WORLD HISTORY

Asia

CHINA
In China, its people refer to the land as Zhong-guo [Middle Kingdom] Many believed they were the worlds only inhabitants They had good reason, China is very isolated North=Gobi Desert, West=Himalayas, East=Pacic Ocean, South=Dense rain forest

CHINA
China is currently home to over 1.3 billion people The massive nation covers over 3.7 million miles Yet most the entire population lives along the eastern 1/3 of the country Reason = farming, only 20% of the land is level Only 10% is good for farming

CHINA
The climate of China varies greatly North=Warm to Hot summers, Cold Winters South=Humid, Rainy, Tropical China has 3 major rivers, populations swell around them Areas surrounding the rivers offer excellent trade, water, good farming

CHINA
The three major rivers of China are: Huang He = Yellow River, 1000s of miles long in northern China Silty, loamy water is yellow in color Also referred to as the River of Sorrow Floods often, many have been killed 1931, 4 million died in a ood

CHINA
Chang/Yangtze River = Near modern city of Shanghai. 3rd longest river in the world Massive river, very controversial due to construction of Three Gorges Dam Largest dam in the world Will power many great Chinese cities Will also leave millions homeless and ruin many natural habitats

CHINA

Yi River = Great river in the south Hub of trading with the world Also a great river for farmers

CHINA
2/3 thirds of China is mountain/ semi desert The most prominently deserts are the Gobi and Taklimakan The Gobi is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth Temperatures can vary from -45 degrees to 100

CHINA
China is home to many great mountain ranges The Himalayas to the west are dominated by Mt. Everest In the south exists the Guilin Mountains, mainly made of limestone they pose unique shapes The Hengduan Mountains are considered the birthplace of owers

WORLD HISTORY
Asia

CHINA
Chinese history began with a great ood After 7 long years, ood waters would not abate Young hero, Yu, decided it was time to master the ood For 13 years, worked day and night planting trees, digging canals

CHINA
Due to Yus efforts, the ood waters subsided Huang He River or Yellow River did not ood again for 1,600 years People celebrated the great leadership and work ethic of Yu Made him king, rst Chinese Ruling Dynasty, Xia, was established

CHINA
Many are unsure if the story is accurate The rst Dynasties left few artifacts Story does however set the foundation for core Chinese beliefs They, to this day, believe strongly in the value of hard work, good leadership, ghting back ood waters, natural disasters

CHINA
What we do know, is that Chinas early civilizations used wooden hoes, sticks to plant crops along the Huang He River Worshiped a God named Shang Di They believed that if they did not appease the Gods, they would have hardship Not pleasing the Gods meant, famine, poor government, oods

CHINA
The second great Chinese Dynasty was the Shang This dynasty began around 1570 BC We know much more about the Shang because they developed a written language This language is found today in ancient carvings

CHINA
The Shang kings life revolved around pleasing the Gods He began a tradition of consulting advisors If a problem persisted, the king would turn to his dead ancestors Ancestors would be called by making offerings Questions would be asked using divination bones

CHINA
On the bones, questions would be written The bones were then subject to great heat, causing cracks Cracks were interpreted as answers The king would then take the answers and ancestral advice Pleasing the ancestors, gods would bring China good fortune

CHINA
The early civilizations of China also established the Chinese writing system It is made up of ideographs, or pictures that represent words or thoughts The Shang Dynasty used over 3,000 ideographs Later Dynasties would require scholars to know over 10,000 With so many ideographs, many, such as farmers, had no time to study, became illiterate Established class structure

WORLD HISTORY
Asia

CHINA
1027 BC, Zhou invaded from the north west, replaced the Shang Dynasty They began a new tradition called The Mandate of Heaven This asserted that heaven gave certain people a right to rule If heaven did not like the ruler, the mandate would be withdrawn, chaos would ensue Began the Dynastic Cycle

THE DYNASTIC CYCLE

CHINA
The Zhou Dynasty put in place many traditions that would inuence later Chinese dynasties By 700 BC, the Zhou Dynasty fell into decay Many powerful lords separated themselves from the empire and formed their own states These states continued to war against one another Warring States Period It was during this time that Chinas greatest thinkers emerged

