Medieval Japan

1
Medieval Japan

• Chapter 14
• Section 3

2
Life in Medieval Japan

• Reading Strategy
• Complete the diagram on page 273 in your ARNTG.

Obey her father, husband, son
Work in the fields
cook
Role of women
Artists, writers, warriors
Spin weave cloth
Help with family business
Care for children
3
Japanese Religion Culture
Zen Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism

• Looked to Lord Amida, a Buddha of love and mercy
• believers had to have faith in Amida and chant
  his name to get to his paradise in the clouds

• Find inner peace through self-control and a
  simple way of life
• emphasized martial arts and meditation

• Sects of Mahayana Buddhism

4
Japanese Religion Culture

• During the Middle Ages, Japanese people practiced
  both Shinto and Buddhism.

• When it reached Japan, Buddhism had divided into
  different sects, or smaller religious groups.

• Pure Land Buddhism was a sect of Mahayana
  Buddhism.

• Its message is about a happy life after death.

5
Japanese Religion Culture

• Zen Buddhism is another important sect of
  Buddhism brought to Japan from China.

• Zen teaches that people can find inner peace
  through self-control and a simple way of life.

• Followers of Zen Buddhism also practiced
  meditation, where a person sat cross-legged and
  motionless for hours, with the mind cleared of
  all thoughts and desires

6
Japanese Religion Culture

• Japanese art reveals the Japanese peoples love
  of beauty and simplicity.

7
Japanese Religion Culture

• Art in the Middle Ages included wooden items
  coated in lacquer, landscape paintings, folded
  paper called origami, and tea ceremonies.

• Japanese buildings were influenced by Chinese or
  Japanese styles.

• Shinto shrines followed the Japanese style
  Buddhist temples followed the Chinese style.

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9
Japanese Religion Culture

• The Japanese borrowed and adapted the Chinese
  style of writing using characters.

• Calligraphy, the art of writing beautifully, was
  important in Japan.

• The tanka is Japans oldest form of poetry.

• Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji,
  the story of a Japanese prince.

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Murasaki Shikibu
11
Japanese Religion Culture

• Noh plays taught Buddhist ideas and were
  performed on a bare stage by actors in robes and
  masks.

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13
Japanese Religion Culture

• Sum It Up

• How are martial arts and meditation connected to
  Zen Buddhisms principle of self-control?

• Both martial arts and meditation teach
  self-control, leading to inner peace.

14
Economy and Society

• Very few people benefited from Japans wealth
  under the shoguns.
• Most people in Japan remained poor.
• Japanese farmers worked hard to
  grow rice,
  wheat, millet, and barley.

15
Economy and Society

• In the 1100s, advances in irrigation and crops
  allowed them to grow more food and their lives
  improved.

• Artisans made weapons, armor, and tools for
  merchants to sell.

• As trade increased, artisans began making
  pottery, paper, textiles, and lacquered items.

16
Economy and Society

• Kyoto, the capital of Japan, was a major center
  of production and trade.

• Many groups of artisans and merchants were
  located there and formed guilds, medieval
  business groups formed by craftspeople and
  merchants to protect profits.

17
Economy and Society

• Japanese extended families included grandparents,
  parents, and children, with a man heading the
  family.

• Women were expected to obey their father, their
  husband, and their sons.

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19
Economy and Society

• During the time of Shotoku, wealthy women could
  be rulers and own property, but women lost these
  freedoms after the samurai and daimyo took
  control.

• Despite their lack of freedom, some women made
  important contributions to Japanese culture.

• Marriages were arranged by parents, but in
  farming families women had more control over whom
  they married.

20
Economy and Society

• Sum It Up

• Which groups in Japan benefited from the
  countrys wealth?

• Nobles, merchants, and artisans benefited from
  Japans wealth.

21
Life in Medieval Japan

• Section Wrap Up

• How did religion shape Japans culture?

Sects of Buddhism (Pure Land and Zen) and Shinto
impacted Japans art, architecture, novels, and
plays.
22
Life in Medieval Japan

• Section Wrap Up

• What was life like for people in medieval Japan?

Nobles, merchants, and artisans grew wealthy.
Most Japanese were farmers who remained poor.
Women remained restricted in many areas of life.
23
Life in Medieval Japan
What was life like for a Japanese farming woman?
Wives of farmers worked long, hard hours in the
fields. They also had to cook, spin and weave
cloth, and care for their children.
24
Life in Medieval Japan
How did the Shinto and Buddhist religions meet
different needs in Japan?
Shinto concerned with daily life Buddhism
prepared people for the life to come.
25
Life in Medieval Japan
What were Noh plays, and how were they performed?
Japans oldest form of play performed on a
simple, bare stage by actors who wore masks and
danced, gestured, and chanted poetry to music.
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Life in Medieval Japan
Describe How did guilds benefit artisans and
daimyos?
Guilds offered protection from rival artisans,
and sold daimyo goods they could not get
themselves.
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Life in Medieval Japan
Analyze Why do you think women lost some of
their freedoms when Japan became a warrior
society?
Answers will vary.
28
Life in Medieval Japan
Descriptive Writing Write a brief article for a
travel magazine describing the architecture of
Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan
during the Middle Ages
Articles should note that Shinto shrines were
Japanese in style, while Buddhist temples were
built in a Chinese style.