THE GROWTH OF JAPANESE

CIVILIZATION

Japan lies east of China, in the direction of the

sunrise. The name Japan comes from the
Chinese word Jiphen which actually means
origin of the sun. Japans location and
picturesque topography have shaped its people
and its history.Its distance from other Asian
countries prevents invasion.

The original inhabitants of Japan were the Ainus.The

Ainu is an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido, the
northern part of Japan, the Kurile islands, much of the
Sakhalin and the southernmost part of the Kamchatka
Peninsula.
The word Ainu means human.
Modern Japan is now a mixture of Mongols, Chinese,
Malays and Ainus.

Until the 4th century BCE, Japan had no written

language. Early records of Japanese history were scanty.
It was first mentioned in Chinese writings in the form of
legends and songs handled down by words of
mouth.Eventually, these traditions were later on
recorded in Kojiki, the records of Japans ancient
history, and Nihonji, or The Chronicles of Japan.

According to tradition, Jimmu,who founded the

Yamato,ascended the throne in 660 CE and became the
first emperor of Japan.
In time,the emperor of Japan was given the title
Tenno(Son of Heaven).

The Yamato clan had established itself as the leading

clan.The Yamato claimed to be descended from the sun
goddess Amaterasu.By the 7th century,the Yamato
chiefs called themselves the emperors of Japan.

Each of these clans worshipped their own nature gods and

goddesses. Their combined customs and beliefs eventually form
the early Japanese religion which was later on called Shintoway of the gods, based on respect for the forces of nature and
on the worship of ancestors.
Shinto worshippers believed in kami,divine spirits that dwelt in
nature.

THE JAPANESE ADOPTED

CHINESE IDEAS

Around the year 500 BCE,the Japanese began to have more

contact with mainland Asia.They were soon influenced by
Chinese ideas and customs,which they first learned about from
Korean travelers. Chinese written language was introduced
through Wani, a Confucian scholar who tutored the Japanese
crown prince in 405 BCE.

THE NARA PERIOD

One of the most important influences brought by

Korean travelers was Buddhism.By the eight or ninth
century, Buddhist ideas of worship had spread
throughout Japanese society.
Buddhism was more complex than Shintoism.
Its teachings,as well as the beauty, and mystery of its
ceremonies and art,impressesd many Japanese. The
Japanese, however, did not give up their Shinto beliefs.
Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals, and some
Shinto gods and godesses were worshipped in Buddhist
temples.

The most important convert to Buddhism was Prince

Shotoku,who served as regent for his aunt,the empress Suiko.
Prince Shotoku was a prince in ancient Japan.
His real name was Umayato which means door of stable.
He was given the name because of his mother,Empress
Amahobeno-Hashinohito,gave birth to him in front of a stable
door.

It was Shotoku who drew up a written plan of government known

as The Seventeen Article Constitution,regarded as the first
written code of laws of Japan and was based on the teachings of
Confucius.Shotoku also tried to introduce Chinas civil service
examination system in the country, but he failed mainly because
in Japan, noble birth from a wealthy family clan is the key to
winning a powerful job in the government.

Prince Shotoku sent the first three missions to Tang China to

study Chinese civilization firsthand.Some 600
scholars,painters,musicians, and monks traveled on each
mission.Over the next 200 years,while the Tang Dynasty was at
its height,the Japanese sent many such groups to learn about the
Chinese ways.

The Japanese adopted the Chinese system of writing,which first

reached Japan through the Koreans.Japanese artists painted
landscapes in the Chinese manner.The Japanese even followed
Chinese styles in the simple arts of everyday living ,such as
cooking,gardening,drinking tea,and hairdressing.

For a time, Japan even modeled its government on Chinas.

Prince Shotoku planned a strong central government like that of
the Tang rulers. Unlike Chine, Japan continued to be a country
where a few great families held power.
The Japanese adopted Chinese ways to suit their needs.While
they learned much,they still retained their own
traditions.Although Chinese cultural influence would remain
strong in Japan, Japans own culture was about to bloom.The
Japanese also established the city of Nara as the first capital in
Japanese history.

HEIAN PERIOD

In 794 BCE,the capital of Japan was transferred from Nara to

Heian-Kyo,the present Kyoto.Many of Japans noble families
also moved to Heian.Among the upper class in Heian is a highly
refined court society.This era in the Japanese history,from 794 to
1185 is called the Heian Period.

At this point,Japan started to create its own kind of

culture,thus,was known as Japans Golden Age.Japans early
prose literatures were written almost entirely by women.This is
because men of that time wrote in Japanese using the
complicated Chinese character while women wrote in the native
language using Kana.

The two finest writers of the period were Lady Murasaki Shikibu
and Sei Shonagon.Lady Murasakis 11th century masterpiece,The
Tale of Genji,was an account of the life of a prince in the imperial
court.This long prose narrative,full of detail and emotion,is
considered the worlds first novel. Sei Shonagon wrote vivid
sketches of court life in her diary,called the Pillow Book.
Here she listed some things that gave her pleasure.

Between the period 1000-1200 CE,other noble families became

powerful. The Taira and the Minamoto families in particular
fought their way to power in the sea battle of Dan-no-ura.The
Minamoto fleet, led by Minamoto Yoshitsune, defeated the Taira
fleet.Minamoto Yoritomo, the elder brother of Minamoto
Yoshsitsune, became the first shogun of Japan. The shogun was
the only chief military officer of the central government; he
controlled the law, the courts and appointments to office.

RISE OF THE SHOGUNATE

Yoritomo was one of the great statesmen Japan had ever

produced.He was the founder of Japans military government
known as the shogunate.The emperor gave him the title Sei-i-tai
Shogun which means Barbarian Subdueing Great General.
The shogunate was sometimes called the Bakafu or Tent
Government because of its military nature.

THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

Under Yoritomo, Japan entered a feudal age.The Latin word for

fief(the grant of land) is feudum from which comes the word
feudal.

The following were considered to be the great

shogunate of Japan.others were shortlived; Kamakura
Shogunate, the Ashikaga Shogunate, and the Tokugawa
Shogunate.

SAMURAI WARRIORS

The key power and strength of the Shogunate was the moral tie
between the landlord and samurai,which means one who
serves. During this age,Yoritomo divided the land to the greater
lords called daimyos or great names.As landlords,the daimyos
became rivals and wars became common among them.The lesser
lords known as shomyos or small names, pledges allegiance to
the daimyos in exchange for protection.

The samurais were the warriors who fought for their lords.They
lived in accordance with a code of conduct called Bushido, or
the way of the warriors, this code stressed an unswering loyalty
and absolute courage in battle.

Among the samurais,suicide by means of

seppuku,otherwise known as harakiri,was preferred over
dishonor or surrender.

DECLINE OF THE KAMAKURA

SHOGUNATE

The Kamakura Shogunate was able to maintain order in Japan.

But their major test came when the Mongol ruler of China sent
two naval invasions to the country. The samurais fought
desperately when a typhoon suddenly forced the Mongols to
withdraw. The Japanese again believed that the wind was actually
sent by their divine godesses to help them. They called this
divine wind as the kamikaze.

The Shogunate failed to pay the samurais after the

war.Gradually,the samurais attached themselves more
closely to the daimyos who became more powerful until
the Kamakura Shogunate declined.