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
13,000 Chinese
22,000 Japanese
Pictographs 山
Grammatical differences
*Hiragana ひらがな
*Katakana カタカナ
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)
Surname first
Skaff, Jonathan スカフ、ジャナタン
Miyahira An 宮平杏 "Palace-Peaceful Apricot"
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
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
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?
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?