CHINA
551 BC, Chinas greatest philosopher, Confucius was born Confucius lived during a time of disorder and war Sought to restore peace and harmony Went out and attempted to teach his beliefs to high courts Teachings were rejected, Confucius was not popular during his lifetime

CHINA
However, a small group of followers collected and passed on his writings, The Analects These would become very popular and are part of Chinese culture to this day Teachings taught rulers that they should provide good government Also taught that the kings subjects should always be loyal

CHINA
Teachings of Confucius are based around the 5 Relationships 1) Ruler and the Ruled 2) Father and the Son 3) Old Brother and the Young Brother 4) Husband and Wife 5) Friend to Friend

CHINA
According to Confucius, the superior individual should set an example to the inferior If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he gives orders, they will not be obeyed. Likewise the father is the most important individual in the family Confucius set in motion lial piety, duty and respect of children In time, Confucian teachings became the core of Chinese society

CHINA

After Confucius came another great teacher called Lao Tzu Like Confucius, Lao looked to establish order and peace Teachings became knows as Taoism Tao means the way

CHINA
Taoists conicted with Confucius in terms of government, and rules They saw these things as articial, man made Taoists seek to follow the natural way They believe in small government, few, but simple rules Simplicity in all things is key Ying/Yang Tao symbol of harmony White = Yang represents female, soft, slow and tranquil Black = Yin and represents males, fast, tough and aggressive

CHINA
Confucians thought that order was based on relationships and behavior Taoists saw that order was based upon people and nature Taoists thought it best to live a natural way, following nature Anything else was man made and caused war and chaos

CHINA
Taoists believed that the best form of government was one that had the fewest rules The wise man keeps to the deed that consists of taking no action and practices using no words Taoists then were peaceful and natural They sought simplicity and this philosophy heavily inuenced the arts

CHINA
Taoists inuenced the arts and sciences in many ways It is believed by many that the inventors of Gun Powder were Taoist They used it to frighten off ghosts They also made technological breakthroughs in science and astronomy

CHINA
Another great thinker that would revolutionize Chinese culture was Han Feizi He, like Lao, refuted the teachings of Confucius He argued that people respond to rewards and punishments, not example Invented a new system of government called legalism

CHINA
From 476BC to 221BC, China was in a constant state of war 7 Great states fought for control of all of China Great military minds and strategists were in high demand It was at this time that one of the greatest military minds emerged His name was Sun Tzu

CHINA
The King of Wu worried he would lose against the State of Chu which was much larger Sun Tzu did not believe victory was predetermined based on army size Sun Tzu was challenged by the King of the State of Wu to demonstrate his skill before giving him charge of his army He was told to train a harem of 180 women to become soldiers

CHINA
Sun Tzu took the challenge He appointed two of the kings concubines as commanders He then divided the women into two companies He gave the order for the women to turn right at the sound of the drums The drums sounded and the women laughed

CHINA
According to Sun Tzu If the orders are not clear, it is the fault of the general Sun Tzu took the time to give the instructions again, this time to ensure that all understood The command was given to turn following the drums The drums sounded and yet again the women laughed

CHINA

CHINA
According to Sun Tzu If the orders are clear and the command is not followed, it is the fault of the subordinates

CHINA
According to Sun Tzu If the orders are clear and the command is not followed, it is the fault of the subordinates Following the second failure, Sun Tzu had the two women beheaded

CHINA
According to Sun Tzu If the orders are clear and the command is not followed, it is the fault of the subordinates Following the second failure, Sun Tzu had the two women beheaded He then gave the order a third time

CHINA
According to Sun Tzu If the orders are clear and the command is not followed, it is the fault of the subordinates Following the second failure, Sun Tzu had the two women beheaded He then gave the order a third time This time they all obeyed with total obedience

CHINA
The demonstration was enough, Sun Tzu was given command over the Wu army Against the larger Chu force he engaged them in a series of Guerrilla tactics The smaller Wu force was able to prevail Sun Tzu wrote down his methods of War in a book called The Art of War

