Early History

Influences from China and Korea

Rice agriculture, 3rd c. BCE

Writing, potter’s wheel, 5th c.

Kanji

Japan=Nihon 日本 "Sun's Root/Origin"

Government administration & Buddhism, 6th-7th c.

Large scale political organization by 6th c. CE

Yamato clan

Borrowed Chinese writing system

Origin of words in Japanese, 1884 dictionary

13,000 Chinese

22,000 Japanese

Problems with kanji (Chinese characters)

Pictographs 山

Grammatical differences

2 alphabets

*Hiragana ひらがな

*Katakana　カタカナ

Pronunciation

Hepburn system

Consonants as in English

Vowels as in musical scale

o=do

e=re

I=mi

a=fa

and u as in zulu

Horizontal bar above vowel indicates long pronunciation

sutā (star)

Names

Surname first

Skaff, Jonathan スカフ、ジャナタン

Miyahira An 宮平杏 "Palace-Peaceful Apricot"

Traditional Political Order

Continuous line of Yamato emperors, 6th c.-now

Generally firm control, 6th-mid-9th c.

Empress Suiko (r. 593-628)

Tennō 天皇 “Heavenly Emperor”

Ritsuryō 律令 Chinese “legal code” reforms, 645

Provincial system

Centralization vs. provincial control

Capitals

Nara (Heijo), 710

*Kyoto (Heian), 794

Lack of effective imperial power, mid-9th c.-now

Holders of power in Kyōto (Heian), 794

Court aristocrats, 858-1160

Shoen system

Shogun and provincial samurai, 1185-1477

Kamakura Shogunate (Minamoto family), 1192-1333

Hōjō regents 1221-1333

Ashikaga (family) in Kyoto, 1338-1573

Onin War 1467-77

Discussion

Bender, “Emperor, Aristocracy”

Chinese-style law codes (ritsuryō 律令)

Nara synthesis

Todaiji Temple, Nara (749 CE)

1. According to the author, what are some of the major patterns of court politics during the Nara period of the eighth century? What are some of the theories about the prevalence of female emperors in this period?

2. According to the author, what is the Nara synthesis? (pp. 119-20) How important were the Chinese-style law codes (ritsuryō 律令)? Why does he think it is important to later Japanese history?

Goble, “The Kamakura Shogunate”

Minamoto Yoritomo (r. 1185-1199)

Hōjō Masako (1180-1225)

1. What were the political and military struggles that allowed the Kamakura Shogunate to be formed in the east while the emperors remained in power in the Kyoto in the west?