THE GROWTH OF JAPANESE CIVILIZATION

THE GROWTH OF JAPANESE CIVILIZATIONJapan 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 Shinto- way 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 IDEASAround 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 PERIODOne 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 PERIODIn 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 SHOGUNATEYoritomo 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 SYSTEMUnder 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 WARRIORSThe 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 SHOGUNATEThe 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.