CHINA
The Art of War is a very simplistic book of strategy It was heavily guarded in China for centuries Eventually is spread across Asia Napoleon was the rst westerner to receive a copy The book still sees wide use and is most known as the way by which the US failed in Vietnam

THE ART OF WAR

THE ART OF WAR

WORLD HISTORY
Asia

CHINA
By 200 BC, one power began to dominate all of China Slowly the Warring States Period was drawing to a close China was about to unify under one man This person was Emperor Shi Huangdi It is with him that Chinas history ofcially begins

CHINA
Emperor Shi Huangdi united his people under Han Feizis legalism This was a very strict way of life with heavy consequences for misbehavior The Emperor created a powerfully obedient military and used it to slowly conquer the other states The other states were: Yan, Chu, Han, Zhou and Wei

CHINA
After defeating all other states, a new Dynasty emerged, the Qin Dynasty The Qin Dynasty gave modern China its name Shi Huangdi means rst emperor and that is how he is addressed in modern China This Dynasty however would be short lived

CHINA
The rst emperor lived a life in constant fear of assassination Rival states continually sent assassins to kill him As a result, the king lived a life of seclusion, allowing almost no one to come near him He was constantly in fear of being poisoned as well

CHINA
Under the legalist rule, people lived in constant fear The rst emperor did however take care if his people [those who were obedient] It was the rst emperor who began construction on the Great Wall It was built to keep foreign invaders from attacking from the north Little of this rst wall still exists

CHINA
In the south, the rst emperor began construction on the Lingqu Canal It linked the Yangtze river in the north to a smaller river in the south It was a marvel of engineering in its time These two things were only the beginning however of the rst emperors constructions

CHINA
In the later years of his life, the rst emperor became obsessed with discovering an elixir of immortality He sent 1000s out on expeditions to discover a secret potion Many failed to return in fear their failure would bring about death According to legend, some of these explorers colonized Japan

CHINA
The rst emperor died on september 10th of 210 BC He died from taking mercury pills thinking they would grant him immortality Prior to his death however, he embarked on a spectacular construction spree These accomplishments are still considered marvels of the world

CHINA
At the age of 13, the rst emperor began construction on a terra-cotta army to take with him in the afterlife It took 700,000 men, decades to create That number of workers exceeded the populations of any world city at the time An army of hardened earth or clay was created and buried near his tomb

CHINA
Each of his soldiers, his height and physical features, were taken into account No two soldiers are alike It was not until the 1974 that it was discovered by farmers trying to dig a well The army was not the only construction built for the rst emperors death

CHINA
In 215 BC, 5 years before the emperors death, construction on a pyramid began It was designed to be the emperors burial tomb 300,000 men were put to the task He would have valuables and artifacts placed in it 1000s of booby traps were designed to keep looters away

CHINA
The pyramid also featured rivers of owing mercury Surprisingly, the tomb remains intact and un-opened Probes have conrmed an open space within the pyramid and high traces of mercury The Chinese government will not open it until they are 100% certain they can do so and maintain what is within

WORLD HISTORY
Asia

CHINA
Only four years after Emperor Shi Huangdis death his empire was in ruins Generals and other states again began to war with one another in the power wake Finally a new emperor emerged and began a new Dynasty It would come to be known as the Han Dynasty It too would be short lived

CHINA
Beginning in about 500 BC, a new enemy began to threaten China During the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, a group of northern herdsman named the Xiongnu began to carry out attacks They rode horses and carried out lightning raids The Chinese war chariots were no match for the speed of the single horseman with bows

CHINA
What started in the 500 BC as a mere molestation became a serious threat by 200 BC The constant Xiongnu raids provoked Shi Huangdi to begin construction on the Great Wall This slowed but did not stop the attacks Raids became more frequent and more ferocious during the subsequent dynasties

CHINA
It is believed the Hun came from the Xiongnu No one however is certain of the Hun origins The people of Mongolia or the Steppes of Russia did not keep histories By the 400 AD, the Hun began to migrate possibly out of China and moved westward towards Europe

CHINA
The Hun showed up at the Black Sea in 370 AD They soon began attacking the Alans, a Germanic Barbarian tribe After that, the Hun moved on the Visigoths and pushed them into Roman territory This had a chain reaction effect that ultimately brought down the Roman Empire

