CHAPTER DEPTH STUDY 2: THE ASiA–PACifiC woRLD Japan under the 8 shoguns (c. 794 –1867) Links with our times Japan and Australia share a very important relationship. After China, Japan is Australia’s most important trading partner. Japanese companies sell us many goods, such as motor vehicles and electronics. In return, Australia sells primary industry products, such as minerals and beef. Australia and Japan are also linked through education. Many Australian schools teach Japanese and encourage student exchanges between the two nations. In these cases, students may study overseas for a time and live with a host family, experiencing Japanese culture and lifestyle firsthand. Our friendly links also include sister city relationships, where Australian and Japanese cities promote cultural understanding. For example, our capital city, Canberra, is paired with the city of Nara in Japan and welcomes important visitors from Nara when they come to Australia. The Second World War was a time when the two countries were enemies. However, they now share common goals and work together in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. There are many traditional Japanese festivals that are still performed today. This is an image from Takayama Matsuri, held in Grifu prefecture. eBookplus Create a visual timeline of key DEPTH STUDY 2: the asiA–pacifiC world events in Japan under the shoguns with the interactive timeline application in your eBookPLUS. Kasuga shrine is a Shinto A timeline of SEARCHLiGHT iD: inT-2950 Japan under the CE shrine in Nara. It is famous shoguns for its many bronze and 700 stone lanterns. 794 Emperor’s court moves from Nara 800 to Heian-kyo Heian period (modern-day Kyoto). 794–1185 Noble Fujiwara family 798 at the height of its Kyomizu-dera political power. 900 (Pure Water Temple) Flowering of art is constructed. and literature, especially poetry. Use of phonetic kana scripts. 1000 Rise of samurai military class. The Pillow Book 1180–1185 is written by 1100 Genpei War Sei Shonagon. The Tale of Genji 1252 is written by Great Buddha statue is Murasaki Shikibu. installed at Kamakura. 1200 1274 and 1281 Kamakura period Unsuccessful attempts 1185–1333 by Mongol armies to Minamoto no invade Japan. Yoritomo becomes shogun and puts 1300 1397 Japan under Kinkaku-ji (Golden As you work through this chapter, look for information military control. Pavilion) is built. 1467–77 that will help you to answer these questions: Muromachi period Onin War 1336–1573 1400 1 How did the rulers of shogunate Japan gain and Japan under military 1549 control of the Francis Xavier maintain their political power? Ashikaga shoguns. introduces Christianity to Japan. 2 Why was there a strict division of social classes? 1500 1467–1568 Azuchi-Momoyama 3 How did religious beliefs influence people’s daily period Age of the lives? warring states 1568–1600 Toyotomi Hideyoshi 4 To what extent did literature and art reflect the persecutes Christians. 1600 Increase in foreign values of Japanese society? trade 5 What political and social changes occurred in 1600 Edo period Battle of Sekigahara Japan after the shogunate period ended? 1600–1868 1700 1688–1704 Japan under military Genroku period brings control of the a flourishing of Tokugawa shoguns. urban culture. Christians persecuted. 1800 1853 Shi-no-ko-sho Commodore Perry first organisation of society 1 What do you know about the main beliefs of visits from the US. Policy of national Buddhism? seclusion isolates 1868 Japan from the rest of 1900 The Tokugawa 2 Identify three different things that you associate the world. shogunate is with Japanese samurai. Edo is the largest city overthrown. in the world. Emperor Meiji is 3 What do you think it would be like to live in a restored to power. 2000 country ruled by military officers? 1868–69 Boshin War 4 What might happen if a country closed itself off completely from the rest of the world? Chapter 8: Japan under the shoguns (c. 794 –1867) 223 HwDo o wE Know ABoUT . ? 8.1 Japan under the shoguns Source 2 Japanese museums, temples and shrines preserve This statue of Buddha is made many relics that tell us about Japan’s past. of bronze and was The most precious items are listed as National constructed in the thirteenth century. It is Treasures. These could be buildings, sculptures, 13.35 metres high and paintings, documents, artefacts or even people. weighs approximately 94 tonnes. Architecture A lot can be learned about Japan’s past by examining surviving buildings. Their construction techniques, materials and designs give us valuable information about architecture, technology and the way people lived. Some of the oldest buildings are in the cities of Nara, Kamakura and Kyoto. These three cities were centres of government at various times in Japan’s history. They were also religious centres that built