twice been saved from invasion by a typhoon. How might this repeated experience influence the worldview of the Japanese's people? How might it influence their view of people from other places?

A worldview must account for the impact that nature has on a society

• Japan has experienced many typhoons that have encouraged a deep connection for nature and also a sense that human destiny is influenced by the workings of natural world• This should result in confidence in nature, considering that a natural event provided salvation from an invading force•Natural disasters also infuse fear

http://www.helloholidays.com.my/japan-group-tour

Figure 12-1 (Page260)

What impression of the Mongols does the painter convey?

• The Mongols are seen as powerful and aggressive• Since the Mongols are on horses, larger than the

Japanese, this makes them dangerous for the Japanese to repel

• The weapons in this picture are a bow and arrow, which would allow to kill from a distance. Compared to the swords of the Japanese

• All of these observations would suggest that the Mongols are without honour and do not fight man to man.

The Land of the Rising Sun

•Thousands of years ago the Chinese seen the sun rise over the islands to the east and called this country jihpen, which means “the source of the sun”

Sun Continued:

Kami is one of the most important goddesses because she represents the sun. She brings light and hope to the people of Japan

Flags:• The image on the

Japanese flag reflects the unity of the Japanese people.

•What does the image on Alberta’s provincial flag suggest about the identity of Albertans?

Population Density

Japan is 60% the size of Alberta

Alberta Population = 3,645,257Japan Population = 127,817,277

Most people live along the coast in Japan because 80% of the land is covered in forested mountains and steep valleys .Living on the coast allows for easier communication and trade via the sea.

The Land

• Japan is a long, narrow chain of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean

•Majority of the population lives on four main islands (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido), despite Japan being made up of thousands of islands

•Do you notice anything about where Japan’s major cities are located?

The ocean between Japan and Asia is extremely rough, making travel difficult

Archeological evidence suggests there was contact between people from Japan and China as early as the mid-200’s.

Before the 1500’s, Europeans did not have any way to reach Japan.

Land Continued

Culture• Japan chose freely the elements of other cultures to include in their

ownExamples: 1)Japanese borrowed the Chinese system of writing in characters which is called kanji. Eventually Japan came up with their own system called kana2) Japan also turned to China for their religion which consists of Confucianism and Buddhism, with borrowing these religions resulted in a distinct form of worship from the Japanese. Most Japanese households have a Buddhist altar (butsudan) and a small shrine (kamidana)

Nature Shaping a Worldview

In what ways can the environment influence religious practices and values?

The Beauties of Nature:

• The beauty and landscape of Japan has always been a great source of pride

• Most of japan experiences distinct, predictable seasons• Many celebrations and rituals mark the changes in

seasons

Cherry Blossoms

•Most beloved flower inJapan

•They represent; new beginnings, beauty and the shortness of beauty and life

•Numerous cherry blossoms festivals are held throughout the country

Currently in Vancouver there is the Cherry Blossom Festival

•Various activities throughout the city such as; blossom viewing, blossom watch, dancing, cherry jam, haiku invitational, etc….• Runs from April 4th- 30th 2013

http://www.vcbf.ca/

Nature and the Ainu• The Ainu are the Indigenous people of Japan• Nature has a dominant role in the culture of the Ainu• Ainu regard things like fire, water, wind, animals, thunder, and

plants such as the gods called kamuy that visit the Earthly world• One of the most important kamuy is the brown bear, the Japanese

have an elaborate annual ceremony to send it to its own world• Many First Nations people have a similar belief system and rituals to

those of the Ainu• Example: the four elements earth, fire and water are honoured by both the Ainu

and First Nations.• Land is considered the place where life comes from, water is the liquid that

sustains life, fire gives the heat and energy that sustains life, and air is essential for the life of all living things

Geography• Japan’s islands sit on a fault line in the earth’s crust, which

makes it vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions• As a result of the earthquakes tsunamis , or giants waves

flood the coastMost are minor, but a major one hits Japan every couple decades.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1761942/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-of-2011

Last Major Earthquake:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VapEkO7uw

On March 11, 2011 the most powerful earthquake recorded in northeast coast of Japan occurred. The earthquake triggered a massive tsunami.