CHINA
The Hun were bloodthirsty, much like the later Vikings They destroyed and plundered all in their path They destroyed many holdings in the Eastern Roman Empire and even destroyed various cities in Italy itself The Hun became even more ruthless under the leadership of Attila

CHINA
Attila was a great leader and his power was so much that he forced the Romans to pay him tribute He eventually died during a raucous party His successor was defeated in the battle of Nedao in 454 After that the Hun retreated eastward and were never again a threat to Europeans

CHINA
Returning to China Following the death of Shi Huangdi the Qin Dynasty faced destruction A young prince named Liu Bang of the Han defeated the Qin army in 206 BC Many were open to new leadership after enduring the harsh legalism The Han formally began a switch from legalism to confucianism

CHINA
Under the Han, the Silk Road was utilized like never before The economy grew stronger and better Despite these successes, the peasants grew unhappy Soon peasant revolts rose up across the empire due to wealth disparity Then political turmoil fractured the empire into a series of powerful warlords

CHINA
After the Han Dynasty ended, China endured almost 300 years of darkness In 581 AD, a new leader by the name of Sui Yangdi began a new Dynasty He once again unied China and established order and peace He initiated the Sui [Sway] Dynasty

CHINA
The greatest accomplishment of the Sui Dynasty was the completion of the Grand Canal The Canal connected the Yellow River to the Yangtze River It greatly improved shipping and increased food transportation and population growth The Canal however was built upon slave labor

CHINA
Sui Yangdi was much alike to Shi Huangdi Both united China under harsh rule Soon, people were rebelling against Suis harsh methods Sui began issuing taxes in order to build opulent palaces for his court In 618 AD, mass rebellions broke out and the Sui Dynasty fell

CHINA
The Dynasty that replaced the Sui was the Tang [Tong] It lasted nearly 300 years and its accomplishments came to rival that of the Han The Tang issued various reforms like the Han They started the Civil Service Exam [First started by the Sui] They separated the powers of government

CHINA
Another great feat of the Tang was land redistribution Land was taken from the rich and given to the poor and needy The Tang Dynasty also expanded Chinas borders westward into the Himalayas and Tibet The Conquered and bullied Korea into making them pay tribute After 300 years however, corruption took hold of the Tang as well

CHINA
The government was the rst to fall into decay In one example, it was said that an emperor entertained his young daughter each day with 100s of dancers He also sent out 1000s to remote locations thousands of miles away to procure rare and ripe fruit for his daughter It did not take the people long to rebel against such abuses of power

CHINA
As well as suffering decay from within, the Tang Dynasty came under re from foreigners Like Rome, the Tang Dynasty was under constant attack from so many directions that they used mercenary armies The result was inner destruction The Tang Dynasty fell and was replaced by the Song Dynasty

CHINA
The Song Dynasty grew immensely during a period of economic prosperity Soon it experienced problems with northern invaders A new power called the Mongols were emerging in the north As they encroached upon China the government power was relocated to the south It was not enough, in 1279 the Mongols destroyed the Song Dynasty

WORLD HISTORY
Asia

CHINA
About 1160 AD, Temujin was born in Mongolia At this time, Mongolia consisted of 30 warring tribes They, like the Hun, were a group of nomadic people who lived on their horses At the age of nine, a rival clan poisoned Temujins father

CHINA
Growing up, Temujin began to display great leadership skills He successfully united several Mongol Clans Soon, Temujin destroyed the clan that killed his father It is unknown if Temujin continued to seek revenge or if he wanted to gain more lands but he embarked on one of the worlds greatest conquests

CHINA
At the age of 40, Temujin had crushed all of his enemies He united the rest under his rule and was crowned by his people as Genghis Khan [Great Ruler] Genghis Khans army never exceeded 110,000 people but he used it to create one of the worlds greatest empires First, Genghis Khan attacked China He incorporated its technology, gunpowder, and government into his Mongol culture

CHINA
Then Genghis moved westward and took parts of the Middle East The Middle Eastern Shah of the city Samarkand rejected Genghis pleas for peace The Shah attacked and killed 450 Mongolian merchants who passed through his country Genghis reaction was swift and brutal He attacked and eradicated the city of Samarkand and the surrounding areas

