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Feudal Japan

Review

Samurai Warriors

samurai: “to serve”Bushido: “way of the warrior”Click here to access pictures and

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Tale of Genji

Written over 1000 years ago by Murasaki Shikibu, Tale of Genji is widely regarded as the world’s first novel. It was written in secret by a woman in the Heian court

of Japan.Tale of Genji: Summary and History

Religions in Feudal Japan

Shinto

The Shinto religion involves nature worship, believing that spirits, or kami, are everywhere in nature.

Buddhism

Zen Buddhism was brought to Japan from China. Samurai warriors were drawn to Zen Buddhism. Meditation and “being present” were appealing to the samurai worldview.

Hierarchy of Feudal Japan

ShogunDaimyoSamurai WarriorsArtisansPeasantsMerchants

Art of Japan

PotteryKabuki dramaNoh dramaBunrakuSword making

Japanese Poetry

Haiku traditionally contain simple images from nature. They may also express themes of life and death.

Haiku contains 3 lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables.

Examples of haiku

Tanka is a simple, elegant poetry form that may express emotions of love lost, or melancholy.

The tanka is composed of 5 short lines or groups of lines, each of 5 or 7 syllables. More thematically complex than the haiku, the ideas build onto and into each other.

Examples of tanka

Geography of Japan

Japan is an archipelago (series of islands) in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. It is composed of 4 main

islands and has a mostly rocky terrain. Its relative isolation and its high population density has had a unique impact on

its cultural traditions.

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