Religious Beliefs

Shinto-love of nature is the main aspect (ideal of harmony with nature)- traditional Japanese art, flower arranging and garden design are based from this religious view- there is no founder or religious laws- based on the belief of kami (sacred spirits) that take the form of

object in nature, trees, stones and mountains- to please and celebrate the kami, festivals called the masturi are

held in the spring and fall and are considered most important- believed that humans become kami when they die

Nature is an important aspect of Japanese culture. If you could remake the Japanese flag to better represent nature, what would you put on it? Why?

Do you consider yourself self-sufficient?When a country considered themselves self-sufficient, it means that it does not

depend on receiving anything from other countries.

▪ Compared with countries of Renaissance Europe, Japan had relatively little trade with other countries before 1853.▪ Japan survived and prospered while not trading with other countries.▪ The farmers and fishers provided enough food to feed the people

Examples:- wood for building and fuel came from the abundance of forests- plants and silkworms provided material for clothing- artisans made use of all available metals

▪ Japan was a self-sufficient country.

In 1853, Commodore Perry and his ships from America made contact with the Japanese people. These two groups, completely new to each other, exchanged gifts. Among items the Japanese gave the Americans bales of rice weighing about 70 kilograms each, which were carried onto the American ship by sumo wrestlers.

• Nature has compensated for the limited amount of arable land meaning suitable for farming and agriculture.

• The climate is temperate and dependable rainfall provides Japan with a longer growing season.

•For centuries, rice was the currency of Japan.

• A person’s worth was determined by the their rice production.

•For property taxes the value of the land was determined by the estimated amount of rice it could produce.

•A lord’s rank and wealth was related to the total rice production of his territory.

•Even today, the emperor will tend a few rice plants, which symbolically means he is nurturing the Japanese culture and its people.

• Rice is Japan’s most important crop grown.

• Rice has been cultivated across Japan for more than 2000 years.

• The primary staple food in the Japanese diet is rice

• Rice is important to the Japanese culture as it was once used as currency

• The word for cooked rice (gohan) has become synonymous with the general meaning of "meal".

A typical rice field

Rice fields are common in the Japanese countryside.

The fields start as flooded patties in the early summer and turn into seas of green and gold waves as the rice grows and matures throughout the season.

Crop is usually harvested in the fall, although some southern regions may plant more than one crop per year.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-6718824.html

White Rice (Hakumai)

Brown Rice (Genmai)

Multigrain Rice

Glutinous Rice (Mochigome)

Picking up your rice bowl with your hand while eating from it.It is considered polite to finish every grain of rice

that you have been served.X It is not common to pour soy sauce directly over rice.X Do not leave your chopsticks standing up vertically in your rice. This is done at funerals.

• The ocean provides fish, which is one of the major sources of protein for the people of Japan.

•Another staple harvested from the sea is seaweed, which is high in vitamins and mineral salts.

•Soy is another important component of the Japanese diet.

You might expect the people of Japan living in different areas of the country to develop their own distinct culture. However, the people of Japan have always thought of themselves as a homogeneous society.

Homogeneous society- consists of people who see themselves as having a similar nature and character.

The geographic factor that contributed to this aspect of Japanese society was the sea. Since majority of the population lived along the coast, the sea provided easier communication and trade. Not only goods were traded, the Japanese people also traded ideas, beliefs and values too.

A Distinct People: Lived in the Northern part

of Japan for several thousand years.

Ainu means “human”. The Ainu had their own

separate society and territory, but eventually the Japanese began to take over the Ainu lands.

Several wars were fought, but each time the Ainu were defeated.

Eventually the Ainu territory became apart of Japan, the island where most of the Ainu lived was renamed Hokkaido.

The Japanese began an assimilation program of the Ainu. It was forbidden to speak their language or practise majority of their customs, and restricted to the areas of land the government provided.