Mrs. P Loves History (and AVID)
  • Meet Mrs. Piguillem
  • World History Resources
    • 1st Semester >
      • Rome & Christendom 300-1200 CE
      • Europe After Fall of Rome >
        • Feudalism: Europe
        • Later Middle Ages
        • Black Death
      • SW Asia: Arabia & Islam
      • West African Empires
      • SOUTH ASIA: Gupta Empire, Hinduism, Buddhism
    • 2nd Semester >
      • East Asia >
        • China & Confucianism
        • Japan & Shintoism
        • Samurai Society
      • Civilizations of the Americas >
        • The Maya
        • The Aztec
        • The Inca
      • Renewal In Europe: The Impact of Ideas >
        • Renaissance
        • Reformation
        • Scientific Revolution
      • The Early Modern World >
        • The Age of Exploration
        • Enlightenment
    • World Religions & Cultural Beliefs >
      • Ancient African Beliefs
      • Buddhism
      • Christianity
      • Chinese Traditional Beliefs
      • Greek & Roman Mythology
      • Hinduism
      • Islam
      • Judaism
      • Mayan Beliefs
      • NeoConfucianism
      • Shinto (Japan)
      • Sikhism
      • Taoism
      • Viking Beliefs
  • AVID
  • Research Resources
    • Geography
    • Historical Thinking Skills
    • Links to Sources

Japan in the Middle Ages

Japan is a large group of islands located east of the Asian mainland. Life in Japan has always been influenced by many factors. The islands' geography and location shaped how people lived there. Visitors from other lands also affected Japanese society.

Holt Textbook & Audio Files:

holt_7th_grade_chapter_8_japan.pdf
File Size: 5614 kb
File Type: pdf
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holt_8.1_audio.wma
File Size: 10248 kb
File Type: wma
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holt_8.2_audio.wma
File Size: 8431 kb
File Type: wma
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holt_8.3_audio.wma
File Size: 12142 kb
File Type: wma
Download File

Teach TCI - History Alve

Lesson 19
​Lesson 20

History Social Science Standards  
7.5 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Medieval Japan.
7.5.1  
Describe the significance of Japan’s proximity to China and Korea and the intellectual, linguistic, religious, and philosophical influence of those countries on Japan.
7.5.2  Discuss the reign of Prince Shotoku of Japan and the characteristics of Japanese society and family life during his reign.
7.5.3   Describe the values, social customs, and traditions prescribed by the lord-vassal system consisting of shogun, daimyo, and samurai and the lasting influence of the warrior code in the twentieth century.
7.5.4  Trace the development of distinctive forms of Japanese Buddhism.
7.5.5  Study the ninth and tenth centuries’ golden age of literature, art, and drama and its lasting effects on culture today, including Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji.
7.5.6  Analyze the rise of a military society in the late twelfth century and the role of the samurai in that society.
Essential Questions: 
  • In what ways did neighboring cultures influence Japan?
  • ​What was life like for aristocrats during the Heian period?
  • What was the role of the samurai in the military society of medieval Japan?

Web resources

  • Japan an Island Nation
  • Ducksters Japan History
  • Tale of Genji a website about the novel, author, and dozens of images of places in the novel 
  • Biography of Lady Murasaki
  • Shinto and Buddhism in Japan
  • Shinto the Traditional Religion of Japan
  • Japanese Culture then and now
  • Tea Ceremony
  • Japanese Cooking
  • Traditional Musical Instruments
  • Nara and Heian Period
  • Heian Period - Nara and Government
  • Prince Shotoku: Buddhism and Constitution
  • Fashion and Beauty during Heian Period
  • History of Sumo Wrestling
  • History and Instructions for tea ceremony
  • Tea Ceremony demonstration
  • Holt Chapter 8 Notes
  • Bone, Flesh, Skin: The Making of Japanese Lacquer Discover how Japanese lacquer objects are made in this award-winning documentary.
  • Fudo Myoo (the Immovable One) Discover Fudo Myoo (the Immovable One), one of the powerful deities known as the Five Bright Kings in Japanese Buddhism and folk religion. 
  • A Japanese Teahouse Explore the Japanese teahouse at the Asian Art Museum. 
  • Shinto Discover Shinto, one of Japan's earliest belief systems.​
  • Temples of Nara Explore the Buddhist art and architecture of Nara, Japan.
  • Zen Buddhism An introduction to Zen, a form of Buddhism that emphasizes seeking one's own Buddha nature through meditation.

additional textbooks:

Teach TCI History Alive 
Japan During Medieval Times: 
  • TeachTCI Lesson 19: The Influence of Neighboring Cultures on Japan
  • TeachTCI Lesson 20 Heian-kyo: The Heart of Japan’s Golden Age
  • TeachTCI Lesson 21 The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan​​
Video Resources:
The gardens and architecture of the Heian period lasted from the late 8th century to the late 12th century. They reflect the process of Japanese reinterpretation and finally assimilation of Chinese culture.
A significant feature of Japanese gardens is their ability to arouse poetic emotions in the viewer and this was especially true of the Heian period.
Rocks, flowers trees are not just inanimate objects but possess their own being and sensitivity. To be sensitive to their sensitivity is a prerequisite of Heian art.
Wars between lords and emperors were not uncommon in Japan after 1100. Closed off from society at Heian, emperors had lost touch with the rest of Japan. As a result, order broke down throughout the islands.
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  • Meet Mrs. Piguillem
  • World History Resources
    • 1st Semester >
      • Rome & Christendom 300-1200 CE
      • Europe After Fall of Rome >
        • Feudalism: Europe
        • Later Middle Ages
        • Black Death
      • SW Asia: Arabia & Islam
      • West African Empires
      • SOUTH ASIA: Gupta Empire, Hinduism, Buddhism
    • 2nd Semester >
      • East Asia >
        • China & Confucianism
        • Japan & Shintoism
        • Samurai Society
      • Civilizations of the Americas >
        • The Maya
        • The Aztec
        • The Inca
      • Renewal In Europe: The Impact of Ideas >
        • Renaissance
        • Reformation
        • Scientific Revolution
      • The Early Modern World >
        • The Age of Exploration
        • Enlightenment
    • World Religions & Cultural Beliefs >
      • Ancient African Beliefs
      • Buddhism
      • Christianity
      • Chinese Traditional Beliefs
      • Greek & Roman Mythology
      • Hinduism
      • Islam
      • Judaism
      • Mayan Beliefs
      • NeoConfucianism
      • Shinto (Japan)
      • Sikhism
      • Taoism
      • Viking Beliefs
  • AVID
  • Research Resources
    • Geography
    • Historical Thinking Skills
    • Links to Sources