CHINA
Genghis left no one alive Sources recall that a Muslim worker and friends spent 13 days counting the dead In all, over 1.3 million people were killed by Genghis Khan The region attacked by Genghis remains desolate to this very day There was little time for Genghis Khan to relish his victory Rebellion was spreading back home in China

CHINA
On the journey back to China, Genghis would die Sources are sketchy Some claim he fell from his horse and was wounded Others claim he caught Typhus His last request was to make China pay for its rebellion His grandson would see the wish fullled

CHINA
Following Genghis Khans death, his empire was divided into Khanates All regions were ruled separately Had Genghis Khan not died, it is likely the Mongols would have attempted to take Europe After Genghis death, the empire continued to grow in size Timur attacked and destroyed India Others poured into Europe

CHINA
In China, Genghis Khans grandson Kublai succeeded in destroying China Kublai Khan relocated the city to the north He built lavish palaces and wide streets He named the city Khanbaliq, it is modern day Beijing It became the jewel of the east

CHINA
Kublai was known as a great leader Many people, even Chinese, enjoyed respected his rule He expanded the empire into Vietnam and Thailand He planned a massive invasion of Japan The Japanese were terried but decided they would ght to the bitter end

CHINA
As Kublai Khans eet sailed for Japan, a miracle occurred A typhoon arose and destroyed the entire eet Japan was preserved They came to refer to the typhoon as as Kamikaze [divine winds] The Japanese would believe that the gods would always protect them from invasion

CHINA
The era of Mongol control over China came to be known as the Yuan Dynasty It prospered greatly under Kublai but faltered after his death We know much of this time from the writings of Marco Polo Marco Polo was a merchant/ explorer who traveled to China He wrote of what he saw in his book

CHINA
Eventually the Mongol Dynasty declined Foreign wars proved costly Later leaders were corrupt and did not rule as the predecessors had In 1368 the Chinese revolted and expelled the Mongols back to Mongolia A new Chinese Dynasty began that would come to rival the Han and Tang

CHINA
The founder of this new Dynasty came to be known as Ming Hong Wu The Dynasty then has come to be called the Ming Dynasty The Ming expanded Chinese power to its greatest extent They fortied and built the Great Wall we see in China today They also improved the Grand Canal and re-instituted the Civil Service Exam

CHINA
The Ming also built a luxurious palace complex for nobility and the emperor It was called the Imperial City or today, the Forbidden City One of the marvels of the Ming Dynasty was the great naval eet of Zheng He The Ming Emperor commanded it be built to explore what lay beyond Chinas borders

CHINA
The eet consisted of 62 ships, 28,000 men and made 7 great voyages The ships came to be known as Junks, exceeded 400 feet in length They were big so they could house entire armies, and even elds were grown on them They traveled to the far reaches of the world and brought everything they found back to China

CHINA
Some have speculated that is is possible that the Chinese arrived in the Americas before Columbus After the emperors death, the subsequent emperor ordered the entire eet to be destroyed China had all it needed and did not need foreign inuence Great speculation exists that the Chinese could have ruled the seas and been more powerful than Europeans had this not have occurred

CHINA
It was also during the Ming Dynasty that Europeans made their way into China In 1514, a Portuguese eet arrived in China China was not impressed with Europeans and soon prohibited them from China Many were amazed however with European clocks, eyeglasses and Christianity

CHINA
In the late 16th century, the Ming Dynasty fell into decline High taxes, weak government and peasant revolts would bring the Dynasty down Also, China underwent a widespread famine and epidemic that killed thousands Many said the mandate of heaven was lost and helped bring down the Ming Dynasty

CHINA
In the north, a powerful clan began to target China They were known as the Manchu They had admired China but now saw a chance to seize control Due to inner problems, the Ming were unable to resist the foreigners The Manchus took control of China and started a new and nal Dynasty It was known as the Qing

WORLD HISTORY
Korea

KOREA
Korea is a peninsula located between China and Japan Today it is divided into a democratic south and a communist north For generations, it has served as a cultural bridge between China and Japan

KOREA
70% of Korea is covered in mountains Most people live along the coastline, and in the major cities Food is comprised of sh, kimchee and rice The climate is temperate, with hot summers and cold winters

KOREA
North Korea has a lot of mineral wealth Coal, Iron, Lead, Copper and Zinc are all plentiful in its many mountains 95% of both North and South Korea is educated Both divisions of Korea share the same identity, just differ over politics

KOREA
From 100 to 668 AD, nomadic hunters and gatherers migrated into Korea from China These people eventually formed Koreas rst 3 kingdoms 1st was the Koguryo [koh-guh-reeoh] 2nd was the Paekche [pehk-chay] 3rd was the Silla [shillah]

KOREA
During the 3 kingdom period, Chinese culture made its way into Korea Koreans adopted language, Confucianism and Buddhism In 668, the Silla kingdom unied all of Korea The Silla would usher in 3 great dynasties The Silla, Koryo and Choson

KOREA
The Silla Dynasty was Koreas golden age Many people from all over Asia ocked into Korea Some from as far off as the Middle East Palaces, Pagodas and temples reect the prominence of Buddhism in Silla culture The Silla Dynasty was replaced by the Koryo

KOREA
The Koryo Dynasty is where modern Korea received its name The rst ruler, Wang Kon, built a new capital and encouraged the arts The Koryo also adopted from China the Civil Service Exam Only the aristocracy could take it They also invented metal movable type They also protected China from several Japanese invasions

KOREA
Koreas last Dynasty was known as the Choson It came into power after the Mongols left It began in 1392 and lasted until 1910 Again the capital was moved, this time to Seoul Buddhism was replaced by Confucianism It was during the Choson Dynasty that Korea turned inward Korea became known as the Hermit Kingdom because it traded with no one but China

KOREA
In 1592 AD, Japan attempted to invade China through Korea The brutal war lasted 6 long years Japan was ultimately defeated by the Korean Turtle ships While Korea won the war, it devastated the country 2 years later, the Manchu invaded and destroyed both China and Korea For the next following centuries, Korea would pay tribute to China

KOREA
In 1905, Japan invaded Korea and annexed it The Japanese essentially used the Koreans as slaves They forced them to work and all resources were exported to Japan In the 1930s and 40s Koreans were forced to speak only Japanese and were given new names Worst was Japans concubine army 1000s of Korean women were forced to serve as Japans service group for Japanese soldiers

KOREA
In 1945, Koreans celebrate the allied victory over Japan Victory was thought to bring home rule Korea however fell subject to another war Half the nation aligned itself with the US and democracy The other with the USSR and China as communist The dispute was mediated with a division of the nation along the 38th parallel

KOREA
In 1950, under the leadership of Kim Il Song, the south was invaded by the north The idea was to unite all of Korea as a communist nation South Korea and its US ally resisted the takeover Caught by surprise however, the US/Korean army was nearly pushed off the mainland Small contingent fought to stay alive on the southern city of Pusan

KOREA
The US however wanted to hold Korea and not let it fall as it had China President Harry S. Truman sent WWII naval hero Douglas MacArthur in to Korea MacArthur developed one of the most brilliant military strategies of all time Instead of invading and helping in Pusan, he used the Marines to attack the northern city of Inchon

KOREA
The idea was to crush the North Korean Army between the Marines and the US Army It worked, then MacArthur led the army above the 38th parallel in attempt to unify all Korea under democracy China however warned the US against war near its border The US moved on unworried On November 25, 1950 the impossible occurred, China joined the war in behalf of North Korea

KOREA
The US Army was once again reeling The North Koreans and Chinese pushed the US back below the 38th parallel Fighting soon stalemated and both sides began peace-talks The result was a ceasere and the creation of a massive DMZ The border remains to this day

KOREA
Kim Il Song, the leader of the north, was treated as if a god When he died, his son, Kim Jung Il resumed his fathers lead Today, Kim Il Un leads the nation Stand in direct opposition to the US, though recently a thaw has taken place Very strong sense of communism exists Many in N. Korea remain poor and enjoy little freedom The South however has continued to prosper