shrines for Japan’s ancient Shinto faith, great Buddhist temples and pagodas. Arts and crafts Source 3 Many examples of Japanese arts and crafts survive today, and This print by nineteenth-century these provide a great deal of evidence of life in Japan over artist Ando Hiroshige shows peasants in the centuries. Paintings often provide detail of the way of life paddy fields planting rice. of all classes of people, as well as the clothing they wore and the buildings in which they lived. Many famous events in Japanese history have also been depicted in artworks of the time. Crafts such as origami, printmaking and pottery can also give us insights into Japanese life in past centuries. Source 1 Todai-ji is the largest wooden structure in the world and was built without the use of nails. There has been a Buddhist temple on this site since the eighth century CE. 224 History Alive 8 for the Australian Curriculum Source 5 The Hollyhock Festival (Aoi Matsuri) began as a religious festival in Literature the sixth century CE. It was believed to Many great works of early Japanese literature also protect people from disease and help survive, and these reveal many aspects of life in bring good rice harvests. the past. Murasaki Shikibu, sometimes known as Lady Murasaki, was the author of the first great Japanese novel, The Tale of Genji, written over 10 years between 1000 and 1010 CE. Although this is a work of fiction, it provides us with a great deal of information about the life of the wealthy and influential aristocrats of this time. Source 4 Murasaki Shikibu wrote the first great Japanese novel The Tale of Genji. This artwork was created in 1767. origami the art of folding paper into different shapes and designs Shinto an ancient Japanese religion that believes in nature spirits and ancestor worship Any Al SiS And uSe of SourCeS 1 What can Source 1 tell us about the importance of religion in traditional Japanese society? What is the unique technology used in the construction of this temple? 2 Study Source 2 . This statue was cast in bronze. Use your dictionary or an encyclopaedia to find out more about the words ‘cast’ and ‘bronze’. a What two metals make up the alloy bronze? b Draw and label a sketch of the casting process to explain how this statue was made. c What conclusions can you draw about the metalworking skills of craftsmen in the Kamakura period? 3 Examine Source 3 and answer the following questions: The Japanese language is written with three a What does this source tell us about farming methods different sets of characters. These include Chinese used in Japan in the past? characters known as kanji, as well as two sets b Describe the typical clothing worn by Japanese of characters that represent different sounds or peasants at this time. syllables. These two sets of characters are known c What other activity can you see in this source? What as hiragana and katakana. might this tell us about traditional Japanese leisure activities? 4 Examine Source 4 . How can we tell that Murasaki Shikibu Traditions and festivals was a member of the wealthy classes? Many traditional festivals and religious ceremonies 5 Carefully examine Source 5 . The costumes used in the are still practised in Japan today. Some of these have Aoi Matsuri procession are copies of garments that no longer exist. What historical evidence could modern not changed for many hundreds of years so can designers use to find out what the original clothing provide valuable information about the way of life of looked like? Japanese people in past centuries. Chapter 8: Japan under the shoguns (c. 794 –1867) 225 Source 2 Japanese emperors were believed to be descended from the 8.2 Ancient and sun goddess Amaterasu, seen in this nineteenth-century artwork emerging Classical Japan from her cave. About twelve thousand years ago, Japan was joined to the Asian mainland by several land bridges. The nomadic hunters and fishermen who walked across them on expeditions became Japan’s first inhabitants. However, at the end of the last ice age, the Earth’s climate warmed and rising oceans covered the land bridges. The islands that formed became the Japanese archipelago we know today. Later, attracted by the islands’ natural beauty and rich resources, sea-faring peoples from various parts of Asia reached Japan by boat. As their settlements spread, the original inhabitants were gradually driven into the far north wildernesses. Geography of Japan The Yamato state Japan is made up of four large islands and thousands The first migrants from South-East Asia settled on of smaller ones. It is situated in one of the earth’s the southern island of Kyushu. However, around most active seismic regions, so it experiences frequent the fourth century CE, the Yamato clan established earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions.