The Feudal Hierarchy of Japan



The Feudal Hierarchy in Japan World History/Napp

“During the late 1100s, Japan’s two most powerful clans fought for power. After almost 30 years of war, the Minamoto family emerged victorious. In 1192, the emperor gave a Minamoto leader named Yoritomo the title of shogun, or ‘supreme general of the emperor’s army.’ In effect, the shogun had the powers of a military dictator.

Following tradition, the emperor still reigned from Kyoto. (Kyoto was rebuilt on the ruins of Heian, which had been destroyed in war.) However, the real center of power was at the shogun’s military headquarters at Kamakura. The 1200s are known in Japanese history as the Kamakura shogunate. The pattern of government in which shoguns ruled through puppet emperors lasted in Japan until 1868.

The Kamakura shoguns were strong enough to turn back the two naval invasions sent by the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan in 1274 and 1281. However, the Japanese victory over the Mongols drained the shoguns’ treasury. Loyal samurai were bitter when the government failed to pay them. The Kamakura shoguns lost prestige and power. Samurai attached themselves more closely to their local lords, who soon fought one another as fiercely as they had fought the Mongols.”

~ World History

Questions:

1- How did the late 1100s change Japanese history?

2- Define shogun and describe the power of the shogun.

3- How did the emergence of a shogun change the emperor’s role in Japan?

4- Prove that Kamakura was the real center of power in Japan in the 1200s.

5- Identify and describe the successes of the Kamakura shoguns.

6- How did the Japanese victory over the Mongols negatively affect the Japanese?

7- Why did warfare increase in Japan as the Kamakura shoguns lost prestige and power?

The Feudal Hierarchy or System of Ranking (Samurai, Shogun, Daimyo, Peasants)

Place the correct class in the correct position in the hierarchy.

Feudalism

(Word Bank: Lords, Shogun, Military)

A- Under a feudal system, land is exchanged for _________ service.

B- Powerful _______________ own land and organize private armies.

C- In Japan, the ____________ was the most powerful lord.

Lords in Feudal Japan

(Word Bank: Taxes, Shogun, Daimyo, Land, Dictator)

A- A powerful lord in Japan was called a _______________.

B- These powerful lords refused to pay _________ to the emperor.

C- The most powerful lord in Japan was called the ____________.

D- The most powerful lord was a military ___________________.

E- Lords owned _________ and exchanged it for service.

The Emperor in Feudal Japan

(Word Bank: Little, Status, Shogun, god)

A- The emperor was considered a ________ in Feudal Japan.

B- The emperor had high ________ but no real political power.

C- The most powerful lord forced the emperor to appoint him ________.

The Samurai in Feudal Japan

(Word Bank: Bushido, Knights, Warriors, To Show No Emotion, Discipline, Loyalty, Seppuku, Rules, Chivalry, Honor)

A- The samurai were skilled ______________.

B- The samurai were similar to _________ in Feudal Europe.

C- The samurai had to follow the Code of ________________.

D- The samurai’s code was a set of _______ for the samurai.

E- List three rules a samurai had to follow:

1- _____________________

2- _____________________

3- _____________________

F- The samurai lost _________ if he failed to follow the Code of Bushido.

G- To regain his honor, a samurai had to commit ____________ or ritual suicide.

H- The Code of Bushido is similar to the European concept of ________________.

The Hierarchy of Feudal Japan and Japan’s Geography:

(Word Bank: Mountainous, Parents, Birth, Archipelago, Natural, Caste)

A- The feudal system in Japan was a fixed class system. Why?

_______________ determined class.

B- The feudal system in Japan was a hereditary social class system. Why?

A person’s position was determined by his ________________.

C- The feudal system in Japan was similar to the ____________ system in India because birth determined position.

D- Japan is an _____________ or a series of islands.

E- Japan is ______________ and lacks arable land.

F- Japan lacks ___________ resources like oil and coal.

[pic]

Word Bank:

Samurai, Mountains, Emperor, Fishing, Shogun, Buddhism, Bushido, Knights, Daimyo, Archipelago, Shinto, Natural Resources, Fixed, Seppuku

A Japanese Story: The Samurai and the Tea Master

A long time ago there lived a great Tea Master. He was an elderly, small and frail man. He was known throughout the countryside where he lived for his beautiful Tea Ceremony. His work was so good that one day the Emperor heard about him and summoned him to the Palace to perform this special ceremony.

The quiet, little Tea Master received this invitation from the Emperor. He packed his belongings, placed them on his back and started on a long journey by foot to the Palace.

After many long days the little man arrived and performed the ceremony for the Emperor. The Emperor was so impressed! He presented the Tea Master with the highest honor that he was allowed. He presented him with the two Japanese swords of the Samurai.

The Tea Master accepted the swords. He bowed to the emperor, placed the swords on his back, picked up his belongings and started his journey home.

Two days later the little man was walking through a small country village when he was spotted by the Samurai that protected that area. He was a great and powerful Samurai. At first the Samurai could not believe his eyes. Where those swords? What was this little frail man doing with them?!

The Samurai confronted the little man. “How dare you make a mockery of all Samurai! I cannot stand for this dishonor. We will meet here on this place in the morning and correct this!”

The two men bowed to each other and went their separate ways. The Tea Master, of course, was in a panic. What should he do?

That evening he sought the advice of an elderly Samurai teacher. The old man said, “First, in the morning, you are going to die.” Then he went silent. The Tea Master asked, “Is there nothing I can do?” The teacher replied, “Yes, make tea.”

In the morning the Tea Master and the Samurai met in the village. They bowed to each other, and then each drew their swords. The great Samurai looked down his sword at the Tea Master. The Tea Master looked down his sword with all the focus, care and attention of making tea.

The great Samurai stepped back, replaced his sword, bowed and said, “Please excuse me, I have been mistaken.”

Why was the Tea Master seen as a formidable warrior by the Samurai?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download