WORLD HISTORY
Japan

JAPAN
Japanese legend says that the nation was formed when male and female gods threw a jeweled spear into the sea The salt water that dripped off its end hardened, creating the islands of Japan Only after the creation of Japan was ended did the gods create the rest of the world

JAPAN
Japan is an Archipelago, or a string of islands It is located off the coast of China It consists of 4 main islands and over 3000 small islands The four main islands are; Kyushu = southernmost, Shikoku = just north of Kyushu, Honshu = large mainland, Hokkaido = northernmost

JAPAN
Sea has always served as a protection to Japan, much like England They traveled to the mainland when they chose They did not allow any to come to them unless they chose Gave them best of surrounding cultures

JAPAN
Japan, in size, is smaller than the state of Montana Population is very vast, over 125 million Majority of the population is crammed into cities Reason, the country is very mountainous Honshu, the most fertile, is densely populated 20,00 people per square mile, state of New York 360

JAPAN
The agriculture of Japan is based around rice and sh Terrace farming provides 3/4 of Japans food Only 8% of the population are farmers, yet the nation imports very little food Farming techniques produce very high yields, nothing wasted

JAPAN
Economically, Japan has little mineral resources This caused many problems for Japan as it industrialized Today, Japan imports resources form Malaysia, Philippines and North America Oil for Japan, like the US, comes from the Middle East

JAPAN
Japan has a special cultural identity It is a mix of Chinese/Korean and white Ainu from Russia This has caused them to feel culturally unique Also has lead to ethnocentrism Japan today still enjoys few minority groups

WORLD HISTORY
Japan

JAPAN
Japan has one of the worlds most ancient civilizations Archaeologists believe people began to inhabit the islands as far back as 14,000 BC Earliest artifacts have been found from as far back as 10,000 BC DNA suggests that the Ainu are modern descendants of these ancient peoples

JAPAN
These early civilizations began a religious practice that still endures today It is called Shinto or Shintoism Shintoism [early origins] had no set of rules no book or even a name When Buddhists arrived from China, they named the religion Shinto Means: The Way of the Gods

JAPAN
In Shinto, the Japanese believed in spirits or Kami Kami live in everything, rocks, rivers, lakes, mountains They believed these Kami controlled nature Through offerings and purication, the Japanese could appease the Kami

JAPAN
Shinto shrines are built anywhere they see a great spirit Such as Mount Fuji or in the ocean Here people pray to the spirits and appease them In return they will get good fortune, crops, no harm Shinto does not provide anything on afterlife Buddhism lled this void, two beliefs converged

JAPAN
An early legend that has tied Japanese religion into government is the legacy of Jimmu In 711 BC, great white leader named Jimmu united Japan Son of the sun goddess Amaterasu Defeated his enemies by battling with the sun at his back Modern Emperor of Japan claims to be the descendent of Jimmu and Amaterasu, thus claiming divine decadency

JAPAN
Shinto linked religion to government A national shrine was later established at Ise [ee-say] There the Emperor would pay tribute to the sun goddess Amaterasu The Emperor came to be held as a god on earth and was revered by all

JAPAN
Early Japanese society was dominated by several tribes By 400AD, many tribes united, formed the Tenno Clan The Tenno Clan claimed to be descendants of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu The Tenno Clan also set up rst and only Japanese Dynasty Present Emperor claims descent to Tenno Clan

JAPAN
By 500 AD, missionaries from China brought Buddhism to Japan They also brought written language From 550 to 850 AD, Japan borrowed technology from China They also borrowed Taoism, Confucianism, Philosophy and government They were selective however, did not borrow the mandate of heaven

WORLD HISTORY
Japan

JAPAN
In 794 AD, the Emperor moved the royal court to Heian [hey-un], modern Kyoto Blended Chinese and Japanese cultures The power of the Emperor however declined Court families and wealthy kings took control Emperor reduced to symbolic gurehead

JAPAN
Japan during the early centuries AD was mostly comprised of farmers Due to the lack of good farmland, soon much of the land came to be owned by wealthy nobles These nobles came to view themselves as even more important than the emperor Near 1000 AD, Japan began to import many things from the mainland A new high court life emerged

JAPAN
In early Japan, women had a certain level of equality as men In most cases however they were seen as subservient to men Many women became aristocrats and achieved great power Men could divorce if a women did not produce a male son, committed adultery, talked too much, was jealous or if she had a serious illness

JAPAN
From the 9th to 12th centuries females learned to read and to write While the Japanese spoke a different language for much of their early history they wrote in Chinese That began to change however when the Japanese developed their own system of writing called Kana This new writing system was used by Murasaki Shikibu

JAPAN
Shikibu wrote one of the worlds oldest ctional novels called The Tale of Genji The novel follows the life of a young prince [Genji] as he tries to remain in favor with powerful gures It is a book of wonderful adventures, heroics, love and sadness It has reveled much of what Life in Japan was like at this time

Another prominent Japanese woman, Sei Shonagon, wrote her thoughts in a journal

JAPAN

This journal comes to us today as the Pillow Book It contains random thoughts about life in Heian Japan It shows forth a simplistic poetic beauty that was highly praised in Heian times It, like the Tale of Genji, gives us insight into Japan during that epoch

JAPAN
During the Heian Period, the Japanese Emperor began to lose power Wealthy families began to rule Japan through force In time, one family emerged supreme They were known as the Fujiwara The Fujiwara held power by marring their daughters to heirs of the throne

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By the 1100s AD, turmoil rocked Japan New families emerged that challenged the Fujiwara and Emperors court These new families utilized mercenary warriors called Samurai With them, they seized control of many lands By 1192, Minamoto Yoritomo emerged as the strongest of the Samurai warriors

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The emperor named him Shogun or chief general of the army Power shifted away from the emperor and to the Shogun Under the rule of the Shogun, a new feudal society emerged in Japan At the top was the Shogun, under him were lesser Samurai who ruled lands

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Despite all of these governmental changes, it was the Samurai who in essence ruled supreme The Samurai followed the Bushido Code It was The Way of the Warrior The code emphasized strict discipline, honor and bravery on the battle eld Their use of one of the worlds best weapons, the Samurai Sword, allowed for dominance of society

T H E J A PA N E S E S A M U R A I T H E H O R O

T H E J A PA N E S E S A M U R A I T H E H O R O

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If a Samurai brought dishonor to his ruler he was expected to observe the law of Seppuku [harikari] This was ritual suicide Death was better than dishonor In one tragic event, 47 Samurai committed suicide after mistakenly killing a court ofcial This tradition resurfaced during World War II

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The Samurai were not only warriors While they prized the art of war most, the also performed other arts and achievements Samurai wrote poetry and practiced calligraphy This society and warrior class however would end abruptly with the arrival of Europeans and rearms

WORLD HISTORY
Japan

WORLD HISTORY
Japan

JAPAN
During the rule of the 3 great commanders, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Leyasu Europeans began arriving The Europeans were greeted warmly by the Japanese The rst were the Portuguese Europeans introduced to Japan: tobacco, clocks, eyeglasses and rearms

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Christianity also made its way into Japan via the Jesuits Many converted, including Daimyo Soon however, the Jesuits began destroying Shinto Shrines This was seen as a great trespass Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued and edict in 1587 that banned Christianity Those who had converted were persecuted

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Soon, under Tokugawa Leyasu, not only was Christianity prohibited but also all foreigners All were pushed out and trade with the west was no longer permitted Only one small colony on near Nagasaki [Deshima], inhabited by the Dutch was allowed Many who lived there went mad, as only two ships per year were allowed to the dock

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Under Tokugawa rule, Japan was organized into 250 states Over each state was placed a Daimyo These Daimyo were made to live in the capital for a time to ensure they remained true to the Shogun During this time of peace, the Samurai decreased in number Many became farmers and their unique skills were no longer needed

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Japan experimented with many other changes during the Tokugawa Era Industry ourished as Japan began to learn of the west Edo grew to be one of the worlds largest cities at over 1 million people A new class system also emerged in Japan

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The class system of Japan was based in the following manner At the top were the warriors, then peasants followed by artisans and merchants last Movement and marriage between classes was prohibited This class structure led to many rebellions and disagreements It would not be from within that Japan would fall however, it would be from abroad